The Danger of NOT Listening to the Spirit

December 7

The Danger of NOT Listening to the Spirit

And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul (Acts 27:10-11)

Years ago I read the testimony of a Christian woman who had been raped. She would jog along the same trail every day. One day she heard a still small voice tell her not to run down that trail on this particular day. Ignoring the voice she continued down the trail and was accosted by a man who began to rape her. However, her life was spared and she lived to tell about it.

While such a violation of body is horrific, she still survived this incident with her life and health. Many others have ignored the still small voice to their own demise. All of us can attest to times when an alarm seemed to be going off inside of us and something inside of us was telling us to move in a different direction. Our obedience to this voice saved our lives and saved us from a loss of limb as well.

Every person who has received Christ as their Lord and Savior and who has been born again has the precious Holy Spirit dwelling on the inside of them. We are told in Scripture, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). God’s leading helps us to discern what is sinful and detrimental to our spiritual heal. However, He also alerts us to physical dangers that we can avoid if we obey Him.

Quite often God gets the blame for the bad things that happen to us when He had nothing to do with them. On the contrary He often attempts to get our attention and lead us away from danger. Sadly, many of us have not trained our spirits to listen to the Lord and we suffer as a result. Yet, so often, in His mercy, God has minimized the consequences of missing His leading as He did for the lady mentioned above.

The same is true concerning Paul’s voyage to Crete. Paul perceived that the trip would be a dangerous one and he warned them concerning it. Paul was a man who had trained his spirit and knew how to following those promptings of the Spirit. Sadly, he was ignored and this nearly got everyone on the ship killed. It was only Paul’s fasting and praying that kept the people on the ship alive despite the loss of everything else.

Let us learn to be led by God Spirit. When we perceive danger ahead, obey the voice. It will save your life.