Promise of Life Church Podcast
Episode: "Being Led By The Spirit Made Easy, Part 16"
Speaker: Pastor Craig Field
Date: July 17, 2024

Episode Overview

In this installment of the "Being Led By The Spirit Made Easy" series, Pastor Craig Field returns with practical wisdom, personal stories, and bold exhortations on how Christians can safely and confidently navigate life by following the Holy Spirit’s leadings. The episode is rich with real-life anecdotes about supernatural protection, the dangers of spiritual presumption, the necessity of maintaining sharp spiritual hearing, and the importance of discerning God's ordained voices in one's life. Pastor Craig’s signature candid, humorous, and pastoral tone runs throughout, making the principles relatable and memorably practical.

Key Themes and Insights

1. Divine Encounters and Miraculous Testimonies

• David Hogan’s Ministry & Raising the Dead (00:00–06:54)

  • Pastor Craig shares his recent conversation with missionary David Hogan, highlighting Hogan's renowned ministry of miracles.
  • Story of a man dying on a plane after being moved out of business class—a humorous yet powerful account of Hogan reluctantly raising the man from the dead after his wife’s insistence, leading to many salvations onboard.

  “Ms. Debbie was sitting beside him, and she said, ‘David, raise him from the dead.’ And he said, ‘I'm not doing that … he took my seat, I'm not doing it!’ … She just kept saying, ‘You're going to do it now.’” — Pastor Craig (03:10–04:10)

  • Main lesson: It’s good to be around the anointing and learn, even from those who don’t think exactly the same way as we do.

2. Review of Last Week—Three Areas of Inquiring of the Lord (06:55–16:44)

Pastor Craig reviews three scenarios regarding being led by the Spirit:

• A. When You Don't Know—Ask!

  • Sometimes, we don’t know why God prompts us toward something. Instead of passively wondering, inquire of Him—He wants to tell us.

• B. When You Receive Something, But Don’t Understand It

  • Example: Receiving an impartation but never asking God about its full purpose. Important to dialogue with God for clarity.

• C. When We Err—Don’t Just Repent, Inquire

  • When making mistakes, it’s not enough to just say sorry; ask God why it happened and how to avoid it in the future.

  "A lot of people make mistakes and they never talk to God other than repent. ... But what about talking to Him about why it happened and what He felt about it and how you can change it so that this does not happen again?" — Pastor Craig (13:20–14:00)

3. The Dangers of Forcing Ministry & Sensitivity to the Spirit (16:45–23:20)

• When ministers force spiritual manifestations from their souls, not by the Spirit, it’s not only unhelpful but can open the door to demonic deception.

• Not every miracle or prophecy is genuine—be discerning.

  "If you don't, you're going to get in the flesh ... And that's why Dr. [Dufresne] would say some ministers would be in the spirit one night and in demonic power the next." — Pastor Craig (18:20–19:10)

4. Being Cautious with Spiritual Voices and Content (23:21–39:10)

• Streamlining Spiritual Intake

  • Warning against consuming teaching from ministers not specifically ordained for your life. Too many voices dull spiritual hearing.
  • Even solid, scriptural teaching can be unprofitable if God didn’t assign that teacher to you.
  • Example: Pastor Nancy’s story about sensing no "lift" from an otherwise sound ministry, because God hadn’t ordained that voice for her.

  “The Lord said, ‘There’s nothing wrong with their ministry … but I never ordained their voice for your life.’” — Pastor Craig relaying Pastor Nancy’s revelation (32:10–33:00)

  • Advice: Limit your intake to those your pastor recommends and you have a spiritual witness about.

• Modern Deception & Prophetic Error

  • Critique of hasty or false national prophecies (e.g., about elections) and the lack of accountability.
  • Example: Andrew Wommack—great on healing, but "in gross error" on grace. If you choose to listen to such ministries, “spit out the sticks and eat the hay”—but it’s safer to just avoid the sticks altogether.

5. Practical Obedience and Safety by the Spirit (39:11–01:23:00)

A. Being Led in Everyday Decisions:

• Speeding Tickets Story (45:30–47:30)

  • Holy Spirit would warn him audibly, "Slow down, fool," or even alert him to police with radar ahead.
  • “Favor is unfair … I have an advantage now.” — Pastor Craig (47:20)

• Insurance & Medical Testimonies (47:31–01:00:40)

  • The importance of listening to inner promptings about practical matters like insurance.
  • Testimony: Pastor Joe Siegel increased insurance just before a cancer diagnosis because of a persistent nudge from the Holy Ghost, resulting in full financial provision.
  • The line between faith and presumption when it comes to preparation (insurance, safety) is listening to the Spirit.

  “To say, ‘I’ll never have a problem,’ that’s not being led by the Spirit. That’s not faith either. That’s presumption.” — Pastor Craig (58:00)

  • Learn to be led in even mundane matters—offerings, driving, making purchases.

