Be Spirit Sensitive

by Iann Schonken

Not too long ago, I was driving with a friend in his fancy new SUV to the airport. I was enjoying the nice leather smell of the upholstery and the beautiful wood finish on the console as the seats gently embraced my body in exquisite comfort. I loved the high vantage point of the vehicle and the smooth ride. Yet, the one thing that fascinated me the most was the fancy navigation system that seemed to have a life of its own.

My friend simply entered his destination into the computer, which checked the position of the vehicle with the global positioning satellite. As he drove, the navigation system started to give him advance warning of upcoming turns and how far away his destination was. This was an amazing experience! All my friend had to do was to obey the instructions, and he was guaranteed to arrive at his destination! What a wonderful tool to navigate the confusing freeways and roadways of the modern city!

This experience stayed with me and made me wonder, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could have a similar navigation device at our disposal that we could listen to to help us arrive at the right destinations in our lives?”

I felt a gentle nudge and I remembered that I have a build in Navigator already, Who can help me get to where I am supposed to go in this world. His name is Holy Spirit.

Let’s go back a couple of thousand years and investigate where it started. When Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure, He told them of the approaching arrival of a Counselor whom He was going to send to His followers.

John 16:12-14
“12 I have much more to say to you, more than you can bear. 13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said that the Spirit would take from what is mine and make it known to you.”

It is critical to understand that Holy Spirit has the assignment of helping us and providing us with, among other things, the vision, knowledge, wisdom, resources and the power of heaven to change our world for the better. However, it is equally important for us to consult Holy Spirit to access His infinite resourcefulness. What good is it to have an amazing Resource if you never consult Him? We must ask for help as we go through the day, expecting to receive the wisdom and guidance we need to succeed in our purpose.

James 1:5-8
“5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given unto him. 6 But when he asks he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”

This scripture gives us insight into two very important aspects of being led by the Holy Spirit. First, we must turn to Him in acknowledgement that we have a need and that He has the answers. Second, we must trust (believe and not doubt) Holy Spirit’s counsel by acting on it.

The book of Proverbs sheds some light on these two dimensions:

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

When we trust, or lean on our own understanding, we are so amazingly limited. We are limited to what has informed our understanding of a given situation . . .

1) Our education
2) Our experience
3) Our perspective
4) Our fears
5) Our past failures
6) Limited information at our disposal
7) Our fading memory of the the past and limited understanding of the present

Throughout the Bible, people who did not heed God’s advice and commands were called “stiff-necked.” They were locked in, cemented and inflexible to respond to anything other than their own, limited understanding. If you have ever woken up with a stiff neck, you will know how soon it affects your whole outlook on your situation.

“My people refused to listen to me, so I left them to their stubborn (stiff-necked) selves.” (Psalm 81:8-12)

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way to go.” (Psalm 32:8-9)

God wants to help us navigate this world in the best possible way to ensure that we arrive at our ultimate destination, an eternity with Him!

Pilots are trained to trust their instruments, regardless of feeling. Even if they feel like they are in control, they know that they can be fooled by what they see or don’t see through the cockpit window. When they consult their instruments, they can discover where the horizon is, their altitude and how much fuel they have left. This is critical to their safety and the safety of their cargo. Likewise, it is critical that we consult the instruments the Lord provides for us to navigate life, if we are to reach our destiny as leaders and Christians.

When we lean or trust on the Lord’s wisdom, we are liberated to access . . .

1) His omniscience (He knows everything)
2) His experience (from eternal past into the present)
3) His foreknowledge (the eternal future)
4) His omnipresence (nothing is hidden from Him)
5) His omnipotence (nothing is more powerful or resourceful)
6) His love for us (nobody cares more about our well-being/success)
7) His character (whatever He does is good)

We must get to the place where we understand that leaning on our own understanding . . .

1.) Is a stiff-necked (stubborn) response.
“A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed–without remedy.” (Proverbs 29:1)

2) Is extremely foolish and expensive.
“He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered.” (Proverbs 28:26–NAS)

3) Shows a lack of trust in God.
“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” (Psalm 32:8)

4) Robs us of God’s best.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

“If only you had been alert to my voice, your happiness would have been like a river, your integrity like the waves of the sea.” (Isaiah 48:18-19)

In Romans 12:2, the apostle Paul calls the will of God good, pleasing and perfect. It does not mean, however, that the will of God will not present some challenges to the one who knows it! In listening to Holy Spirit, we need to be not only responsive, but also trusting and resilient.

