Acts 8:29
“The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’”
Obedience – “compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another’s authority.”
The Holy Spirit leads, guides, and directs us. How do we know? Listen to this story. There was a man. His name was Philip. Now Philip listened intently to the Holy Spirit. He kept his heart and ears focused on the Lord in order to hear and know where he might go. In Acts 8 we watch as Philip is led and guided by the Holy Spirit.
He’s directed to hurry on along and stay near this Ethiopian man’s chariot. Imagine riding along in your chariot reading some scripture and this strange man is snooping around your mode of transportation. I’d be disturbed and probably slightly irritated. Wouldn’t you? Well, even at the risk of looking creepy, Philip obeyed the voice of the Lord. and what happened next was amazing.
Long story short, Philip began reading scripture with the Ethiopian man, answering questions he had and sharing the good news of Jesus with him. Their time together was going so well and this man was so intrigued by the gospel that he asked Philip to baptize him. They came upon some water while bouncing down the road in the chariot, and stopped so that the baptism could happen. And immediately after the Ethiopian was baptized, the Holy Spirit took Philip away! I’m not sure how… Maybe he rocketed off into the sky or maybe he just poof, disappeared. What a story.
If Philip hadn’t obeyed that small voice urging him to stand next to a random man’s chariot none of these wild, remarkable things would have taken place. The Ethiopian man wouldn’t have had a friend to sit and help him understand the scripture he was reading. The Ethiopian man wouldn’t have heard the good news of Jesus and had the opportunity to be baptized, dedicating the rest of his life to the work of God.
Listening and being attentive to the Holy Spirit is one thing, but obeying is quite another. Sometimes God asks us to do things we feel are WAY out of our comfort zone or even strange and unheard of. Have you ever felt this subtle nudge to turn your phone off for the day? Or delete TikTok for a week? Maybe you’ve felt like you need to pray for someone or call an old friend and check in on them. You could have felt a little guilty after watching something you knew you shouldn’t have. Whatever it was or is, don’t run from it.
You see, the Holy Spirit is speaking with us, longing to guide us within his will and way. All we need to do is listen and obey. Take time today to sit silently before Jesus. Begin asking him how you can grow closer to him. Thoughts may pop in your head. Don’t dismiss them because you think they’re your subconscious, instead, write everything you think down. Take that list and line it up with scripture. In other words, ask yourself, is this in line with what Jesus asks me to do in the bible? Is this good for my soul? If the answer is yes, move forward with that list of actions this week and move closer to the God of the universe.