Saturday 10 May 2014

Don't Go Today

While I was staying with my brother and his family in Parramatta, my mother came to visit, bringing my nephew Michael with her.

One day mum wished to take the children into the city riding the Parramatta Ferry, and she desired me to go with them to help look after the kids.

I enjoy the River Cat trip down the Parramatta River to Sydney Harbour, but on this occasion I just didn't feel right in my spirit about it. So I told mum.

Mum said something about how difficult it would be for her to look after the kids by herself; and something about how I should be willing to co-operate and be helpful. But I still could not feel right about it. And mum wouldn't let go of the idea.

So I said, "Okay, but I want to go on record as having said that I don't think we should be doing this today."

Then we began the two-kilometre walk to the Ferry pier.

As we got close to the pier, it looked unusually quiet. When we arrived there was a sign up apologising for any inconvenience - the ferry service was closed for that day only. So we - and the children - walked all the way home again.

But still my mother did not concede that the source of my reluctance had been the Holy Spirit. It seems she thought I was just being uncooperative, unhelpful, even selfish, and that the fact that the ferry service was closed that day was only a coincidence.

But being led by the Spirit is something separate from ourself. We feel His leading in our spirit, but that's not necessarily the same as what we desire or think in our soul. It's what you feel in the real you - in your spirit - by the witness of the Spirit in your spirit.

Learn to recognise that. Learn to distinguish spirit from soul. And be led by the Spirit. Even in small things.

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