If you read Acts 16: 6-10, you will see Paul and his companions trying to fulfill their divine mandate to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. The Holy Spirit kept them from preaching the word in the province of Asia. Then they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit would not allow them. They obeyed and that night Paul had a vision of a Macedonian man begging him to come and help them. They immediately prepared to leave for Macedonia in response to the will of God that was revealed to them.

Look what happened next! They went to Philippi, had some success, got flogged and thrown in jail, were miraculously rescued, the jailer got saved, they had to leave town, and a congregation of believers were established, which received a letter years later from Paul, which is now part of the New Testament, thousands of years later!

In hindsight, the will of God was perfect. Yet, halfway through it did not look like such a good plan! How would you like to do the will of God, only to be severely flogged and thrown into the darkest part of prison! This is where the trust part comes in! Paul and Silas trusted God?s will and guidance so much that they sang songs at the darkest moment of their ordeal, with the pain racking their bodies and the terrible odors of the prison enveloping them.

They trusted the Lord and did not lean on their own understanding. The ultimate outcome of their reliance on the guidance of the Holy Spirit was their miraculous deliverance, the glorious salvation of a whole family, and the establishment of a fledgling congregation. Simple reliance on and trust in the guidance of Holy Spirit resulted in a great success for the kingdom of God!

While we may not always have a dramatic vision from heaven to inform us what to do, we must remember that Holy Spirit spoke to the hearts of Paul and his companions two times in a still, inner voice before they had miraculous guidance in the form of a vision. Even if we never have a supernatural vision, we all have some guideposts to help us in discerning the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

1.) The recognizable, gentle voice of Holy Spirit within.
“He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” (John 10:3b-5)

2.) Scripture.

The apostle Paul wrote to his young friend Timothy that the Bible is ‘inspired by God’ and said that this means that it “is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16)

David writes extensively on the power of God?s word to guide us in this world in Psalm 119:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws” (vv.105-106). “Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their hearts” (v.2). “I have hidden your word in my heart that I may not sin against you” (v.11).

In a given situation, Holy Spirit will come and breathe on certain scriptures and He will remind us of what should be done as He illuminates the will of God in Scripture.

3.) Circumstances.

There are times when your circumstances inform your decisions and direction. For example, you are laid off and you obviously need to get another job; or, your flight is canceled and you have to find a taxi and a hotel for the night. However, circumstances cannot be our primary source of guidance! It is only when your circumstantial reality is informed by scripture and the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit, that it serves to confirm what you are to do at a given moment in time.

When these three (Holy Spirit, Scripture and Circumstances) are in alignment, the “Go-ahead Green Light” comes on, or what is commonly known as an inner sense of peace.This peace is very important, especially when we are to do something that we are naturally apprehensive of doing.

Why does Paul proceed to Jerusalem, knowing that he will be imprisoned and ultimately killed? He was led by Holy Spirit. He knew that some of us will have to die for our faith (Scripture), he knew that he was supposed to go to Rome (Holy Spirit) and the words of Agabus the prophet confirmed that he was about to embark on a journey that was going to end in him being tied up and taken away. Yet, he was at peace, knowing that he was in the will of God and in line with the guidance of Holy Spirit. In spite of the many previous trials and beatings, Paul chose to be responsive, trusting and resilient.

Since Paul was so sensitive to the guidance of Holy Spirit, he led his generation by being a visionary leader who was knowledgeable, resourceful, and empowering in his leadership style. In like manner, we can also make a difference in our generation by accessing the wisdom of heaven. Please remember that you are only a prayer away from the boundless resourcefulness of the third person of the Trinity, Holy Spirit. Be responsive, trusting and resilient!

Scriptures For Reflection

Luke 9:35
Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!”

Acts 7:51
“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.”

Matthew 7:7-8
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Psalm 97:11
“Light is shed upon the righteous, and joy upon the upright in heart.”

Isaiah 30:21 & 23
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”

Psalm 48:14
“For this God is our God forever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.”

Psalm 73:24
“Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.”

Psalm 139:9-10
“If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”

Habakkuk 2:3
“For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”

Jeremiah 1:17
“Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them.”

Questions For Reflection

1. In what area of your life are you still unresponsive (stiff-necked) to the guidance and instructions of Holy Spirit?
2. What is the last thing He asked you to do that still remains undone?
3. If you still haven’t done it, why don’t you take the necessary steps to obey Him today?
4. Why should He give you guidance on what is most important to you, when you don’t obey in what is most important to Him?

Prayer

Dear Lord, please help me to listen to your voice and to never become stiff-necked. Rather, help me to be like the apostle Paul, who was an ordinary person, just like me, but who chose to be responsive, trusting and resilient as he accomplished Your assignments for his life. Lord, I want to be quick to hear and quick to obey. Amen.