1 Corinthians 2:14 "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."This verse was read today during a discussion regarding trusting the Spirit to guide us in our lives. A man posed the question, "How do you know the difference between a prompting from the Spirit verses an internally generated thought?"
I have asked myself the same question before. Not because I'm torn between good and evil promptings and can't tell them apart, but because so many times I have followed what I thought was a spiritual prompting, only to find myself being redirected later. Those moments have caused a lot of frustration and self doubt. Fortunately, I was taught a great concept years ago in regards to this phenomena and I was happy to be reminded today:
Sometimes, because of our limited vision, the Lord can only give us a little direction at a time. From his grand perspective, he can see that we are being guided to the right place, but instead of sending a MapQuest of instruction, he simply says, "Go straight". And we go straight. However, at some point on that straight road, he might say, "Turn left", or "Idle here", or "Make a U-Turn".
These are the moments when in frustration, I pout and retort, "But you said to go straight, and I am going straight! What's with the change?!" I forget that my vision is limited and that He can see the big picture for me. And then I am humbly reminded of the many times the Spirit has led me to where I want to be, one direction at a time, when I have been willing to let him.
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