2. The Spirit is our guide
"But when you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the
Law"
(Galatians 5:18, NJB)
The Spirit can be our guide, for the Spirit is everywhere—the Creator
in the midst of "her" creation—drawing people to God. As the
Spirit says: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he
with me" (Revelation 3:20, NIV). If we’ve somehow opened the
door to intimacy with God, then we are deeply embraced, even lived-in,
by the Spirit. In all of this, the Spirit will not violate our free will,
so "she" prompts and waits.
As for being "led by the Spirit," that’s just letting your
life be a daily "YES!" to God, "for it is God who works in
you to will and to act according to his good purpose" (Philippians
2:13, NIV). Similar to intuition, wisdom comes to you from the Spirit and
you don’t really know if you just thought of it or what. Like the news
anchors with their earpieces, it’s like the Spirit has a non-verbal
earpiece to our conscious and subconscious minds.
This communication has similarities to "listening to one’s
conscience," but in our quietness it works more like a free flowing
stream of ideas as one is mostly silent and occasionally saying things,
even praising God. Spending time in solitude with God brings more clarity
to one’s life than anything else. All I can figure is that the Spirit
really needs times when we’ll listen in order to bring us the little
daily doses of wisdom that we can readily have if we’ll disengage from
the noise of life.
So try to pray—even if just here and there. Don’t worry about
praying through lists of requests—God isn’t a vending machine; rather,
just lay out your heart and ask for guidance as you go through the day.
Beyond this, look for times when you can "turn off the radio"
and reflect with God on your day and how it’s going. It’s not
foolproof, but it can bring more clarity to your life. The Spirit has no
limits as to how "she" can speak to us if we’ll let it happen—if
we’ll slow down and notice the dance of God all around us. Your most
spiritual times may happen paddling a canoe, reading the Bible, meditating
or talking with a thoughtful friend—seek out such treasures.
