Be Led by the Spirit

A friend invited me to a birthday party on a certain date. But I didn't feel quite right in my spirit about saying yes. 

She asked why not. Did I have a prior commitment on that date? No - I just didn't feel right in my spirit about committing myself on that date.

She looked at me with disbelief, and misinterpreted it as disinterest on my part.

At that time I'd been getting a string of invitations to preach in churches. It was getting that way that I could likely have filled a calendar. Then one day God said to me, "That's enough of that. Go up to Muli Muli..." and He added that it had to be on a specific Saturday - the very Saturday of the party.

The pastor in Muli Muli didn't have a current phone connection for me to ring and say I was coming, so I just had to turn up - on the very Saturday which the Lord had specified.

I knocked on his door. We hadn't seen each other for years. "You sure picked a good time to come," he said. It was a congregation member's birthday; they had a large tent set up, had hired chairs from the local school - and people were coming from far and wide to celebrate. 

The pastor said that seeing everyone was already there for the weekend, I may as well stay overnight too and preach in the church the following morning.

As a result of friendships made that weekend, I ended up traveling with many of them from indigenous community to community, participating in their evangelistic events. I was even invited to help plant an indigenous church in one town. In total I spent about three months living and travelling with them. God opened doors and provided all my needs. And the relationships continue to this day.

Imagine the logistics if I'd tried to organise all that! But it all fell into place effortlessly because I arrived at the right place at the right time.

I wouldn't have been available for any of that if I'd followed my natural mind and sentiment and already committed myself that Saturday. But because I allowed myself to be led by the Spirit in my spirit, I was available that Saturday, and ended-up in a position to have all the experiences God wanted me to have and to be used by Him in the exact way He had planned. Plus - I got to enjoy a birthday party as well anyway!

"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (I Corinthians 2:9-12).

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Romans 8:14).