This morning we continue our series entitled, “Power of Fellowship.” The way Jesus lived in the earth is an example of what it should look like for us to walk with God. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and through the Holy Spirit He received downloads from heaven. The Holy Spirit led Him concerning where to go, what to do and what to say. This is the type of relationship we are supposed to have with God, enabled by the Holy Spirit.
In John 14, as Jesus was preparing His disciples for His impending departure, He said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever.” (John 14:16). This Helper is the Holy Spirit. Up to John 14 the disciples were relying on Jesus for everything and Jesus was relying on the Holy Spirit. Jesus was making it clear that He had to leave, but He was not going to leave them helpless. The same Holy Spirit He had would be given to them.
Two chapters later Jesus resurfaced the conversation. He was talking to His disciples about what was to come and He said, “I have so much more to tell you, but it is too much for you to accept now. But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into all truth. He will not speak his own words. He will speak only what he hears and will tell you what will happen in the future.” (John 16:12,13). The key part I want to focus in on is the fact that the Holy Spirit can reveal things to you about your future. Sometimes this comes in a clear and open fashion, where God clearly reveals what is going to happen next. I love it when that happens. But it has been my experience that most of the time the Holy Spirit gives you impulses to do something that will prepare you for what is next, without actually giving you all the details. When this happens you must the faith to respond without having the full picture. If you do, and you make the decision or perform the action by faith, you will prepare yourself for what comes next. It may not make sense to you until days, weeks, months or years later.
I will give you an example of what I am talking about. On February 27, 2015 Isabella and I were just months away from retiring from the military. We had a dual retirement ceremony scheduled for May 22, 2015. That morning Isabella got up and said that God told her to start her own business and He gave her the name “Inspired”. This was not an audible voice, but more of an impulse. The type of divine impulses I am talking about today. Isabella was vehement. She said, “Babe, I need you to start this company TODAY!” I trust my wife and her ability to hear from God. God had not spoken to me about it, but I had a peace about it and I proceeded to do what we believed God said by faith. We did not know why, but we just did it. We were responding, in faith, to a divine impulse. At the time I planned on going into consulting with my cousin Eddie’s company and Isabella was going to stay home with the kids and enjoy retirement. We did not know it, but this divine impulse was designed by God to help usher us into His will.
Before the day was over I had incorporated Inspired Solutions, Inc. and built Isabella an initial website for the company. We did all of this on February 27 and we left it at that. A few months later, when it was time for me to make a decision on what I was going to do after the military, the fact that Isabella had a company formed proved to be critical. We did not know it in February, 2015, but we needed the company in July, 2015. If we had not been obedient, by faith, we would have missed out on God’s best. Then a little over two years later, the Lord connected Isabella to someone who would prove critical to the success of Inspired Solutions, and this person would not have been interested if Isabella did not have two years of past-performance by that point. A divine impulse in February, 2015 led to an opportunity in July, 2015, which then led to another major opportunity in September, 2017. Today Inspired Solutions (https://www.inspired-us.com) is growing and God has spoken to us concerning how He is going to use this company to help fund Kingdom projects around the world. None of this would have happened if we had not listened to the divine impulse God gave Isabella that fateful morning.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. God will give you a divine impulse today that is designed to set you up for your tomorrow. You must have the faith to obey the impulse, even when you don’t know why. Trust God. He is not trying to get anything FROM you. He is trying to get something TO you!
2. Don’t confuse roles in the household to roles in the Kingdom. God spoke to Isabella and I had to obey what He said through her. Just because He did not speak to me, that does not make it any less the Word of the Lord. Husbands, honor the Holy Spirit when He speaks through your wife. She is no less capable of hearing from God.
3. Do whatever God is leading you to do, through divine impulses, even when you don’t know what He is up to. God knows what is down the road and around the corner. You don’t. Listen to Him and do whatever He says. Do it by faith!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, You gave me Your Spirit when I was Born-Again. I am now IN You and You are IN me. Your Spirit leads, guides and directs me. He gives me divine impulses that are designed to help usher me into Your best. I listen to those impulses and I do what You are leading me to do, even when I don’t know why, and even when it does not make sense. I am the just. I live by faith. I do what You lead me to do, even when I don’t have any sense realm evidence to support it, and even when all the sense realm evidence I do have it against it. I am not moved by this present world. I am only moved by You! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
