Guidance Conversations
MY CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD
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Guidance Conversations!
I want to kick off the blog/podcast today telling you how much easier it is to hear from God when you fast. I have felt that unction from the Holy Spirit to lead a more “fasted” lifestyle verses just waiting for others to tell me when to fast. This past weekend, I was working on my, Finish the Book God Told You To Write, masterclass and I ended up having to record it 3 times. Each of those times I was so annoyed because it was a tech reason why I didn’t get it right the first 3 times. But each time, I had to repeat myself, it was like the Holy Spirit was allowing me to hear myself talk about the importance and the benefits of fasting. It wasn’t a coincidence that my tech didn’t work because it was working fine once I got the message that the Holy Spirit wanted me to get. FAST FON. FAST!
So I decided that I would make a commitment to consistently fast once a week as a start. But of course if the Holy Spirit tells me to do it more than once, I am going to be obedient. And speaking of the Holy Spirit telling me things, this is what He said this morning:
Don’t put anything before Me.
Don’t put anything above Me.
Every idea I give you…MOVE ON IT! Take steps with it. Whatever steps you’re led to take, TAKE THEM!
Your retirement is secure because you work for the Kingdom and you’re an heir. Remember that as you move forward in faith.
As I turned to Acts, chapter 16 for our Scriptural Bible Study, I also saw how the Holy Spirit was telling Paul some things too. In this case, He was telling Paul where NOT TO GO. When you look at Acts 16:6-7, it says that the Holy Spirit forbade them to go speak the word of God in Asia and in Bithynia. But that night, Paul had a vision and in that vision, a Macedonia man was standing their telling him to come to Macedonia to help them. In Acts 16:10, it says after Paul saw the vision, they IMMEDIATELY made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called them to preach the gospel to the people there. Sounds exactly like what the Holy Spirit said to me about me MOVING on the ideas that He give me. I hear the Holy Spirit saying be like Paul and make moves IMMEDIATELY.
I also want to share what the study notes in my Bible said because it really drives the point home of how to hear from the Holy Spirit:
The Holy Spirit provides guidance by stirring up inner convictions about decisions we need to make. He will never lead us to do anything contrary to Scripture. But within the framework of God’s moral will, he can place within us a burden that doesn’t go away. If this happens, slow down, get quiet with God, and ask him to help you understand how he is trying to guide you.
One primary way the Holy Spirit provides guidance is through the confirmation of two or three witnesses. Notice Paul was twice forbidden to move forward in Acts 16:6-7.
There is a lot going on in this 16th chapter of Acts:
Paul met Timothy and took Timothy under his wing as they traveled together preaching.
Paul and Timothy ended up meeting a God-fearing businesswoman named Lydia who opened her heart up to the message Paul was teaching and ended up getting baptized, she and her whole household. And speaking of household, I am encouraged because it says Lydia was a profitable businesswoman because her house was big enough for all the missionaries in Paul’s group to stay there. It made me think about being blessed with a home. How will I use that home to help and bless others? God blesses us to be a blessing. And here Lydia opened up her home for missionaries to stay with her.
Paul shuts down a demonic, fortune-telling spirit in a slave girl. The girl was shouting about his work and Paul didn’t want that kind of PR and Marketing from her. She was saying that Paul and crew are servants of the Most High God, but Paul got annoyed at her because she was a fortune teller and he didn’t want HER (or that demonic spirit in her) TELLING people about them because of the work she did. Basically, don’t be letting no everybody market for you because their lifestyle would have an impact on what people think about you and your work.
Paul and Silas got put in jail after Paul casted that demon out of the slave girl. Her owners got mad because they couldn’t use her no more, now that the demonic, fortune-telling demon left her IMMEDIATELY when Paul said: “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out right away!
In jail, Paul and Silas didn’t let jail get them down. They were praising in the midst of pain and being in prison and the prisoners were watching how they behaved. People are watching how you behave as a believer in Jesus Christ too.
Paul and Silas were in the jail praying and singing hymns. They had all the prisoners tuned in. In Acts 16:26 it says as they were singing…SUDDENLY an earthquake shook the foundation of the prison and IMMEDIATELY all the doors were opened and EVERYBODY (not just Paul and Silas) chains came loose!
The jailer woke up and almost killed himself because he thought that Paul and Silas had left when he saw the prison doors open but they were still there. How many of us would have still been sitting there if the prison doors had opened up? But again, Paul and Silas were believers and it was in their staying put, that the jailer had his come to Jesus moment. In Acts 16:30, the jailer said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they responded: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household. And that’s exactly what happened. The jailer’s whole household got saved and baptized!!
In the last part of this chapter, the Magistrates who had put Paul and Silas in jail realized that they had been wrong, plus the word had gone out about what had happened at the jail. The Magistrates sent word for them to be released and go in peace. First of all, God had already released them, and second of all, Paul wasn’t having it. He was like, awww naw nah, y’all beat us in public with no trial and although we are Roman citizens, threw us in jail, and now you want to send us away in secret!!! Certainly NOT!! I love this verse right here. Acts: 16:37. Paul said, on the contrary, let them come themselves and escort us out. Paul said, nah you ridiculed us in public and now you’re going to give us reparations in public!
Y’all see how the Bible just be coming alive? It’s better than Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO. LOL! Just reading this chapter of Acts, one thing I can say for sure is that we must be, got to be, guided by our conversations with the Holy Spirit. Like Paul, we got to move when Holy Spirit gives us the vision to move.
P.S. Be sure to press play above & listen to each episode as I always go deeper on the audio version.
YOUR ASSIGNMENTS
What did the Lord God say to you in your conversation with Him this morning?
Who guides you and the moves you make daily?
REMINDER: Don’t forget to read the Scriptural Bible Study below and see what the Lord says to you about it.
SALVATION PRAYER
If you’re not a believer and have a desire to be, openly confess and declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). When you pray that prayer out loud, you are saved. Get connected with a good, bible-based church in your community and start having a conversation through prayer with God every day. And let me be the first to welcome you to your new life with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. YAAAAY!!!!! You made the best decision you could ever make! Feel free to email me at info@onassignmentbyGod.com and let me know about your newfound life or if you need prayer for anything.
Check out today’s Scriptural Bible Study!!