John Bevere - How to Be Led by the Holy Spirit
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So, we're discussing in this session something that is crucial to fulfilling your calling. We're asking, "How do I now fulfill my calling?" In this session, we will look at Romans 8:14. I cannot stress enough how important this is: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God." It doesn't say, "as many as are led by their intellect." It doesn't say, "as many as are led by their natural understanding." It doesn't say, "as many as are led by their emotions," or "as many as are led by what all their friends say." No, it says, "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God." Now, "sons" refers to both sons and daughters of God. Is every Christian led by the Spirit? No. There is a breach here.
What does it mean? You have to understand the Greek word for "sons," which is "weas." There are two major Greek words for "sons" in the New Testament: "weas" and "technon." "Weas" means a son by mere fact of birth. When my sons were born in the hospital, you would see the little Plexiglas thing with 20 other babies. How do you know which son is mine? Because the name "Bever" was written above the Plexiglas. By mere fact of birth, that's my son. "Technon" means a son or daughter who displays the character of his or her parent. You know they're a son because they resemble their parent. For example, when our oldest son, Addison, grew older, my mom came to babysit for a week. When we returned, she started laughing and said, "That boy is so much like you, it's crazy! He does things that you don't remember doing yourself."
Now, what's happening is he is recognized as a son of John Bevere because he has his dad's character. This word for "sons" here is "weas." Thus, it is the mature sons and daughters who are led by the Spirit. How does the Spirit lead us? That is our job to learn. First and foremost, it never contradicts the written word of God. Second, He leads primarily by the inward witness. One of the verses in this neighborhood says, "The Spirit bears witness with our spirit," so there's that velvet peace that God uses to affirm us. Conversely, there's the check that indicates something is wrong; that's God saying to hold back. Galatians 5:25 says, "Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives." The key to fulfilling your calling is that God doesn't give you the whole map; He gives you a glimpse of the destination. You might think, "I'm going to go from here to there," but in reality, you'll go through the wilderness, the crucible, and the desert to develop the character that is needed to handle the position at the end.
In my life, when I started working for the church, I truly sensed I was in my calling. I felt joy, contentment, and fulfillment. The first year was like a honeymoon; I remember sitting in the parking lot, crying, thinking, "How come there are 8,000 people in this church, and I get to be the one who picks up this man and woman of God's groceries or their kids from school?" It was just amazing. But, as time passed, desires began to arise in me. Before I held this position, I took care of all the guest speakers who came to the church.
One night, while still working as an engineer, I was at a conference where a very famous evangelist named T.L. Osborn was speaking. He and his wife Daisy had won, I believe, 62 million people to Christ during their crusades in Africa in the 1980s, often preaching to crowds of 500,000 in one night. While I was in the audience, I heard the voice of God say, "You will serve; you will work for that man." I was in disbelief; how could I ever meet a guy like that? Eventually, after I was hired, within six months, he was one of the guest speakers who came in. When he arrived, he instantly fell in love with me, and I fell in love with him. I distinctly remember him looking at my pastor on the first day and exclaiming, "This man! Oh, I love this man! He's amazing!" My pastor laughed and said, "Yeah, he's a good guy."
We developed a close relationship, and I felt tremendously drawn to him, as if I were sitting with Jesus. He has since passed away, along with his wife. I recall one day, he looked at me and said, "John, my Bible school was guided by this one particular author. I have read every one of his books. If I send you his entire library, would you read it?" I eagerly replied, "Yes, I'd love to!" He then sent me all the books. On another occasion, he said, "I think you're about my size," and he sent me an entire wardrobe of his clothes, stating that he had been filmed in them too often. I began wearing his clothes, preaching like him, and even walking like him. Each time he visited, which was about once a year, we grew closer and closer. I adored this man, and he had his world headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma. However, he and his wife decided to move to Orlando, Florida, for warmer weather and nicer surroundings. They handled everything back then via fax and telephone while residing in Orlando with the headquarters in Tulsa.
After two and a half years in my job, I was invited to speak at a small church with only 100 people on the east coast of Florida. The closest airport was Orlando, and when I landed, my parents, who lived in Vero Beach, picked me up. As we drove out of the Orlando airport, the Spirit of God came upon me. I found myself sinking down in my seat, exclaiming, "This is my home! This is my home! This is my home!" I had never been to Orlando before. I knew without a doubt I was meant to live in Orlando one day. After that trip, I started piecing things together: "T.L. Osborn lives down there; that's where I'm going! He's going to take me on; I'm going to be his Elisha, and he will be my Elijah."
After a year of nothing happening, I returned to Orlando for a second time. I went to a significant church and approached the pastor to express my desire to move to Orlando. "I really want to start a ministry to reach out to nations worldwide. Can I attend your church?" He replied, "Sure, that's fine!" Upon returning home, I told my wife, "That's it! I'm putting faith in what I believe—we're moving to Orlando." My plan was to become a salesman at a used car lot, selling cars until my ministry picked up, hoping that T.L. Osborn would eventually ask me to assist him. I had it all figured out.
I made an appointment with my pastor's wife to inform her I was resigning. The night before our meeting, I received calls from three different ministers: one from Nebraska, one from Fort Worth, Texas, and one from Dallas, Texas. All three asked, "John, is your wife okay with this?" The truth was, my wife was not! Finally, by the third call, I broke down and realized, "Oh my gosh, I'm birthing an Ishmael!"
