Hesitation Is DISOBEDIENCE!
“Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.”
(The Acts of the Apostles 8: 29-30 NASB)
Philip ran up and heard him reading
Isaiah the prophet, and said,
“Do you understand what you are reading?”
This week, my time within the Scriptures revolves around the way God speaks to His children through His Holy Spirit. In studying, I have found the many ways the Spirit of God has spoken to mankind since the beginning of time.
- Through the Prophets.
- Through the circumstances and life-situations of people.
- Through the Son of God.
- Through the written Word of God.
- Through prayer.
- Through fellow brothers and sisters-in-Christ.
Through numerous ways, the Holy Spirit of God—SPEAKS!
In studying, there have been a couple of TRUTHS that resonate within me that need to be shared.
- When the Holy Spirit of God speaks to God’s child—THAT IS GOD’S PERFECT TIMING!
- When the Holy Spirit of God speaks to God’s child—TO HESITATE IN OBEDIENCE IS IN FACT DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD!
Fascinating in the book The Acts of the Apostles are the many ways the apostles of the Lord Jesus reacted: just like us today & nothing like us today.
Philip was traveling the countryside, “preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, . . .” (The Acts of the Apostles 8: 12a NASB)
&
When the apostles (who were in Jerusalem at the time) heard the good report of what was occurring in Samaria, “they sent them Peter and John, . . .” (The Acts of the Apostles 8: 14b NASB)
&
“Then they began laying their hands on them, and they [the people of Samaria] were receiving the Holy Spirit.” (The Acts of the Apostles 8: 17 NASB)
When the Holy Spirit speaks to Christians today, prompting us to share, to preach the good news, DO WE OBEY & OPEN OUR MOUTH—or—DO WE HESITATE?
When the Holy Spirit speaks to Christians today, prompting us to go, to join the ‘good work’ that is being done in Jesus’ name, DO WE OBEY & GO, JOINING THE WORK—or—DO WE HESITATE?
When the Holy Spirit speaks to a lost individual and the person’s soul is saved for Christ, DO WE JOIN GOD WHERE HE’S AT WORK, OBEDIENTLY FOLLOWING WHEREVER HE LEADS US—or—DO WE HESITATE?
TRULY—Hesitation Is DISOBEDIENCE!
God does not give His children a spirit of fear. NO!
- God has placed HIS HOLY SPIRIT of TRUTH within each Christian, each child of God!
- In HIS power, in HIS might, in HIS presence—WE OBEDIENTLY FOLLOW HIM!
- The LORD has entrusted certain individuals to us within our lives—believers and unbelievers. &
- The LORD expects us to DO HIS WILL as we walk throughout the days HE has given to us to live.
- Fear can be a powerful force, one we must learn to overcome with the help of—the HOLY SPIRIT—as we walk forward within the FAITH we have received through the LORD JESUS CHRIST!
Father God,
Help us remember that when we hesitate to speak, to go, to do, to follow YOU, then we are disobeying YOU.
Forgive us, LORD.
Help us to look for YOU at work today.
Help us see YOU working in circumstances, speaking to us through our life-situations, through our intimate Bible study time, through our prayer time, through brothers and sisters-in-Christ, through our trials, testing, and struggles, & LORD, THROUGH ANY WAY YOUR HOLY SPIRIT DECIDES TO SPEAK.
Father, Help us walk worthy of the calling YOU place upon us today.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
- The Holy Spirit spoke to Philip & told him exactly what to do.
- Then Philip obeyed God.
- Philip ran toward the chariot, exactly where the Spirit led him to go.
- Philip paused to listen to what the eunuch was reading from the Scriptures, from the book of Isaiah, the Old Testament prophet of God &
- Then Philip asked the man, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
“The eunuch answered Philip and said,
(The Acts of the Apostles 8: 34-35 NASB)
“Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this?
Of himself or of someone else?”
Then Philip opened his mouth,
and beginning from the Scripture
he preached Jesus to him.”