How the Holy Spirit Says No

How do you know if the Holy Spirit is redirecting you from the path you’re on?

Or, saying no?

It depends.

Here are four ways the Holy Spirit says no to a believer’s actions.

Through Scripture

This should be pretty straight-forward.

You decide you want to do something.

But there’s a “check” on your “spirit.”

That means something reminds you there might be a problem with that decision.

So, you look in the Bible to see what it says about your murderous thoughts, say.

You don’t have to go far before you encounter this one:

Thou shalt not kill.”

Exodus 20:13

Or if you prefer the New Testament:

For He who said, “do not commit adultery,” also said, “do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. “

James 2:11

In John 14:26, Jesus specifically said “The Holy Spirit . . . . will bring to remembrance all that I have said.”

That means a Bible verse pertinent to our situation will pop into our mind.

That’s the main way the Holy Spirit redirects our steps.

Through other people

But they don’t look like the Holy Spirit . . .

Who does?

This one works when you pray about something, say, asking God if you should do a specific thing.

You don’t tell anyone about it–you don’t ask someone what they think.

A friend joins you in a casual conversation but happens to mention the very question you had asked God about–and they provide an answer.

They don’t know you’re wrestling with a subject, but offer an opinion usually not even directed at you!

I’ve written about this here.

I had my answer.

You sense you’re not supposed to do something

It’s important to remember that God will always send a “check” if we’re wandering off the path He has set before us.

A good example of this is in Acts 16: 6-8, where Paul headed in one direction to share the Gospel and he was “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.”

Enduring Word commentator David Guzik explained what happened this way:

We note with interest that the Holy Spirit actually forbade Paul to do something we normally think of as good – preaching God’s Word to those who need it.

Yet the Spirit of God directed this work, and Paul wasn’t the right person in the right place at the right time to begin bringing the gospel to the Roman Province of Asia Minor.

There was certainly nothing wrong with Paul’s desire to preach the word in Asia; but it wasn’t God’s timing, so this was forbidden by the Holy Spirit.

It is difficult to say exactly how the Holy Spirit said no; it may have been through a word of prophecy, or by an inward speaking of the Holy Spirit, or by circumstances. One way or another, Paul and his company got the message. Ephesus would come later, not now.”

Enduring Word commentary on Acts 16

You’re thwarted

Some will argue that when you’re stopped time and again by circumstances, you just need to move forward.

That’s true if you’re positive God has called you to do something.

But sometimes He uses circumstances to redirect us.

It’s not because we’re doing something wrong, but maybe (as noted above) the timing may be wrong.

Or maybe you have something else to do along the way.

That happened to Paul in the same Acts 16 passage.

As Guzik commented:

Paul was guided by hindrance. The Holy Spirit often guides as much by the closing of doors as He does by the opening of doors.”

Enduring Word commentary on Acts 16

Bonus: Holy Spirit-inspired Dreams

Think how often in Scripture the Holy Spirit directed God’s people through timely dreams.

Both the Old Testament Joseph and the New Testament Joseph acted on dreams that came at the exact right moment.

I wrote about those dreams here.

A friend of mine raised in an Iranian Muslim home became a Christian after seeing Jesus in a dream.

That’s been happening a lot lately in the Muslim world–she isn’t the only one.

God’s trinity can direct us in the best way we can hear.

For some that will be in Scripture–black and white, clear.

Others will need brothers and sisters in Christ to advise them–whether they know it or not!

For some, it’s just a sense–but a testable one–and for others a dream.

Whatever means the Holy Spirit uses to speak to us, our calling is to respond in accordance with His will, not our own.

Thanks be to God

Tweetables

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