Max Lucado

Fire is a chemical reaction that releases energy in the form of light and heat. If there is enough air, fuel, and heat, the fire will keep advancing.

Can’t something similar be said about the Spirit of God? If we let him do his work, he will not be quenched. Yet this flame is never intended for our harm. Everything that is good about a fire can be listed as a blessing of the Holy Spirit. Fire is a purifying force. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate purifier.

Are we fit to serve as a temple of the Holy Spirit? We need the cleansing, sanctifying work of the Spirit of God to prepare us for this assignment. Invite this refining fire to finish this work in your heart. “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV).

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“I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I is coming and He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16 NRSV).  This is how John the Baptist introduced his cousin to the world.  Baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire?  Such was the job description of Jesus.

Heaven arrives packing heat.  Please note that Jesus is the giver of the Holy Spirit fire.  Do you desire the Spirit?  Then turn to Christ.  Receive him as Savior and Lord.  He, then, will “baptize” you in the Spirit.  He will plunge, immerse, and submerge you in the very being of the Spirit.  Just as Jesus stepped out of the river dripping the Jordan, so we step forth into the world drenched in the Spirit of heaven. The soul baptized in the Spirit is a soul ablaze.

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The phrase “led by the Spirit of God” is such a happy one.  The Spirit gently leads us as a shepherd would lead a flock.  He is more committed to leading us than we are to following him.  So relax!  If you don’t sense his guidance, ask again.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 NKJV).   He is completely capable to lead you where he wants you to go. He might use a nudge, a prick of the conscience, a reminder of Scripture.

The Spirit first speaks through the verse.  He may complement the verse with a voice. Go first to the verse.  His will never contradicts his Word.  When you open your Bible, God opens his mouth. The verse and the voice. God is calling. Keep listening.

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The Spirit of God moves within us to lead us.  He does so with two tools:  the verse and the voice. “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17 NIV).

The primary communication tool of the Holy Spirit is the Bible.  He speaks to us through Scripture.  His will is found in his Word. Scripture has an answer for any issue you face.  The Bible is not only inspirational but also extremely practical. Go first to the verse.

Go next to the voice. The voice might be your inner sense, the “knowing” that results from Scripture interacting with the Spirit.  The voice might be wise counsel, a dream, or a vision.  The Spirit still speaks.  Ask him to guide you.  Seek his will.  And then listen.  Wait for a response.

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During the wilderness wanderings there came a wonderful moment.  God had instructed Moses to build a tabernacle in which he would dwell.  Once the project was complete, the majestic cloud, which had hovered above them, descended from on high and entered the holy place.  From that moment on every child of Israel could point to the tabernacle and say, “God is in there.”

Gesture to your heart and say, “God is in here.”  On the day you decided to follow Jesus, an unseen miracle occurred.  The Holy Spirit descended from the heavens, ever spinning until the moment the motion stopped directly over your body.  He took up residence within you.  He turned your heart into his tabernacle.  “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 NIV).

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Why do we at times fail to detect the Holy Spirit? How can we be led by him? Here is a direct answer: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2 NLT).

God’s voice must outrank the voices of society. God wants us to be different. Not odd. Not peculiar. Our aim is not to blend in but to look up. If you want to hear from God, the first question you need to ask is not “What should I do?” but “Whom will I hear?”

Stop following a culture that doesn’t follow God and…start listening for the Spirit, who speaks on behalf of God.

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In a furiously fast turn of events, Pharaoh set the Hebrew people free. Centuries of slavery in Egypt were behind them; a new future was ahead of them. The promised land beckoned. Yet on their own they stood no chance of survival. For that reason, “The Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire” (Exodus 13:21 NIV).

Can you imagine the blessing of this divine GPS? On any given day God told them where to go. We can thank Isaiah the prophet for telling us the name of the force within the cloud and fire. “Who is he who set his Holy Spirit among them…” (Isaiah 63:11 NIV).

Who led the ex-slaves through the wilderness? The Holy Spirit. Who leads the children of God today? The Holy Spirit!

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This is the age of much know-how and very little know-why.  The invisible enemy of sin and secularism has left us dazed and bewildered.  In the midst of the wreckage sits God’s intended rescue center, the church.  We each have responsibilities, and when we work together, the displaced find a place.  And, behind it all, overseeing the operation is the Holy Spirit.

And he does this through the distribution of gifts.  “…All [spiritual gifts] are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines” (1 Corinthians 12:11 NIV).

The Holy Spirit is the ultimate gift giver.  He garnishes his children with supernatural abilities that glorify God, bless the needy, and edify the church.  Would it not be a tragedy to miss out on your unique-to-you assignment?

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According to God’s plan life is a series of decisions. Do I move or stay? Hold on or let go? Tie the knot or not? Small decisions. Large decisions. Decisions everywhere! We make our choices, and they make us. Consequently, decision-making saps energy and creates anxiety. What if I make the wrong choice?

So what can we do? Given the weightiness of choices, how can we make good ones? You will be encouraged by the promise of Scripture. We can be led by the Holy Spirit: “He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3 ESV). God, our Good Shepherd, doesn’t just feed us; he leads us. He does more than correct us; he directs us. He keeps us on the right track. He has commissioned the Holy Spirit to guide us down the winding roads of life.

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“Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God…Then, without warning, a huge earthquake! The jailhouse tottered, every door flew open, all the prisoners were loose” (Acts 16:25-26 MSG).

Authorities beat Paul and Silas with rods. Soldiers then imprisoned them in the deepest part of the prison where it was damp, cold, and rat-infested. Their feet were put in stocks. There they lay all afternoon and into the night, with no local advocates, their backs open to infection, surrounded by darkness, and shivering from the cold. Oh, to have heard that midnight song!

Paul and Silas were not sure of their deliverance, but they were sure of their deliverer. You can be too. Rather than panic, you can choose to praise.

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