Spirit led living (part three)

The Bible highlights ordinary people who did extraordinary things not because of their human abilities but because they experienced the Presence of God. His Presence is relational. It is intimate. It is personal. Perhaps the closest analogy is a marriage in which husband and wife connect on the basis of relationship not task. Each knows the other. They can connect  both with words and even without words. After a while each will begin to think like the other and may even pre-empt each others words and intentions. In other words they are very aware of each others presence.


The Holy Spirit wants to grow the believer to have the same sort of awareness of His Presence such that the believer becomes more and more like Jesus. In Acts 4:13, the religious leaders marvelled at the boldness of Peter and John who they said were "uneducated and untrained men... and they realised they had been with Jesus." In Acts 3:6, Peter and John were ready to let the Presence of God heal a crippled man at the entrance of the temple gate. They had no education, no training and no money but they had His Presence!


Wherever and whenever His Presence manifests, promptings of the Holy Spirit will also be at work. Promptings are always door openers that will help grow the Kingdom of God. They will benefit others because they will lead people toward Jesus. The Acts of the Apostles records some of the promptings of the Holy Spirit that were like invitations for both Jews and Gentiles to receive the gospel of grace. Spirit led promptings will always draw attention to Jesus. Soul led promptings, by contrast, will draw attention to self.


Humility will attract the Presence of God. Pride will repel His Presence. 1 Peter 5:6 says "God resists the proud but He gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time." Grace will empower the person who is humble before the Lord. By the way choosing humility is our responsibility, not His. Humility is not about castigating yourself. It is about seeing Jesus lifted up. It is declaring what He has done by way of His finished work. The focus is Him not you or me.