Author: bakhtsingh.basaram@gmail.com

you don’t need to go through anyone else to find God’s will

Scripture: Hebrews 8:11, 1 John 2:27, Romans 12:2

In the Old Testament, if you wanted to know God’s will, you had limited options. You could visit the high priest with his Urim and Thummim—special objects used to discern God’s direction. Or you could find a prophet who could hear God speak. For ordinary people, there was no direct line. God felt distant. He was outside of them, speaking from the outside.

But something changed at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit didn’t just come to believers—He came inside them. That changes everything. It means you don’t need to go through anyone else to find God’s will. You have direct access. The prophet isn’t your mediator anymore. The priest isn’t necessary. Not because those people are bad, but because the whole system changed.

Here’s how it works now: God speaks to you from within through the renewing of your mind by the Holy Spirit. That’s Romans 12:2—be transformed by the renewing of your mind. As you think about Scripture, pray, and listen to the Holy Spirit’s whisper in your spirit, you discover God’s will. It’s personal. It’s intimate. It’s yours. Not something someone else has to unlock for you.

The problem today? Many Christians still act like the Old Testament model. They believe they need their pastor to tell them what God wants. They think they need a spiritual leader to interpret Scripture for them.(Note: None of us, no matter how much we think we know, should arrogantly think we cannot learn from godly teachers of God’s truth.) But God promised in Hebrews 8:11 that all of His people—from the newest believer to the most mature saint—would know Him personally. You don’t need a middleman. You have a direct relationship with your Father.

Think about it: Are you making decisions based on what God is telling you directly, or are you waiting for someone else to tell you what to do?

Prayer: Father, I thank You that I can know Your will personally. Help me hear Your voice clearly through Your Spirit. Teach me to trust that You’re guiding me directly, not through others.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Scripture: Matthew 4:17, Matthew 3:2, Acts 2:38

The word “repent” doesn’t hit the same in English. But in its truest form, it means something radical — a complete turning around. Imagine a soldier in formation facing one direction. The command comes: “About turn.” He doesn’t shuffle sideways. He doesn’t half-turn. He rotates 180 degrees. His back is now to where his face was. He’s facing completely the opposite direction.

That’s repentance. A turning of the mind. An about-face from one direction to another.

John the Baptist understood this. The nation of Israel had been trained for centuries to look toward earthly things — land, prosperity, physical health, military strength. The entire Old Covenant was built on material blessings. But then John showed up saying: turn around. Stop looking at the earth. The kingdom of heaven is coming, and it’s about spiritual wealth, not material wealth. It’s about a heavenly inheritance, not an earthly one.

Jesus picked up that same message. Matthew 4:17 shows Him preaching exactly what John preached: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Peter continued it after Pentecost in Acts 2:38. Same message. It wasn’t a casual suggestion. It was a fundamental reorientation. Stop running toward one thing and start running toward another. Stop building your life around earthly success and start building it around spiritual reality.

Here’s the thing — real conversion isn’t just about getting forgiven. It’s about turning around. It’s about changing what you’re chasing, what you’re building toward, what you’re aiming your life at. And that turning has to be complete. You can’t half-repent any more than a soldier can half-turn. Either you’ve changed direction or you haven’t.

Think about it: What direction are you actually facing? Toward earthly security or toward God’s kingdom? Are you in the middle of repenting, or have you made a complete about-face?

Prayer: Lord, help me turn completely around. Not just from sin, but toward You. Help me stop running after earthly things and chase Your kingdom instead.