The entry below is from my daily devotional, Drawing Near to God. I encourage you to join me for the winter semester (beginning in January) as we draw near to God at our Teaching & Worship Experience. And bring a friend!
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road— that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of al the treasury of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians. Acts 8:26-27
God had a special assignment for Philip. He sent an angel to direct him to an influential Ethiopian man to share the gospel. The Ethiopian had gone to Jerusalem to worship and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah. The Holy Spirit told Philip to go to his chariot and listen. Philip heard the man reading Isaiah, the prophet, and asked him if he understood what he was reading. The Ethiopian immediately responded that he could not know if someone did not explain it to him.
The Holy Spirit directs us to people who need to know Jesus Christ— who need to understand His Word and the good news of salvation. He directs us to people who may have never read God’s Word and to people who may be trying to read the Word but do not understand it. We may sense God telling us something or leading us to someone, but often it is easy to assume that it is our overly active imagination. It is tempting to persuade ourselves that it isn’t God speaking. But God speaks all the time. He is looking for people who are sensitive to His Holy Spirit’s leading and who are willing to respond. Fear of rejection can be a huge deterrent in responding, but if we press through our fear, God will be with us as we seek to obey.
I am always grateful for the times when I act on what I think may be God leading me to share my faith or do something that He calls me to do. There have been times when I have stepped out in faith and wondered if it was really God’s leading, but I know that it is better to step out in faith than to miss an opportunity to obey God. He has always been faithful when I have sought to obey.
Has the Lord asked you to do something and you have come up with a thousand reasons that it can’t be God speaking? If you are asking the Holy Spirit to lead you daily, it is better to assume that God will lead. Pray for God’s timing and His open doors, and trust Him to help you obey.
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
I have feared rejection when You have called me to step out in faith. Help me to be like Philip who was led by Your Spirit to help the eunuch understand Your Word. Drive far from me all of my excuses that hold me back from obedience.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
