Lead me, 0 LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face. Psalm 5:8
When you make up your mind before you seek God's guidance, it is easy for you to mistake your own voice with the voice of the Holy Spirit. For example, a brother falls in love with a sister and then goes to the Lord for direction as to whether the sister is the right person to marry. At that time, because the brother has already committed his heart in love, it will be very difficult to tell his own strong inner feelings from the Holy Spirit's leading. The best thing is to seek the Spirit's leading before you commit your heart. When you have already made up your mind as to what you want to do, it is difficult to have the openness of heart that allows the Holy Spirit to speak clearly to you. Many sincere seekers of the Spirit's leading make this mistake. They already know where they stand on a matter or how they want the matter to turn out and then they go to the Lord, seeking for guidance. When that happens, the voice they hear speaking to them is nothing more than their own. If you really want the Spirit's leading, let God lead first before your heart follows. Don't commit your heart to a cause first before seeking the Lord. Don't allow your emotions and feelings to take the lead before you seek for the Holy Spirit's leading. Seek the Lord first and then commit your heart to what He tells you. The Scriptures warn us about deceptions and delusions of the mind. Remember, the voice of the Holy Spirit is not your voice; your will is not His will.
Prayer: Lord, take the lead and I will follow.
Scriptural Reading: Psalm 5:1-12
