“As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, ‘Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So he started out…” (Acts 8:26-27a NLT)
When the Lord prompts us to do something or go somewhere we have to assume He has a good reason and should not tarry, but immediately obey, but it’s critical we know the prompting is from the Lord and not a bad burrito.
While attending a minister’s meeting in another city several years ago, the Lord prompted me to leave the meeting and go home. He had never done that before, so I packed up and headed home. As I came in the door, my wife’s response was: “You’re home early.” To which I responded, based on the conversation I had with the Lord on the drive home: “Yes, I am, because I missed you and I just wanted to be with you and the kids.”
When you boil it all down, we live our lives to please our Master, the Lord Jesus. He deserves to call the proverbial “shots” in our life, directing our steps in a manner, direction, and timing that please Him. To believe we can make our own schedule without first seeking the Lord’s input is to make assumptions that aren’t ours to make.
When I left my meeting, I thought there may be a problem or emergency of some sort with which I would have to deal when I got home, but there was none. It occurs to me that we don’t need to know the why, we only need to obey and trust the Lord has His reasons.
Is the Lord asking you to go somewhere or do something that seems odd to you? Is your heart stirring to make a change, but you’re not sure why or when? My intention isn’t to be melodramatic, but simply to encourage you to always be open and sensitive to the Lord’s voice.
But a word of caution! Satan will seek to manipulate your feelings and have you “follow your heart,” but apart from the Holy Spirit our hearts are wicked and unreliable. The antidote to quick decisions based on emotion is a commitment to prayer and waiting. A rule of thumb that I learned by jumping into too many things that “looked” or “sounded” too good to pass up is this – make yourself wait at least 7 – 10 days before jumping into something.
And, yes, I realize there may be a “small window of opportunity,” so you “must act now,” but I also know that “small window” is too often so the other person can get what they want, even if it ends up costing you money, time, energy, or something else you don’t have to spend.
When I was selling cars, I had an opportunity to lease a new car at a very reasonable rate, and at the time I was making enough money I could have easily covered it. But almost the moment I signed on the dotted line I knew I’d made a mistake. I ended up having to find someone to take over the lease after the first year.
Did I not desire to do God’s will? Of course, I did, but “my will” got in the way and God was dishonored through the frivolous way I was using His money. And please don’t hear what I’m not saying. You may be in a much better position than I was, and the Lord may be leading you to get another vehicle (or something else), but just give it prayerful consideration before you leap into something that could turn out bad for you.
If your leading is truly from the Lord, He’ll give you certainty as to what He’s asking you to do.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 