What is an Ishmael? God appears to Abraham and says, "Abraham, I'm your reward." Abraham replies, "Big deal! I have no son. The heir of my household is Eliezer of Damascus. You're my reward for 25 years? I'm dead. What good is that? I have no legacy." So God says, "We have a problem here." He brings Abraham outside and tells him to count the stars: "That's how many children you'll have." Then He has him count the sand. God puts this dream in Abraham: "You're called to be the father of nations." That was his specific calling.
After 11 years of waiting—when Abraham was 86 years old—he and his wife decided to take matters into their own hands. They brought in her servant, Hagar, and Abraham had Ishmael. Ishmael was birthed from a genuine promise from God. God promised Abraham a child but never mentioned Sarah. If you read it, you'll find that between the ages of 75 and 86, God didn't mention Sarah at all. He only told Abraham he would have a son. They tried to help God fulfill His promise and birthed Ishmael. Of course, when the son of the promise appeared, the son of the flesh fought with the son of the promise. We have opportunities to birth our calling in the flesh or allow the Spirit to birth it. If we birth it in the flesh, we must provide for it in the flesh. This leads to struggle and strife. However, when God does it, a supernatural element accompanies it.
At that time, I was working for my church, and people told me, "You should start a church; there is a call on your life. Pick a city." I always felt hesitant. Eventually, I realized I was birthing in Ishmael. The next day, I walked into my pastor's office with his wife present and said, "I was going to resign today, but I realize I'm birthing an Ishmael." I broke down, crying. I was embarrassed, but I couldn't stop crying. The pastor and his wife reassured me, saying, "John, you've done such a phenomenal job! We support you! We're so glad to hear you've figured this out!" I thanked them, and we reaffirmed our love for one another.
This is a true story; I'm not making it up. Eight hours later, as I was putting on my shorts to play basketball at the gym at church, my phone rang. It was T.L. Osborn on the line. I was in shock! He said, "John, Daisy and I are moving back to Tulsa, and we want to start a church. Picture this: we will do crusades all over the world, and the people saved will help us establish similar churches all over the world. We want you and Lisa to lead this effort!" I was stunned, realizing, "Oh my gosh, this is like Isaac!" We spoke for two hours.
Lisa was calling during that two-hour period, and I told her to get home. When she came in, we both picked up the phone and listened as T.L. Osborn painted the vision for us. I was so excited; I thought I would hit the ceiling! "I'll work for T.L. Osborn!" I remember walking outside our apartment that night, feeling a check in my spirit. The presence of God told me this was not right. I was baffled, saying, "God, no! This is my dream; you can't say no to this!" But that check wouldn't leave me.
Three days later, while praying, I surrendered my plans to God. Finally, I felt a sense of peace and joy return. For the first time in years, I was happy. A few months later, I was in Florida again, doing a church dedication with a very large church. The pastor, remembering our previous interaction, invited me to lunch two days later and told me, "John, I want to hire you as my youth pastor."
This was the last position I wanted after serving my pastor for four and a half years. I laughed at him! I thought it was ridiculous that I would be offered to be a youth pastor after turning down working with T.L. Osborn. However, I shared my vision with him, and he was excited. Before long, I became his youth pastor, Despite the initial disappointment, this was God's plan. What is essential to understand here is that if I weren't led by the Spirit, I would have been confused, striving, and frustrated. Those who try to fulfill their own calling in their strength without a word from God end up struggling.
God can't steer a ship that sits idly in the water. You can't steer a car parked in the driveway. You have to do what He tells you to do and be faithful. If you're hesitating about doing something new and God isn't speaking, He may be saying, "Keep doing what I've already told you to do." During that season, I was supposed to work at that church, serve, and be faithful in my family and my role as a husband. While I was not doing that, I was miserable.
People find themselves in despair when they try to fulfil their calling through their own means. There exists a path that God has from point A to point B, and it isn't a straight line; it involves wilderness, crucibles, and deserts. Ultimately, the growth through these experiences equips you with the character you need for the position you seek. The critical essence here—whether in the military, business world, education, or athletics—is that you must be led by the Spirit. It is vital that we learn how to hear His voice, for God does not force His message upon us. He communicates uniquely with each person; He speaks differently to every child.
For example, remember when God spoke to Moses? He said, "If there is a prophet among you, I will speak in visions, but not so with Moses; I speak to him face to face." When God addressed Samuel, who was serving under Eli, the voice of God sounded just like Eli. Samuel kept running to Eli, thinking he had called him, until Eli finally realized God was speaking to him. It's essential we learn how the Holy Spirit communicates. I have found that I communicate differently with each of my four sons. For one, it's direct; for another, almost like I have to write it down and say, "Here, wear this." And yet another needs a more subtle hint to provoke thought.
God operates in a similar manner. As my wife often says, "He loves us uniquely." This means He has a unique way of communicating with each of us. I can't provide a formula for how the Holy Spirit will speak to you, but Jesus assured us that "my sheep know my voice." You will recognize His voice, and the most crucial element to fulfilling your calling is to be led by the Spirit. I hope you enjoyed this lesson.