Another way in which God will lead you is: Through the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit. As a parent, you wouldn’t allow your children to get into trouble if you could stop them – and neither would God. ‘For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.’ God will give you a desire to do His will, plus the power to carry it out. You ask, ‘But how can I know God’s voice?’ Through time, through testing, through experience, and most of all through intimacy with Him. When a loved one calls you on the phone, they don’t have to say, ‘Hello, this is your husband or your wife calling.’ You know their voice! And learning to recognise the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit is crucial, because much of the time you won’t be able to figure it out. ‘The LORD directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?’ (Proverbs 20:24 NLT). When all is said and done, you will say, ‘Honestly, I didn’t figure this thing out. It must have been God.’ The longer you walk with God the less you’ll know about why He leads as He does, but you’ll know with assurance that He does lead you. Knowing that is what will draw you back to Him time and time again to seek His guidance. The apostle Jude said, ‘I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith’ (Jude v.3 NIV 1984 Edition). Those words – ‘I felt I had to’ – are nothing less than the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit.