Listening to the Spirit

We see in this passage that an angel tells Philip to take the road down toward Gaza. Now, I’m not saying an angel is probably going to show up and tell you where to go tomorrow. Probably. But also, you never know with God, right?

But what we do see clearly is that the Spirit is leading Philip. The Spirit tells him to go over to the chariot, and Philip listens.

Have you ever thought about what it might look like for you to notice the Spirit leading you? How would you know? What kinds of signs might God use?

At Grace, we like to use the phrase “hearing in stereo.” It means you might sense the Spirit leading you in a certain direction, but then you start hearing that same thing from people you trust. That outside confirmation can help you realize, “Okay, maybe this really is something God is doing.”

A personal example from me: a few years ago, I started to feel like God was putting some kind of church leadership role on my heart. I tried to stay open to whatever that might mean, vocational ministry (becoming a Nate or Kyle), seminary, serving in a new way, or just being ready for whatever opportunity God put in front of me.

And honestly, that was not easy. I grew up as a pastor’s kid, and my experience with that was not always great. Because of that, I had pretty intentionally closed myself off to the idea of ministry or church leadership. But God broke down that wall and I finally said, "Ok, I'm willing". Then I found out that several people had nominated me to be an elder. For me, that felt like more than just a coincidence. It felt like a possible answer to prayer, and the fact that the answer came through other people made it feel even more confirming.

As you move through high school and into whatever comes next, I think it is really important to stay tuned in to what the Lord might be saying to you through the Spirit. He may lead you through prayer, through Scripture, through circumstances, or through people you trust. The question is: are you paying attention?