BY MARGARET FEINBERG
Over the last 20 years, I’ve had a variety of intense health battles. Those of you who’ve had to fight for your health, or the health of someone you love, know the intensity. The
fight for quality care. The fight for timely treatment. The fight with billing departments and insurance companies. The fight sometimes just to stay alive.
Following a long, brutal season of sickness, a large conference in Hawaii invited me to speak. I thought, “God, Aloha and Mahalo!” I jumped at the opportunity. During the main
sessions of the conference, there was an artist who stood to the left of the stage and painted as we worshipped. Some of the paintings were abstract, while others were more
recognizable. In one session, the artist painted a faceless figure with a long, silver sword thrust upward like a warrior.
I was captivated by it. Watching the artist, I sensed the Holy Spirit whisper, “That’s you.” I thought, “That’s ridiculous. That’s not an actual portrait. And there are thousands of others in this room who are all fighting battles too.” As I continued to look at the painting, a Scripture popped into my mind. “For the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15).
Again, like a sacred echo, I sensed the Spirit whisper, “The picture is you.”
When the session ended, I walked up to the artist, and said, “I really like your painting.” He stopped, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, “The picture is you.” Wha . . . wha . . .what? “And I sense there’s a message the Spirit wants to give you.”
Then he pressed a note into my hand in such a humble and unassuming way. This is what it said: I know that there is no one that loves your life, heart, mind, soul more than the One who formed it. You have always been the one I’ve fought for. Let go of the sword you hold, and rest. I am so proud of you.
At a loss for words, I just started weeping. There’s no way that guy knew the words I most needed to hear. He didn’t know my battle, the level of exhaustion I was experiencing, or how much I needed to be reminded of God’s presence and love. Yet he was courageous enough to follow the Spirit’s promptings to paint that picture and write such a meaningful note.
Friend, the same Spirit of the Living God that worked through that artist in that moment lives in you. Holy Spirit wants to use you to bring hope and healing to a hurting, broken world. It all starts with a subtle prompt. I think so many of us—myself included—wrestle with questions when we sense a holy nudge:
- How do I know?
- How do I discern the promptings of the
Spirit? - How can I distinguish Holy Spirit’s voice from my own?
- And how do we, as believers filled with the Spirit, engage
others with humility, kindness, and grace?
I want to give you five practical guardrail questions to use whenever you’re trying to discern: “Was that Holy Spirit?”
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Is the prompting consistent with Scripture and the character of God? The Bible consistently reveals the character of God, so whatever Holy Spirit prompts will be consistent with who God is and who he’s calling us to be as Jesus followers.
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Does the prompting cause me to love God and love others more? Whatever the Spirit speaks will pull you away from self-centered, self-sabotaging, self-indulgent focus or
behavior, and push you toward sacrificial acts of love and kindness centered around loving God and loving others.
- Will the prompting yield the fruit of the Spirit? If what you’ve heard is from Holy Spirit, then your obedience will produce good fruit in your life. It will help you grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
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Does the prompt leave me with a sense of deep peace? Peace is a facet of the fruit of the Spirit, and an unexplainable peace is a marker of the Spirit’s presence. (Philippians 4:7)
- Does wise godly counsel affirm this prompting? Community plays such a crucial role in the discernment process. Take your prompting to a beautiful Christ-centered group of believers who will listen to you, pray with you, and help you discern.
Now, what if you use these five guardrail questions and respond to Holy Spirit’s prompting and nothing happens? Let me assure you. This happens to all of us.
But even if I totally miss the Spirit, God’s grace is big enough to cover it. Showing kindness to a stranger is still a win in God’s kingdom. There are going to be times you run through
these guardrail questions, ask for confirmation, step out in obedience, and you don’t see any results.
That’s okay.
Just because you don’t see results, doesn’t mean the Spirit isn’t working. You have no idea what Holy Spirit can accomplish through your obedience. The bigger risk is being so afraid of making a mistake that you never obey at all.
MARGARET FEINBERG, one of America’s most beloved Bible teachers, speaks at churches and conferences and hosts the popular podcast The Joycast. Her books and Bible studies have sold more than one million copies. Margaret savors life with her husband, Leif, and their superpup, Zoom.
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12 Practices to Awaken Your Relationship with the Holy Spirit
This 6-session video Bible study will change the way you interact with the Holy Spirit. Many of us jump to Acts 2 and Pentecost to understand the Spirit of God. But if you look closely, you'll find hints and delightful surprises throughout the entirety of Scripture as Holy Spirit works powerfully in unexpected places.
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