2) The Witness of the Holy Spirit.

Here God takes the general Word we know, moves upon it by His Spirit and makes it specific. The peace is to 'rule' in our hearts. 'Rule' here is used in ancient Greek for 'umpire' or 'referee.' The peace of Christ then is to mediate or referee between two (or more) directions to help us determine whether we are 'in' or 'out' of the game. The peace 'calls the decision.' There should be a general sense of peace in a Christian's life which comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit. Should this 'peace/presence' become diminished, jarred, or out of kilter, 'peace', the referee, is saying 'Wait. Test this one out.' If the 'peace/presence' is consistently absent, God is saying 'No.' If the 'peace/presence' grows deeper as one considers a direction, this is a signal that God could be leading in this direction. It is best to keep this tentative; since this is subjective, there needs to be a further testing of this sense of leading.

Find someone saturated in the Word of God. Ensure that this person is open to the leading of the Spirit, and sensitive to God's flow of peace. Place the situations before them and pray together. Let these be people with no vested interest (i.e. if you are thinking about a new job, don't pray with the boss!). Let them ask probing questions until they and you together come to a place in which the peace of Christ in their souls and yours is 'ruling', and indicating this decision is 'in the game' and 'fair play.' This is what it means to be 'called in one body.' The general principles of the Word must be in harmony with this decision. The sense of leading in the soul of the seeker must be peaceful and clear. There should be a consensus in unbiased third parties (Workers) that both Word (the clear teaching of the Bible) and Spirit (God giving peace within) together are pointing in this direction. With these three (Word, Witness and Workers) in place, the last steps can be taken.

At this point, decide. Choose a direction. The outflow should be 'Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs' - praise, worship, and a release of intimacy with God in all concerned. Even a heavy decision should lead to a sense of rightness that facilitates being able to worship God in openness and joy.

Once the decision is taken, believers set their will to live with the consequences of the decision. There will be ups and downs with each choice. Regardless of how one feels, there is a specific calling on each believer who has sounded out the mind of the Lord. Thankfulness will be the calling in the times when the decision is tough. W'hatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."

Had I known about these five steps, discerning what God wanted around that job would have been much easier. While the process is not infallible -because everyone falls short of the mark  - balancing these five tests together makes the possibility of hearing and obeying God all the more likely.