Do Not Resist The Spirit

 In Daily Devotional

Acts 7:51

“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!”

In order to be led by the Holy Spirit (instead of the world, the flesh or the devil), we must be attentive, willing and obedient. Pride and stubbornness prevent us from following the Spirit’s lead.

As Christians, the fleshly attitudes of our heart are cut away by the Holy Spirit in His progressive work of making us more like Christ Jesus. This process is “sanctification”, and its purpose is to set us apart to serve God with all our hearts, and to make us more holy.

As long as we pride-fully think we can manage our own lives our own way, we will resist the still, small voice of the Spirit in His attempt to lead us on the narrow path. Success in the Christian walk comes as we turn our attentions away from the distractions of the world, listen carefully for the Spirit’s voice, and choose to be obedient to His instructions.

Learning to do this becomes easier when we stop and consider where our own efforts to run our own lives left us – in prisons of our own making while “in the free world”, and eventually behind steel bars, concrete walls and razor wire.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE:

Ask your Heavenly Father to help you learn to listen and obey His Holy Spirit. Tell Him you want to be more like Jesus today. Decide to work on listening constantly for the Spirit as you go about your routine today.

Do not resist the Holy Spirit.

Dive Deeper: Study Acts 7.