Don't Ignore the Spirit

My son loves to watch the old Looney Tunes cartoons. His favorite is Wiley E. Coyote and the Road Runner. We subscribe to the Boomerang streaming network and Coyote and Road Runner are on constant replay. He loves watching that coyote fail miserably at catching that road runner.

In one episode, right at the beginning, Coyote reads a warning from the Surgeon General that hunting road runners can be hazardous to your health. Sure enough, he ignores the warning only to end up failing, crashing through a cliff rock, and reading a second sign that says not to ignore Surgeon General's warnings.

It's a funny moment, but it's also one that rings true to often for believers. We are warned by Paul in Galatians 5 to live by the Holy Spirit and to walk in the Holy Spirit. He warns believers, that as human beings, we are constantly fighting our sin nature. We want to do things according to our own desires instead of the Lord's desires.

Instead, we are to walk by the Spirit and let him control us. Too often, we, like the Coyote, ignore that warning. We know what we should do. We know what God wants us to do. Yet, in that moment, we choose to do our own thing.

You see, the Holy Spirit directs us in the moment. As Christians, we're great about praying for God's will in our lives, but ignore God's will for the moment. We sense his leading and we decide it's too embarrassing or not the right time or not something we're comfortable doing. In doing that, we ignore the warning Paul gives us to live by the Spirit.

We would rather God reveal his long-term will for us instead of following is immediate directions. The funny thing is, the Holy Spirit works in the moment. God never gives you a five-year plan. He gives you direction for the moment your in. If you follow that, he'll give more direction. As you follow that, over the course of your life, you will be in the will of God.

So, don't ignore the calling of the Holy Spirit. Follow him right now. Go where he tells you to go. Do what he tells you to do. Then, you are living and walking by the Spirit.

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