Allowing the Spirit to Lead

It's not about you.

Ever makes plans and have everything seem to be against you carrying them out? Something always comes up. The best laid plains, yet, something else takes precedence. Getting a tax refund? A Bonus at Work? Oh we are going to do this, or that, or go on Vacation, or, whatever. Car breaks down. Refrigerator goes bust. Things happen where you now need to spend the money in other ways. Plan a Vacation? It rains.

This is also why you should never "Swear By" anything. You tell someone, "We will do this on Wednesday." They say, "Are you sure?" You say something like "I swear on my kid's life." Or, think about this one, "Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye." Understand it or not, you just entered into a Covenant with that person. Wednesday comes, and for some reason, you cannot uphold your end of the deal, you just placed yourself in a position to be Maimed and killed. You just condemned your Kid to death.

Always let your Yes be Yes, and your No be No. As for promising Tomorrow?

James 4:

13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

Proverbs 27:1 tells us "Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." Jesus told us "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."{Matthew 6:34} The thing is, Tomorrow is never guaranteed. Ever.

Think about that. True story. Mr. and Mrs. Glass were visiting. Mrs. Glass just got done meeting my Trainee. She just told him a Joke. Next thing we knew was we were standing over both, waiting for the Ambulance, watching Mr. Glass melt down and Mrs. Glass Pass on. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. Family members of "Mr. Smith" say things like, "It was all of a sudden. Out of nowhere. He was never sick. He never smoked, or anything." Tomorrow is never guaranteed. 3000 people woke up on a Tuesday, the 11th of September, 2001 and went about their normal routines, when all of a sudden, they were no more. Tomorrow is never guaranteed.

But what about today? Think about Tuesday, September 11th, 2001. Everyone woke up that day. Did their routines. Went off to work and school. Then at 8:13am, everything changed. Everything in the entire Country, changed. You see, we do not know what is going to happen in the next hour. You may not even finish reading this. We do not know.

But it doesn't have to be a major life or death moment. On Thursday, May 8th, 2014, on my way home, my pressure light came on. By the time I got home, I had a flat tire. I spent some time in the evening changing it to a spare. Had to get a new Tire. Time and money that I had no intention of spending.

Speaking of car problems. I remember one day, years ago now, I was driving with a Brother in Christ when we had car problems. He said, "Something is telling me to go 'here' to get it fixed." I said. "No look. We will go 'there'." We went "there" and "there" was nothing more than an empty building. It was totally gone. So we ended up going where my Brother was led to. Should have just done that to begin with. Turned out to be an easy fix.

We have no idea what will happen tomorrow, tonight, in the next few minutes. But you know who does? God. When Jesus told us, "Take therefore no thought for the morrow." He was wrapping up a message that we are to totally trust God. We should rely on God. Have Faith in God. To take care of our daily needs. God does know what Tomorrow will bring. He does know what will happen in the next few minutes. Even if you do not. So as a Child of God, you must rely on Him.

I was in a Church, where every message started out with the Pastor saying "The Message I entitled." "I, I, I...me, me, me." I left that Church, because it became clear, that it was all about the Pastor. Not God. Not His Message. Not the Spirit. I've been in Churches where the Spirit moved in miraculous ways. Where the Pastor intended on talking about this, then all of a sudden, the Message changed to that.

I've sat down here. I have had a plan to talk about Peter walking on Water with Jesus. Or that Paul was the first Pope, not Peter. All of a sudden, I'm being led to talk about Adultery. But I do not want to talk about that, I want to talk about Peter. See, what I do not know, is that in the Ukraine, I'm using Ukraine because apparently, TAG is pretty popular there, there is someone right now going about their life. They are thinking about having an affair. They come home, and they sit at their computer. Surf the Web, and find TAG. They start reading about Adultery. They correct their thoughts, and do not do it. Same person. "stumbles" across TAG, reads about Peter. They go have the affair. They get caught, killed, their Wife is arrested or killed, or kills herself, their Children are left alone.

Wait, are you saying that, God will plan out a Message specifically for one person? Yup. You may only see one person reading. Or one person come to your Church. Or be able to witness to just one person. But what if that one person is the next Billy Graham. The next Pastor Rod Parsely. What if that one person is the next Saint Paul. If that one person, walks in, or by, or reads, whatever, and you are not talking about something that get's their attention, then what benefit would it be?

Romans 8, talking about the difference in walking in the Flesh and Walking in the spirit, says "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." "Led by the Spirit." Not just going to Church when you feel like it. Not doing what YOU think is right. "Led" by the Spirit.

Noah was just trying to strive and survive when God said "build a boat." Moses was minding his own business, when God set a bush on fire and spoke to him. David, a little runt keeping Sheep in the field was "Led" to challenge a Giant Warrior with a Sling and three Rocks. Peter was Fishing when Jesus walked by. Matthew was working, collecting Tax money. When God calls you to do something, you do that, you see what can and does happen. Now, however, you are so much better than all of these. Why?

John 14:

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Jesus goes on to tells us that "The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

Then in....

John 16:

5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?

6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;

10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

A lot of new Children of God, misunderstand what Jesus said, when He said this. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"{Matthew 7:7-11}

They think, "OK. I want a million dollars." Or "I want a Mansion." Or "I want a Lamborghini." Or even, "I want a Church with a million member Congregation." When they do not receive such things, they get angry, and or, discouraged. 

Problem is,

"Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."{James 4:2-10}

Do you have food on the table? Do you have a car in the driveway? Do you have a roof over your head? If God tells you to cross to the other side to do this or that, He will part the Seas. He will endow you with powers that you cannot imagine. You will see Mountains vanish from your sight. You will see walls fall down. Entire empires will fall at your feet. But if you decide to go the other way? God is not with you. The key here is "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." Paul tells us, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."{Romans 8:1}

Also in his letter to the Churches in Galatia.

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another."{Galatians 5:16-26}

If you are living according to Faith, in the Will of God, allowing the Spirit to Comfort, Teach, Lead, you are in His Will. "For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light" {Ephesians 5:8 } "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."{Ephesians 5:15-16}

If you allow The Spirit to Lead you, you will always be in the Grace of God. In His Will. Under His Authority. You will have His Power and Authority working on His behalf, in your behalf. If you are Led by The Spirit to do this or that? Do it. Understand that it is THEN that you have the full authority and power of God, working in your life.

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A new Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. {2 Corinthians 13}