Be Flexible to God’s Leading
Read the Text: Acts 16
Memorize the Text: After they had preached the gospel in that town and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch, strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith by telling them, “It is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:21-22)
Consider the Text: Acts 16
Growing up, we learn the importance of setting a goal and pursuing that goal at all costs. The concept centers on the ability to overcome any challenges that attempt to stop our progress from achieving the goal. We receive encouragement never to abandon the goal no matter what we face or experience. In Acts 16, the apostle Paul had set a course to take the gospel to Asia, and as they journeyed toward Bithynia, the Lord engaged them and diverted their journey. Paul and his companions did not continue to overcome the obstacle before them to achieve their goal, but the men changed course and allowed their life to be flexible to the leading of the Lord.
The apostle Paul practiced a SUBMITTED goal in his life. Paul set a course toward Asia, intending to take the gospel to those unreached people. The reasoning behind the goal was good and respectable and would even seem to be from the leading of the Lord. The Lord stopped him and called him to a new target as Paul journeyed. This engagement meant that Paul needed to submit his goal to the Lord. To submit his goal to the Lord meant that Paul readily said that the journey he traveled needed to be surrounded by the Lord. He submitted it in a manner that would have declared it to the Lord and then willfully submitted it for approval and alteration by the Lord.
Our goals in life might appear good and righteous to the ears of humanity. These goals may derive from good intentions and deep personal passions. Nevertheless, we need to follow the example of the apostle Paul and submit our goals to the Lord. We need to allow the Lord to provide the stamp of approval or provide needed alteration. The key rests on us submitting them to the Lord and trusting him as he engages us concerning them.
The apostle Paul demonstrated a SACRIFICIAL willfulness to the Lord. As the Lord revealed an alteration to Paul’s journey plan, the apostle had a decision to make. He could continue pursuing his desire to take the gospel to Asia, or he could sacrifice his goal and accept the leading of the Lord. The ability to sacrifice one’s goals to the Lord means readiness to abandon the course and accept a new one exists. The apostle Paul did this very thing. He abandoned the trip to Asia and set a new course under the Lord’s guidance.
When the Lord alters our plans, we must sacrifice our wants and desires and ultimately accept the Lord’s ways. To sacrifice our plans means they are not merely placed on hold, but we abandon them and place them behind us. The new course cannot be affected by the past course, and thus we must place it to death by sacrificing it.
The apostle Paul followed the SUPERVISION of the Lord on his path. Paul remained sensitive to the leading of the Lord. He trusted that the Lord’s direction supersedes any other direction in life. He sought the Lord’s supervision to guide his path and trusted that the direction of the Lord was far greater than any path established by humanity. When the apostle submitted and sacrificed his plan to the Lord, he set the tone in his life for the supervision of the Lord to dominate. Luke informs us in Acts 16 that this obedience to the supervision of the Lord led to tremendous spiritual fruit.
We must guard against setting our course. We need to readily allow the Lord to provide the required supervision in our lives for our journey. When we submit and sacrifice our will and goals to the Lord, we set the temperature of our hearts to receive the supervision of the Lord. The key rests in our faithfulness in following the Lord and his will for our life.
As we see the apostle Paul and his team allow their purpose and journey to remain flexible to the leading of the Lord, so must we submit our goal to the Lord, sacrifice our goal for the Lord, and follow the supervision of the Lord as he directs our steps. We must evaluate to ensure that our goal is submitted to the Lord. We must readily prepare to sacrifice our goal at the Lord’s leading. We must adjust to God’s leading as he guides and directs our steps. So may we seek to be followers of Christ who remain flexible to the leading of the Lord.
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
