In our church over the last few weeks, I’ve been talking about the importance of operating in the power of the Holy Spirit. God gave us His Spirit to help us live abundantly. When we choose to follow Jesus, He gives us the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and empower us. However, if we aren’t actively engaging with and listening to the Holy Spirit, we risk wandering down roads that God never intended us to travel.
A powerful example of this is found in Acts 16:6-7: “They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them.”
Here, Paul and his companions were intent on preaching the Gospel in Asia and Bithynia—good intentions, no doubt. But because they were seeking and listening to the Holy Spirit, they were redirected to where God was truly calling them. Had they ignored the Spirit’s guidance, they may have missed the greater plans God had for them.
How often do we find ourselves in places we shouldn’t be, simply because we didn’t pause to seek or listen to the Holy Spirit? Or even worse, how often do we ignore His leading because His plans differ from our own?
Jonah is a great example of this. God had called him to go to Nineveh, but Jonah had other plans. He ran in the opposite direction, boarding a ship headed for Tarshish. Jonah’s disobedience led to a storm, a shipwreck, and being swallowed by a great fish. It wasn’t until Jonah finally submitted to God’s will that he experienced God’s power working through him to bring the people of Nineveh to repentance.
Jonah’s story reminds us that resisting the Holy Spirit’s guidance often leads to unnecessary pain and delay, while obedience brings about God’s purpose and blessings.
As followers of Jesus, we have to remember that the Holy Spirit is given to us for a reason. Romans 8:14 says, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” Are we children of God? Then we need to be led by the Spirit and this means seeking His help, listening for His voice, and being obedient to His leading.
I believe God’s plans for each of our lives are far greater than anything we could ever hope or imagine. Ephesians 3:20 frames this for us by reminding us of God’s great power and purpose. It says that God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.”
If we have chosen to follow Jesus, His power is at work in us. And He can do immeasurably more than we could ever hope or imagine. But to experience this, we must surrender our plans, ideas, and desires, and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to the places where God’s purpose for our lives can be fully realized.
Are we seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance? Are we listening to His voice and responding in obedience? My prayer is that we are people who are operating in the power of the Holy Spirit, trusting that He will lead us to places that will bring glory to God and fulfill His incredible purpose for our lives. -Amen
thesimplemindedpastor.com 