After each month of the World Race, I have been taking the time to reflect on highlights, challenges, important lessons and things the Lord is teaching me, convicting me or growing me in. Without always explicitly stating it, I’ve been sharing them with you through my blogs. This month’s biggest lesson that I feel led to share happens to be something the Lord convicted me of this last week.
This conviction came through an ACTs devotional I was reading on my Bible app. It starts off, “Have you ever seen people who have an encounter with God, but remain unchanged in their sin and unyielded to God?”
This question is posed in regards to ACTs Chapter 24. In this chapter, Apostle Paul was brought before Felix the Roman governor of Judea for trial after being falsely accused by Jewish elders and scribes for being a troublemaker and stirring up a riot among the Jews. When Paul presented his case, he simultaneously declared his testimony of his faith. Felix listened to his testimony on a few occasions and as Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, the NIV version says, “Felix was afraid.” According the Message, Felix “felt things getting a little too close for comfort and dismissed him.”
The devotional points out that clearly Felix felt the impact of Paul’s words; however, “he did not yield to the wooing of the Holy Spirit.” God showed his mercy to Felix having heard the message from Paul again and again, but in the end he rejected the mercy, and he never trembled again. His heart was hardened.
The devotional then asks you to reflect: “How do you respond when the Holy Spirit quickens his Word to your heart bringing conviction to some area of your life? Do you put off responding to God for another occasion? Remind yourself that it is possible to be touched by the Spirit of God and remain unchanged.”
In my life, I know at least one area of conviction regarding bold prayers that I keep putting off responding to for another occasion. God has shown me mercy by continuously bringing awareness to it and giving me opportunity after opportunity to step out in faith and obedience. The comparison of this story about governor Felix in ACTs to “it’s possible to be untouched by the Spirit of God and remain unchanged” flabbergasted me. My unyielding to the Holy Spirit is no different than this man. I’ve had encounters with God and revelations and yet in some ways I too remain unchanged. I do not like the thought of this. The last thing I want is my heart to become hardened and to remain unchanged. But every time I say “no” or “not now” or “not yet” to a prompting of the Holy Spirit, that’s exactly what I’m doing.
To challenge myself, this next month in South Africa, I’m committed to saying “yes” to God. I want a heart that is quick to obey the promptings of his Spirit. I look forward to seeing how God grows my faith and relationship with Him through this obedience and hopefully I will have an awesome testimony to share with you!
