Acts 20
Constrained by the Spirit!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, July 29.
How do you determine the next steps of your life?
Listen to Paul discern his next steps in Acts 20:22-23, “And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.”
The Lord revealed to Paul that in every city ahead of him imprisonment and suffering await him. How could Paul have used this information?
He could have said, “Thanks for giving me the heads up God, for protecting me by warning me ahead of time.” But not Paul!
There is a key phrase that we need to focus on to understand Paul’s decision, otherwise we may attribute it to some kind of bravado or human motive. Paul said, “I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit.”
To be “constrained by the Spirit” is when you know intellectually that you have freedom to choose to do something or not, but you are overwhelmingly convinced and unwaveringly determined that this is what God would have you do!
The only way to know the work of the Holy Spirit is by investing time into your relationship with God through lots of time with Jesus—learning the way and voice of your Good Shepherd.
An essential way to know the difference between your own stubbornness or bravado and being constrained by the Spirit is that what God has you to do will always align with His Word, His Character, and His revealed to use the body of Christ to bring glory to Himself through the exaltation of Jesus Christ.
Seize the moment and ask God to be a part of your decision-making process. Then spend time with Him so that you can discern the difference between His voice and all other voices.