He Leads
The Holy Spirit never ceases to amaze me. He is constantly at work in the world and He provides the guidance necessary to faithfully follow Christ. I love what Luke says about the Spirit’s leadership in Acts 16:6-10. The Holy Spirit kept them from preaching in Asia and would not allow them into Bithynia even though they tried to enter. Then Paul has a vision about a man from Macedonia and they conclude that the Lord is calling them to take the Gospel there. They are so sensitive to the Spirit’s leading that they get ready and leave for Macedonia at once. This begs the question, “Does God still provide this kind of leadership to His people?” Yesterday I posted about risks. I ended my entry by writing, “This challenges me to look for ways to take greater risks for Christ.” Before I went to bed last night I received an email invitation to do a spiritual retreat for a group of leaders in North Africa some time next year. What follows is the conclusion to the email.
“Know that it would not be without a risk factor. I believe that anything we attempt to do for Christ is not without risks, right? Both here and there.”
The Spirit is still leading!
That’s awesome! Looking forward to finding out what risks the Lord would have me take as well.
Does He provide this type of leadership? Absolutely! It always takes my breath away when it happens, and the human side of you thinks.. was that a coincidence? But as a follower, the experience is striking enough that you know that God is behind it.
I find myself often questioning whether something is the will of God or the will of Jim, but prayer and times often gives a confident answer.
Side note: I never noticed before that God kept Paul from entering one place or another. That has really had my mind spinning all day. Why would God have kept him from Asia? Interesting.
Thank God Paul and Silas were willing to take the risk of following
the leadership of the Holy Spirit to Macedonia. It was the door that
He opened to take the gospel of Christ to the Western World. Through
that door all of us have received the Good News. Thank you Jimmy for
your willingness to take risks in your ministry. God has blessed you
in many ways. Continue to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
Following the lead of the Holy Spirit is what makes Christianity fun! Getting a taste of God doing something amazing in your own life and not just hearing about it from someone else, makes you want more of a good thing. I’m excited to see how God is going to use me next. And it may be something that know one else will ever know about, but just me and God.
Heady stuff this being in step with the Spirit, of one mind with God and God blessing everything you do. Your step is lighter, your vision brighter and your heart is full of good things. The sky is bluer, the sun brighter and all nature seems more beautiful. Paul and Silas were bolder in their preaching, converts made, miracles wrought – they and God were of one mind and one spirit. How easy it is when walking in step with the Lord to start running ahead of him. Suddenly, instead of being in tune with God it is God is in tune with me. Perhaps, Paul and Silas began to believe they had God’s stamp of approval on all that they did. God had to show them he was sovereign. Sure Asia needed the gospel. But God would decide who preached there. Sure, Macedonia could have had another missionary preach there. It is God who directs the affairs of mankind. Perhaps I am reading between the lines here but all of us humans, even the God/man Jesus (Phil. 2:7-8), need to be humbled and reminded who is in charge. We are to follow the Spirit’s leading. We are to walk with the Lord. It is not ours to be the leader.