Physically following Jesus

Jesus requires that those who believe in Him must follow and obey Him, and subject themselves to His discipline and guidance. Jesus would never have expected it if it were not physically possible. We know that it was possible for His disciples to physically follow Him while He was in the world in human form, but what about after He was crucified, resurrected and ascended to Heaven? How would His sheep be able to hear His voice and follow Him?

The answer is quite simple. Jesus promised the disciples beforehand that the Holy Spirit would guide them as we read in  John 14:16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. 26“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

We read in John 16:13“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14“He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

The Holy Spirit was given on the day of Pentecost, not only to the first followers of Jesus, but it was promised to ALL those who would believe in Jesus through their testimony.

On the day of Pentecost “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39“For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” Acts 2:38.

The gift of the Holy Spirit was promised to ALL who believe in Jesus, accept Him and obey Him, repent and are baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. Without the Holy Spirit we cannot physically follow Jesus. We need the Holy Spirit.

This truth is not taught in churches because they do not want you to follow Jesus. They want you to come to church and follow the church leadership.

Very few believers have the Holy Spirit, and of those who have received the Holy Spirit even fewer follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Many believe that they are saved and are going to heaven but they do not have any confirmation from Jesus. They just believe based on what others have told them and from false doctrines, half truths, lies, supported by selected Bible verses.

The unbelievers and religious persons follow their own mind, their own desires and lusts, their own feelings and beliefs. Many are driven by compulsions and addictions. They cannot control themselves.  They are in the power of evil forces, satan, and demons. The born again child of God is led by the Holy Spirit. He follows the guidance of the Holy Spirit, willfully, by faith because he hears from God. Jesus makes you free from addictions, compulsions and bondage so that you are free to follow Him, by your own choice. The Holy Spirit will never force or drive you to do anything. You are free to obey or disobey, but if you disobey the Holy Spirit, you cannot be pleasing to Jesus. You follow Jesus because you want to.

The Holy Spirit will guide you in all things but you have to seek His guidance. He will immediately convict you if you do wrong. You will never be in darkness or uncertainty. If you are uncertain, you just need to ask and trust Him, He will answer you and guide you into all truth. If you disobey or doubt the Holy Spirit, you will grieve Him and He will stop speaking to you. You will go into darkness, and you need to repent from the heart or He will not speak to you again.

The apostle Paul wrote often about following the Holy Spirit guidance and being led by the Holy Spirit. We read in Romans 8: 5”For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. “   12So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

Jesus said:“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:27,28. If we are indeed Jesus' sheep, we will hear His voice and follow Him, but if we stray from Him, we are in danger of hell fire.

Jesus will guide us in all things, through His Holy Spirit, but we must stay with Him, deny ourselves every day, pick up our cross and follow Him until the very end. Are you one of His sheep? Do you hear His voice and follow Him every day?

May Jesus bless you.