Spiritual Discernment

"Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem....After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles." - Acts 21:4,10-11

I thought it was interesting that Luke, who is the undisputed author of Acts, used the words - "through the Spirit". We know that Jesus told Nicodemus that everyone must be born of the Spirit if they are to have eternal life. We also know that the Spirit was sent to 1 - inhabit us - give us spiritual life and 2 - help us with that spiritual life. As mere mortals, we tend to think about spiritual things in human terms. After all - we are using our minds to consider Spiritual Truth - but the fact is that Spiritual truth is only understood by revelation of the spirit in the heart. So, they urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem, not because of what they heard on the evening news, but because of a revelation made known to them by the Spirit. Something that was impossible for men to know about from Divine revelation. And because they loved Paul, they did not want to see any harm come to him. 

Do you think that God would reveal things to you by His Spirit? Has He ever? Or is it something that you have decided is "out of your league"? For the spiritual elite. My friend, you are a child of God - sealed by the Spirit of God. Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the work of the Spirit in every Believer's life. 

"These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual." - 1 Corinthians 2:13 

God speaks by the Spirit through the Word of God, prayer, circumstances (where the Spirit shows us God at work and we understand that hand of God is working, and other Christians who have the same Spirit that we do.  It is amazing and true.

Our goal should be that we see the world the same way God does. That we have spiritual understanding in this life we live. 

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone