Being led by the Spirit and the sufficiency of scripture

Ever felt God lead you to do something? "Speak to that person", "Don't go to that place", "Give him some encouragement".

Now if the bible is all the guidance we need from God (sufficient), then should we write off these "promptings" as merely good human thoughts? Could it be that God is speaking to us-and not directly from the bible? Doesn't this go against the sufficiency of scripture?

I found a sermon by Piper (who refers to Lloyd-Jones) interesting on this topic. Here's an excerpt that I found helpful on the reality of "promptings" and the sufficiency of scripture.

Lloyd-Jones' Warning Not to Quench the Spirit

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the strong, Bible-based expository preacher of Westminster Chapel in London for almost 30 years between 1939 and 1968 used the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch to illustrate just this point. He cautioned against misuse, but he said,

Here again is a most extraordinary subject, and indeed a very fascinating one, and, from many angles, a most glorious one. There is no question but that God's people can look for and expect "leadings," "guidance," "indications of what they are meant to do." There are many examples of this in the Scriptures and I take one at random. You remember the story in Acts 8:26ff of how Philip the Evangelist was told by the angel of the Lord, "Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goes down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert". . .

Now there are leadings such as that . . . If you read the history of the saints, God's people throughout the centuries and especially the history of revivals, you will find that this is something which is perfectly clear and definite—men have been told by the Holy Spirit to do something; they knew it was the Holy Spirit speaking to them, and it transpired that it obviously was his leading. It seems clear to me that if we deny such a possibility we are again guilty of quenching the Spirit. (The Sovereign Spirit, pp. 89-90)

The reason I cite Martyn Lloyd-Jones is because he is one who believed in the unique authority and infallibility and sufficiency of the Scriptures. And one of the concerns expressed by people who love the Bible is that being open to supernatural guidance like Philip was might compromise the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. Now obviously Martyn Lloyd-Jones did not think that it did. Why is that?

What the Sufficiency of Scripture Means

It's because what the sufficiency of Scripture means biblically is that Scripture gives us all we need for two things:

1. it gives all the authoritative truth we need in order to be saved and grow spiritually, and
2. it gives all the authoritative truth we need in order to make good judgments about what is right and wrong.

But the sufficiency of Scripture does not mean that God cannot speak through nature (Psalm 19:1) or that he cannot speak through the human conscience (Romans 2:15) or that he cannot speak through gifts of prophecy and wisdom (1 Corinthians 12:8-10). It means that these are not sufficient to save us or nurture us or guide us. But the Scriptures are sufficient, in the sense that they give the only authoritative rule for completing and assessing those other kinds of revelations.

To read the full sermon check out:
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1991/759_The_Leading_of_the_Lord_in_Personal_Evangelism/