Season 1 Episode 18 - In this episode, I share the story of how a random thought while studying in college led me to begin a journey of learning to discern the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
"Reflect on This" is the podcast version of short email devotionals I send to my family and friends, where I am sharing the things I am learning about the ways and nature of God, through applying my study of the Scriptures to the world around me.
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Music credit:
Be Thou My Vision Interlude, by Sarah Bereza
Sarah.Bereza@gmail.com
First of all, I wanted to mention that a dear and trusted friend gave me some wise counsel recently about this podcast. He suggested that I not try to pack so many principles into each episode. This would make it easier for listeners to take away one big idea and ponder it throughout the day. I began to chuckle inside, as I remembered that the podcast is called “Reflect on This.” I realized that this approach would indeed allow listeners to truly “reflect on this (one point)”… rather than “reflect on these (many points).” (chuckle) So, I will strive to make this and future episodes align with that goal. And now, on to today’s episode.
It was a weeknight during my freshman or sophomore year of college. I was a fairly young believer, having only become a Christian during my senior year of high school. I was seated at my desk in my apartment, focused intently on studying for a particularly challenging class. I was really into it, when suddenly, out of the blue, a random thought popped into my mind: I needed to go see a particular female friend (who was also a student there). She was a friend that I had met during my high school days in my home town. I tried to shake off this seemly random idea and return to my studies. But I could not get it out of my mind. I began to think that it might be the Holy Spirit speaking to me. So, with a little bit of nervousness and in an attempt to be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I got in my car, drove to her apartment, and knocked on the door.
When she opened the door, she was crying and obviously upset about something. She asked me what I was doing there, and I told her candidly (and nervously) that I was not sure, but I felt that God had told me to come to see her. She invited me in, and began to share with me something that had just happened that was rocking her world. I began to realize that my visit was a divine appointment. I allowed her to share the details, and I then made a feeble attempt to offer some comforting words of encouragement, as best as I could. We then prayed together, and I left.
This was in the early days of me beginning to recognize, and be obedient to, what I call the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Let me share with you what I have been trying to learn in the decades since that night.
For me, these promptings of the Holy Spirit are often little inner nudges to do or say something… or sometime NOT to do or say something.
After all, 1 Corinthians 3:16 says that “you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you.”
John 16:13 says that the Holy Spirit “will guide you into all the truth.”
Romans 8:14 says that the sons of God [i.e., followers of Jesus] are “led by the Spirit of God.”
Here is the tricky part: how to distinguish between my own ideas and those promptings of the Holy Spirit. I must admit that I do not always get this right. But here is what I have learned, after decades of following Jesus: It is vitally important to try. It is an exercise of faith to step out and follow what I perceive to be the promptings of the Holy Spirit. In recent years, I am learning to take time, after each try, to evaluate the attempt, learn from my mistakes and praise God for the successes. And over time, as I have continued to try, and learn, the percentage of my successes has gone up.
The following is a helpful quote from the study notes of the Life Application Bible:
[The first part of 1 Corinthians 2:16 helps us to understand that] no one can know [exactly] what the Lord is thinking, but through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, believers have insight into some of God's plans, thoughts, and actions. [The second part of 1 Corinthians 2:16 tells us that] believers, in fact, have "the mind of Christ." Through the Holy Spirit, we can begin to know God's thoughts, talk with Him, and expect His answers to our prayers.
Then, the study notes give this challenge to us:
Are you spending enough time with Christ to have His very mind in you? An intimate relationship with Christ comes only from spending time consistently in His presence and in his Word.
In other words, as I spend time reading, meditating upon, and praying the Scriptures, I learn more of the ways and nature of God. My thoughts become more in sync with His thoughts, and I am much more alert to these inner nudges from the Holy Spirit. I can have more confidence that I am really discerning the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Today, I encourage you to “Reflect on This.”