Advice You Shouldn't Ignore

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However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. (John 16:13-15 NKJV)

A few weeks ago, the verdict in George Zimmerman’s case came down. He was found not guilty. I am not here to debate whether justices was or was not served. My focus is, however, on the day that Trayvon Martin died.

On that day, trouble visited George Zimmerman. I don’t know if he is Christian or not, but even us Christians can learn from his mistakes. See, people make stupid mistakes. They make them at every age.

George could have avoided this trouble. The 911 operator recommended he stay in his vehicle after letting the police know there was someone suspicious in the neighborhood. The 911 operator didn’t yell that he should stay in the vehicle. Zimmerman was calmly advised to stay in the vehicle. He chose to get out. And what happened next started with a fight and then the death of an innocent teenage boy, and probably the worst year George Zimmerman has ever had.

We make bad choices. Sometimes we do not have enough information to make a well-informed decision. Other times, we just act on impulse. But those of us who profess to be followers of Christ, have help.

Christ stated He would provide a Comforter. He sent the Holy Spirit to help guide us in all truth. The Holy Spirit provides comfort in our times of trouble. He provides direction. The Holy Spirit is our conscience. He doesn't yell and scream for us to do as He says. It is calmly expressed. Make no mistake you can hear it, even if it was spoken in a whisper. 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t listen at all times. And sometimes nothing comes out of it (well, to the naked eye), and sometimes I pay for ignoring the Holy Spirit. We are provided with solutions that bring peace, but we ignore it for a myriad of reasons.

And we pay for that. Sometimes it’s mild, such as ignoring the unction to take a different route and end up in a traffic jam. Other instances, we pay in major ways: we lose a job or our credibility is ruined. Sometimes you know deep down that this person, who you want to share the rest of your life with, isn’t the right person for you, but you ignore every attempt to get you to see reason, and find yourself dealing with years of heartache and pain. And sometimes, Christians (again, I don’t know if Zimmerman professed to be one) catch a case, that is, find themselves in legal trouble.

We have a guide in these times. He provides the truth to us to keep us out of harm’s way. The Holy Spirit provides comfort when trouble arrives through no fault of our own. He provides guidance, even when we ignored him in the first place. 

And you are not alone if you have ignored or grieved the Holy Spirit. What we need to do now is acknowledge our misstep, confess and be diligent in being obedient to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, correction, advice, etc., etc. Then we will avoid the pitfalls we create. We won’t “catch a case” simply because we ignored a sound recommendation.

What ways have you chosen your way instead of the Holy Spirit’s? (Just reflect, but if you want to answer, do so).

Stay Encouraged and Be Blessed!