Have you ever been sure that God was leading in a particular direction, only to find out that he was not? Have you charted a course–be it a relationship, a job, a school–later discovering that it was the wrong direction? Perplexed and perhaps frustrated, you question God’s leading.
You ask, “Was I not listening to God? Did He point me in the wrong direction? Which way does He want me to go?” Your ears are perked like never before; you are waiting on God to speak.
Many of us have had this experience. In this week’s text, Paul has a similar experience. He attempts one path, but the Holy Spirit stops him.
Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7) When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. (Acts 16:6–7 NIV)
God leads in an entirely different direction. How do we know which way God wants us to go? How do we discover the will of the Spirit?
More to the point, are we seeking God’s direction? Do we plan and strategize placing God on the sidelines? Do we stop to ask if the next step is in the plans of the Holy Spirit? Join us this week as we consider Paul’s second journey in Acts 16-17.
JDouglasG
When I was a teenager, several centuries ago, our leaders imparted to us that there was one spouse, one college, one profession and even one city in which to live that would please God. So it was a very narrow road we were traveling and if we made one wrong turn, well we may have just missed God’s will for our lives. As I grew older, and hopefully wiser, I rejected that philosophy out of hand. I have settled on the fact that God has uniquely gifted us all and while He MAY have exact person for us to marry, places for us to live and things for us to do; He gives us more of a choice than some of us think. As long as we are using those unique gifts to do things to His glory, in a place that needs us with people of like minds and hearts then we can be exactly in the center of His will for our life. That is a far cry from where I started many cebturies past, but I feel better about where I am than where I was. Freedom in Christ is a beautiful thing! :)