Time to re-evaluate?

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend and a relaxing Father’s Day. This weekend was an exciting weekend for me. The church hosted its first car “Cruisin’ for the Son” car show. Anytime I can get around classic and high performance automobiles I am energized. These car shows quickly expose any covetous spirit that might be within me.

This morning I want to discuss the idea of re-evaluating your plans and direction. One of my favorite passages of Scripture gives a great example of this:

Acts 16:6-8 (NLT)

Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had told them not to go into the province of Asia at that time. [7] Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not let them go. [8] So instead, they went on through Mysia to the city of Troas.

Let me help you see the highlights here for a moment. Paul and Silas are on a missionary and their initial plan is to travel into the province of Asia, but the Holy Spirit intervenes and they change course. Paul and Silas next head toward the borders of Mysia with the intention of going to Bithynia, but again the Holy Spirit intervenes and turns them into a new direction to the city of Troas. While in Troas, the Apostle Paul has the following vision:

Acts 16:9-10 (NLT)

That night Paul had a vision. He saw a man from Macedonia in northern Greece, pleading with him, "Come over here and help us." [10] So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, for we could only conclude that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.

There are times in life when we set out on a specific course, but we continue to encounter barriers and obstacles. You have probably been in this circumstance before. No matter how much planning was undertaken, the obstacles continue to arise. It is at these times that we need to ask of God: “What should I be doing now?”

As I look back through my life I see many times when the Holy Spirit placed barriers before my plans, because He was guiding me in an entirely different direction than what I had envisioned.

In the case of Paul and Silas, God was going to use them in Macedonia. Macedonia, unfortunately, was not in Paul and Silas’ immediate plans. So God intervened, through the Holy Spirit’s leading, and Paul and Silas were given a new course for their missionary work.

This week if you find yourself coming up against barrier after barrier, you may find that God is leading you in some new directions. Be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit as He leads you to God’s perfect will for your life.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl