Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Acts 16:6-10
Have you ever had “that feeling,” that gut instinct that you should do this, or say that, or go in this direction and not that direction? Oftentimes I do believe that is the Holy Spirit letting us know which way we should go or which direction the Lord really wants us to go. Perhaps you had planned out an entire trip but at the last minute bad weather was coming through and you had to go a completely different direction. That’s not always a bad thing. I also like to think it is God’s protection over us as well. When you are already running late to work and you end up getting stopped at every single light, only to find a terrible accident near your work place – see God’s protection.
The “Spirit of Jesus” is another name for the Holy Spirit. Paul must have started to wonder which direction he was supposed to take, since the door kept closing before him. Frequently, this happens to us. We think we are going in the right direction and then roadblock after roadblock keeps appearing. Then we set out on another journey and this time, the way is clear and everything falls into place. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes we have to jump through many hurdles to get to where He wants us to be as well, it’s not always smooth sailing. But it’s important for us to listen to “The Spirit of Jesus.”
Father God we pray that You will give us the wisdom, guidance, and direction to navigate through life. Direct our paths and help us to carry out Your will. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.