Day 347 "Holy Spirit or Human Spirit?"

Passage: Acts 21:4b

Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

Devotion:

Can the Holy Spirit of God ever be wrong? The answer of course is no, because God by His very nature (and by definition) is infallible. Why then would there seem to be a contradiction between the Spirit's call for Paul to go to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22), versus the disciples at Tyre's urging not to go (today's passage)? From my perspective, I think the Spirit revealed to both Paul and the disciples what pain and suffering awaited him in Jerusalem--the difference is the way their human spirit interpreted how he should respond. 

• Paul's human spirit was fully aligned with the Holy Spirit's will. He was committed to go--at rest and with complete trust in God's ultimate provision.
• The same Holy Spirit of God revealed to the disciples of Tyre what was in store for Paul as well; however their human spirit interpreted these future events into fear for his safety and welfare.

This is a subtle yet supremely important distinction and lesson for us all to apply in our own lives. To go or not to go--that is always the question. Fortunately the answer is very simple yet can be extremely difficult to do: If God calls us to go--we go, no matter what the consequence. Many times we can interpret the foreknowledge of difficulty inspired by the Holy Spirit incorrectly as a warning not to do something, when indeed it is just the opposite. Most often Christian service will involve some level of personal sacrifice (time, effort, money, etc.), which also might entail placing ourselves in positions that are not completely "safe". However, advance knowledge should not deter us from "going", rather we should take captive our fear and will--thereby subjugating both to God's. This is what James meant when he said in James 1:2-4, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Questions to Ponder;

Are you allowing your human spirit to overly influence your decisions? Have you misinterpreted the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God? Do you have the desire to become more involved in some aspect of Christian service but have been warned off by some element of fearfulness? Will you allow your faith to be tested and strengthened through perseverance as James instructs? What action do you need to complete?