Being Led: December 11, 2011

…those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. – Romans 8:14

In order for me to be led by the Spirit of God, I can’t be hindered by fear, reason, analysis or even lack of skill.  Reason, analysis or skill are all head reasons.  I can argue my out of either being led by the Spirit of God or not being led.

The hard one is fear because that is a heart reason.  As such it often seems irrational or unreasonable.  Fear’s power lies in the unknown or the imagined.  Fear paralyzes me and keeps me from even hearing the Spirit of God, let alone being led.

Don’t get me wrong.  Being afraid is not the same as being fearful.  Fearfulness keeps me cowering in the corner.  Fearfulness denies the sovereignty of God.  Think about Joshua and Caleb and the ten other spies who first scouted out the Promised Land for the Israelites.  Joshua and Caleb would have been right to be afraid of the Canaanites who were battle hardened giants for pity’s sake.  But Joshua and Caleb also knew in their hearts that the Lord would fulfill His promise to give Israel the land.  The other ten spies were fearful and caused rebellion among the Israelites.  As a consequence, Joshua and Caleb were the only Israelites who had been led out of Egypt that were allowed to enter the Promised Land.  EVERYONE else died in the desert.  Fearfulness led to death without reward.

John Wayne defines courage as being afraid but saddling up anyway.  Joshua and Caleb saddled up anyway.  They were afraid but they trusted the leading of the Spirit of God.  They allowed the leading of the Spirit of God.

I can be afraid but I cannot be fearful.  I have to saddle up anyway.  The Spirit of God is not always going to lead me places with which I am familiar or comfortable.  But I can take courage from God’s truths and promises and from the very character of God.  I frequently cannot see where the road leads but He promises to lead me THROUGH the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  If I don’t choose to follow the Spirit of God, if I allow fearfulness to cause me to set up camp, then I will miss the Promised Land.