obeying the spirit of god
“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza.'” – Acts 8:26
Philip was conducting what we might today call a revival meeting. God was blessing the congregation, and many people were being healed and freed from demonic influence. Here is the scene:
Philip went to a city in Samaria and preached Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw his miraculous signs, they all paid attention to what he said. With screams, evil spirits departed from many, and many paralyzed and crippled people were healed. So there was great joy in that city (Acts 8:5-8).
And yet, in the midst of this great event, the Holy Spirit spoke to Philip and asked him to remove himself and go to a completely different area to talk to a person. Philip was so sensitive to the direction of the Holy Spirit that he left what was considered a successful event and spoke to another – an Ethiopian eunuch. The result of his obedience was that Philip brought the eunuch to faith in Christ and baptized him. Then the Lord supernaturally took Philip to another area several miles away.
God’s ways of determining where we invest our time and energy often have nothing to do with the results. The danger for each of us is to determine whether we are at the center of God’s will solely by the success or failure of the events in which we are involved. Our touchstone for determining success can only be one thing: obedience. Philip responded by following the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Are you hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit? Has God inspired you to speak, to know, or to come together with others? Ask God today to help you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit so that you can be powerfully used in your workplace.
