“Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to,” (Acts 16:6-7).
How did the Holy Spirit forbid Paul and his companions from going to these places? Was it though the gift of prophecy? Paul’s first missionary journey was prompted by prophecy. “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them‚” (Acts 13:2).
Perhaps it was through a vision. God used a vision to guide Paul and his companions to go into the Macedonian area (Acts 16:9). God used a vision to speak to Ananias (Acts 9:10-12), Cornelius (Acts 10:3) and Peter (Acts 10:10-17).
Maybe it was because Paul was so sick that he couldn’t travel at that particular time. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul speaks of how sick he was while he was there (Galatians 4:13-15). If he was so physically incapacitated that he couldn’t travel, he looked at his illness as a message from God. Paul had learned to see the hand of God in every situation of his life (Philippians 4:12-13).
God guides us in many different and unique ways. It is important that we learn to hear the voice of God in the different ways in which He guides us by His Spirit. Sometimes it might be by bringing some unexpected thing across our path. Maybe it slows us down or hinders us from taking a trip.
If we go out in the morning to start the car and the battery is dead, or we have a flat tire, what is our response and reaction? Do we get upset? How do we respond to these kinds of things? Is it with disgust and with the attitude that this is a terrible disturbance? We need to get to the office or airport. We were supposed to meet this customer at this particular time and now we’re going to be late. Or maybe it’s too windy to spray and we need to get this work done. How can we be sure that God isn’t speaking to us in these circumstances?
Rather than getting upset, perhaps it would be better that we listen and say, “Lord, are You keeping me from some danger? Is this a blessing in disguise?” So many times we look at these things as hindrances, and in reality, we should look at them as blessings (Romans 8:28).
Many times we miss what God is seeking to say to us because we don’t stop at these moments and listen to Him. We might be looking at something as a curse or hindrance, but unbeknownst to us, God might be keeping us from a severe accident or danger of some kind.
God is not bound by any particular method in accomplishing His purposes in our lives. It is so natural for man to try to put God in a box, we tend to think that God is bound by our way of thinking, and that is wrong thinking. God does His work in our lives in a variety of ways. God wants to show us that He has ways that we know nothing about. So when these problems come into our lives, we can still trust God to guide us through them.
Our plans are not always His plans. Many times God chooses to close the doors on our plans. When God closes a door, then it is important that we do not try to break it down. If the Spirit doesn’t allow us to do something we want to do or go some place we want to go, then it’s best to look for the door that the Lord is opening, rather than trying to kick down the door He has closed.
Some people are so determined to do their own will that they ignore all of the warning signs, and they usually find themselves ending up in the ditch. And then they say, “Why would God allow this to happen to me?” We usually end up in big trouble when we insist on doing things our own way, rather than seeking His way. “He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe,” (Proverbs 28:26).
Jesus said to the church at Philadelphia, “These are the words of Him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open” (Revelation 3:7).
Someone might say, “How do you know the will of the Lord?” I look for the opportunities that God might be giving to me through open doors. I also read and study the Bible (Romans 12:2; 2 Timothy 3:15-17). God will not ask you to do something you don’t want to do or send you somewhere you don’t want to go. If God desires for us to serve Him in some special way, then He will put the desire in our heart and He will provide a way for it to be done. The Bible says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
We should never be afraid of the will of God for our life; He will never guide us in the wrong direction (Proverbs 3:5-8). If we end up making a mess of things, it isn’t the Lord leading us that caused it, it was our own self-will that got us into trouble.
God will guide you by His Spirit if you will give your life to Him. He will take you through the stormy seas of life and bless you with eternal life. All you have to do is put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.