Turn right, veer left, make a U-turn, make a U-turn, make a U-turn”, the voice of my navigation system screams out over the sound of the music, as I drive down the road, on my way to have brunch with a friend. I’m frustrated because I’m running late and, in my haste to reach my destination, I’ve missed the turn. Not only did I miss it, but I also missed the slip lane that allowed me to make a U-turn. As I continue to drive in the wrong direction, my navigator gives me constant updates, letting me know I’m not where I should be. Now I’m even more frustrated because not only do I know I’m driving in the wrong direction, but I also have this voice in the background, constantly reminding me that I need to get back on track. Finally, after a while of telling me to turn around, it simply offers me alternative routes, almost saying, “This is the way to go, let me lead you so that you can still reach your destination.”
I made it to brunch that day, but at the cost of 10 minutes spent trying to get myself back onto the route that I was supposed to take. While 10 minutes isn’t too much of a loss in time, imagine if I had kept driving in the wrong direction. What would have happened had I never turned around? Or if I had put in the directions, only to ignore the route completely and try to navigate myself? I would have missed the opportunity to have brunch with a friend—and I probably would have ended up lost.
longing for direction
Have you ever felt lost in life? Have you ever wanted someone to just tell you what to do and where to go? If only life was so simple. While we may not have someone telling us exactly what to do and where to go, we do have a guide sent by Jesus, who among many other things, prompts us when we’re heading off track in our spiritual journey.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit was sent as the personal presence of God for us on earth. He inspired the writers of the Bible. He filled Jesus’ life with power. He convicts and leads followers of Jesus and, for those who respond to Him, He renews and transforms them into the image of God.
The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is one part of the Trinity—the belief that God is made up of three Persons—but is nevertheless One. These three Persons are typically identified as God the Father, God the Son (also known as Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit.
While we may not be able to see the physical presence of Holy Spirit, we can see and feel the effects He has on our lives and the lives of those around us. When we see others exercise patience, have joy, peace, self-control, goodness, faithfulness, kindness and love (Galatians 5:22,23), this is a result of the work of the Spirit, just as when we begin to demonstrate these attributes, we know that He is working on our hearts.
the gifts of the Spirit
Not only does He inspire change in our hearts—the Spirit also blesses us with gifts. We all have unique talents and abilities that He empowers us with to use for the purpose of leading others closer to God (1 Corinthians 12:8-10).
Just like the navigation in our car, we can also hear His voice in the background if we listen closely enough. However, the big difference is that our navigation screams at us, whereas the voice of the Spirit is often described as a subtle inner conviction, a sense of knowing that comes from God. The amazing thing is that while the Spirit convicts us when we have done something wrong, He doesn’t condemn us (John 16:8). Rather, He gently leads us back to the right path, even offering us alternative routes to get us to the ultimate destination—a never-ending life with Jesus.
my Divine guide
There have been many times in my life when I have felt the frustration of being on the wrong path, both physically and spiritually. I’m sure you can resonate with me when I say that often, I tend to lean towards the path that I want to take rather than allowing God to guide me to the path I need to take. The truth, I want to be the navigator, the driver and the passenger all at once but in order to get to the right destination, I need to follow the instructions given to me through the Bible.
This is another way that the Spirit speaks to us: through the Bible. He helps us understand God’s words and in doing so, His will for our lives (John 16:13). When we make decisions, we can test if they’re the right ones by searching the Scriptures by asking ourselves, Does this decision align with what the Bible says? Does it reflect the character of Jesus? If you find yourself doing something that doesn’t align with who God says He is, then chances are you’ve strayed off the path—but it’s okay, because this is where the Holy Spirit does His best work. He delights in helping us to recognise our mistakes and learn from them, encouraging us to grow spiritually (2 Peter 3:18).
Another great feature of the navigation in your car is that it can detect incidents on the road that may slow us down on the way to our destination. When this happens, we get a little warning and sometimes a redirection to another route. This is also true of what happens when we pray for something that might not be beneficial to us in our journey. Sometimes, we don’t really know what we’re asking for when we pray about certain outcomes. We don’t always have the clarity that God does, in that He can see everything, including the motives of a person’s heart (Jeremiah 17:10). This is where the Holy Spirit steps in and intercedes for us, advocating on our behalf. He takes our prayers and ensures we get what we need, even if it might not always be what we want (Romans 8:26,27).
peace and power
Have you ever felt that strange peace of knowing that “everything will be okay”, despite the circumstances around you? If so, I have good news. The Holy Spirit is already working in your life to shape the outcomes of your decisions toward goodness. He provides comfort for you and encourages you when you feel hopeless. Let’s take it one step further: He gives you the strength you need in the same way as He did for Jesus during His time on earth. Jesus faced more struggles than we could ever imagine. While He never strayed from the path that He had been called to walk, He experienced many moments where Jesus may have wanted to “take the wheel”, but it was through the Holy Spirit’s empowerment that He was able to stay on track (Luke 4:14).
If you’re looking for a navigation system that will lead you, comfort you, intercede for you and most importantly, help you to become more like Jesus, then I encourage you to try the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t matter where you are on your faith journey. You can always press start on this divine navigation and allow Him to lead you to the ultimate destination in Jesus.
