As your faith grows, you develop a closer connection to the Holy Spirit to where you can’t help but do what He tells you to do. In my case, the Spirit has implanted in my brain the ability to pick up on keen sayings, highlight verses that I think could benefit others, and the creativity to put it all together.
Lately, I have been trying harder to obey the Spirit when He prods me. When I do nothing, I feel weak and ashamed, like I let God down. James 4:17 (ESV) says that “whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” I have doubted myself for so long that it feels wonderful to listen and act on it.
For a year or more — yes, I’m a stubborn human — the Spirit has told me to talk to panhandlers in our area. Conveniently, I am always in a rush and don’t have time. And my negativity says that there are so many businesses looking for workers, that these panhandlers should just get a job. Also, word is that they make plenty of money and their begging is just a ruse. All those voices telling me that panhandlers don’t matter are WRONG! They do! Everyone matters. Remember the parable about Lazarus who was begging at the gate? Well, he ended up in heaven and a rich man who went to hell was begging Lazarus for help!
The other day, I finally acted on the Spirit’s poking. With a Bible in hand, I made friendly conversation with a woman who was panhandling. She had recently moved from Italy to find work. Her sign said “Jesus loves you.” So right there I was given a segue to talk about the Lord.
It doesn’t matter if I converted her or not. I just handed her a Bible and told her that she could read it to help her with her English. I love how the Holy Spirit pushes us and we remain unsettled until we act on His urgings. That’s all that God instructs us to do — be bold and listen to the Spirit. What is the Spirit prodding you to do?
