ICS Daily Devotions
Prompted, Led, and Empowered by the Spirit
Acts 8:26-31 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. 27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
We often wonder how and when we should share the gospel with someone. Yielding to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our lives is one of the most critical factors in impacting the lives of others.
In this passage, Philip responded to the prompting to share the gospel. We must be sensitive to God and not harden our hearts so that we can hear Him. A daily walk with God will help us to recognize His voice. And when He wants us to go forth and do His work, He will prompt us to do it through His Spirit. We need to yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit too.
Philip was a risk taker, willing to go where the Spirit led, not knowing what lies ahead or what he should do or whom he would meet. Regardless of all these uncertainties or risks, he still went. The only thing in danger of being hurt, by taking a step of faith under these risks, is our pride. We must not be ashamed of the gospel.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
2 Corinthians 4:4 Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
If we are ashamed of the gospel then those who are blinded by the devil will not hear the gospel. Only the gospel is able to shine the light into their heart, reveal to them the truth and set them free.
We should yield to the Holy Spirit when he leads us to share with someone. Just share the truth, and allow the Holy Spirit to convict. It is God who leads a sinner to salvation; we are His vessels.
Philip yielded to the voice of the Holy Spirit to rise up and go where he was asked to go and he also trusted the Holy Spirit to direct him on what he should do and say. God has not left us alone to do the work of His kingdom by ourselves. He has given us His Holy Spirit to guide us and to empower us to do His will.
Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
These were the last words from Jesus. He promised us power from above to evangelize and to be His witnesses throughout the world. We are carriers of revival because the Holy Spirit lives in us. The Holy Spirit is compassionate, merciful, loving and evangelistic. He has the power and was the power that raised Christ from the dead. The good news is that He lives in us! Therefore, we are His partners in ministry; we are His mouth, His hands and His feet to do what He wants to do when we choose to yield to His prompting. We must not quench the Holy Spirit when He prompts us to share the gospel and minister through the gifts of the Holy Spirit to heal the sick or to cast out demons. His power and abilities will flow out of us because we carry His presence with us wherever we go.
To be faithful servants of God’s kingdom, we need to be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, obedient to the leading of the Spirit and humble ourselves to be powered by the Holy Spirit. We are God’s ambassadors, ministers of hope, and channels of God’s blessings!
Sermon Series: The Heart and Passion of Christ