B. Survival & Protection Testimonies:

• David Hogan in Mexico (01:01:00–01:02:00)

  • How he prays for specific leading every day for physical safety due to dangerous local conditions, and teaches missionaries that their lives depend on obeying the Spirit’s directions.

• Personal Motorcycle Accident (01:06:00–01:19:00)

  • Pastor Craig recounts how he ignored a clear word from God ("There’s going to be an accident."), assuming it was for someone else, leading to his own injury.
  • Humility means always assuming God’s warnings are for you first and inquiring further; never presume you’re spiritually exempt.

  “Humility always assumes what He’s talking about is for you. … This can save your life.” — Pastor Craig (01:15:50)

  • Practical wisdom: ask questions, don’t ignore a check in your spirit, and if no answer comes, take the conservative approach.

• Maui Incident—Lack of Common Sense (01:19:00–01:30:00)

  • Nearly broke his neck on a wave after ignoring warning signs on the beach.
  • Sometimes there is no supernatural warning because the Spirit expects you to use natural wisdom.
  • Last-second checks matter—if you sense dread, even as you’re about to sign a contract or take action, stop.

  “There was no advance warning. Why? Because of common sense.” — Pastor Craig (01:25:10)

• Maui Wildfire—Saved by a Subtle Prompting (01:30:00–01:40:00)

  • A persistent, “nagging” sense led Pastor Craig to book his trip a week earlier than logic dictated.
  • Fires devastated Lahaina exactly when he would have been there with his family—lives were saved by following a small, quiet inward check.

  "Pay attention. Because that one decision could have put us all at risk, including possible death." — Pastor Craig (01:38:50)

6. Sharpening Spiritual Hearing and Battling Fear of the Future (01:40:10–End)

• Being Led Trumps All Fears

  • God has “gone into your tomorrow”; following the Spirit’s leading brings peace and safety, no matter what threats may exist.
  • Warning against letting fear of the future open a door for trouble.
  • The path for a child of God led by the Spirit is always one of peace, safety, and provision.

  “Stop being afraid of tomorrow. The Holy Ghost has gone ahead of you. … There is no trauma in your tomorrow, there’s no accidents and there’s no tragedy. Your children will be fine because you’ve got the Holy Ghost.” — Pastor Craig (01:43:00–01:44:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Sensationalism:
  “People have to get over the sensationalism of ministry, of prophets … you’re playing with fire. And when you play with fire, you eventually get burned.” (26:20)
• On Narrowing Spiritual Voices:
  "The more you hear, it will dull the sharpness of your hearing. You need sharp hearing … if you keep your narrow focus on the voices God ordained, you will hear what you have to hear from those people.” (35:25)
• On Humility & Spiritual Warnings:
  “Humility always takes it personal ... Always assume what He’s talking about is for you.” (01:15:50)
• On Spiritual and Common Sense Partnership:
  “The Holy Spirit leads people, but He also wants common sense. Wearing a helmet is common sense. Not buying something you can’t afford is common sense. ... He will work with the natural.” (01:28:55)
• On God’s Protection for the Spirit-led:
  “If you’re led by the Spirit, the Spirit will make sure you’re nowhere near [the danger]. In fact, He’ll probably make sure you’re not even in the country.” (01:40:10)
• On Peace for the Future:
  “We don’t have to worry about tomorrow because you [Holy Spirit] already went into tomorrow before me. And if I just follow you … tomorrow will be fine.” (01:42:45)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–06:54 – Opener & David Hogan's resurrection story
• 06:55–16:44 – Recap of three areas: Ask when you don't know, inquire when you don’t understand, don’t just repent when you err
• 16:45–23:20 – The dangers of forced ministry and spiritual dullness
• 23:21–39:10 – Voices, doctrine, and why narrowing your input matters
• 39:11–01:00:40 – Everyday leading: tickets, insurance, practical choices
• 01:06:00–01:19:00 – Motorcycle accident story: pride, assumption, and humility
• 01:19:00–01:30:00 – Maui beach accident: common sense and spiritual checks
• 01:30:00–01:40:00 – Lahaina fire: following a gentle nudge saved lives
• 01:40:10–End – Final exhortations: battling fear of the future, God has prepared a safe path

Final Words

Rooted in practical, relatable examples, Pastor Craig challenges his listeners to:

• Sharpen spiritual hearing by limiting voices to only those God’s ordained
• Always seek the Spirit’s counsel, especially when unsure or sensing a warning
• Value both supernatural leading and common sense
• Trust God for tomorrow, refusing fear and holding fast to the Holy Spirit’s advantage

Takeaway:
Being led by the Spirit is meant to be simple, safe, and effective—if you cultivate sensitivity, humility, and wise discernment in daily life.