“The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.” (Acts 13:4 NIV)
Paul and Barnabas are the “two” in this verse. They are following the Holy Spirit wherever He takes them. In this case, they are going to Cyprus. But what does the verse mean, “sent on their way by the Holy Spirit?”
In order let God’s Spirit lead you, tune into His radio station. Listen to His podcast. Watch His YouTube video. Follow His Twitter feed. The more you get to know God, the more His spirit will lead you. Tuning into God makes us sensitive to Him. We begin to understand His heart as we follow Him more. Our hearts will come into alignment with His. When He wants us to move, we’ll know. Subtly, we will know what we are to do.
Align our hearts with God and His Spirit will lead us.
When our heart breaks over the things that break God’s heart, we’re in tune with Him. We’re sensitive to His presence in our lives. We recognize the deep love God has for every single person on this planet. Whether or not they love Him, God loves them.
God’s love for others will start to pour out of us. As His Spirit fills us, it will lead us. We’ll have nudges to do things we wouldn’t otherwise do. We’ll call someone because for whatever reason, we can’t stop thinking about them. We’ll send a text at odd times for us, but just the right moment for someone else. We’ll buy the person lunch who is in line behind us.
I met a friend for lunch a few years ago. As I was paying for my meal, I had a nudge to buy the couple’s lunch behind me in line. He was military, I had the opportunity to thank him for his service. I did not immediately obey. We were in a cafeteria style line with trays. I felt the nudge as soon as the young couple lined up behind me. I felt awkward, especially because they would know I was the person who bought them lunch. The feeling wouldn’t leave me. When I got to the register, I paid for mine, still without obeying. As the cashier handed me the slip, I knew I was about to miss a blessing if I didn’t buy their lunch.
I turned to the young couple and said, “I would like to buy your lunch. Thank you for your service to our country.” The young lady beamed with radiance as she announced, “We just got married!” I have no idea how much lunch cost that day. But I do know I had a very special moment that none of us will forget.
Tune into God, You’ll get the nudge.
Question of the Day:
Have you had the nudge lately?
Further Reading: 1 Kings 20:1-21:29 NIV, Acts 12:24-13:15 NIV, Psalm 137:1-9 NIV, Proverbs 17:16 NIV
