“And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him” (Mark 1:10 KJV).
Jesus obeyed the Spirit of God immediately, or suddenly. Immediately the Spirit drove him into the wilderness. He obeyed the Spirit. We know He went into the wilderness and was tempted forty days and forty nights of the devil.
The point is that the Spirit of God began to lead Him and He immediately followed. He suddenly followed.
Now, the Spirit of God is on the inside of you. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Just like the Holy Spirit was involved in leading Jesus, the Holy Spirit is involved in leading you.
Now, you have a choice. You can come up with lots of excuses as to why you aren’t following God. And you can come up with lots of reasons why you are not ready to obey God. You can say, “Oh, God, I still have to get my degree,” or “But God I have to finish this first.” “God, I don’t understand why I have to do this….”
“Blah, blah, blah….”
I mean, you can come up with all kinds of excuses as to why you shouldn’t give your heart to God and why you shouldn’t serve Him the way you should, right now. Some folks will say, “Oh, I’m too young. I’m too old. I’m too this, I’m too that.”
But with all these excuses, instead of a sudden explosion of God in your life, you’re going to get nothing. If Jesus follows the Spirit suddenly, i.e., immediately…what should you do?
You should follow the leading of the Spirit immediately. When Jesus went to Peter and Andrew and beckoned them to follow Him, they immediately followed Jesus; no excuses.
You see, God knows what you are doing. He knows all about your plans. But you must cease from your own thing, and do things according to God’s plans for your life. When God calls you, then He has blessings for you. There are blessings on the other side of your obedience.
Scripture References: 1 John 4:4; Matthew 4:19; Luke 5:27; 18:22
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Keith Butler has been an ordained minister since 1974. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and holds diplomas from Canada Christian College and Rhema Bible Training Center.
He serves in ministry with the support of his lovely wife, Pastor Deborah L. Butler, and their children: Pastor Andre Butler (granddaughters Alexis, Angela, and April), Pastor MiChelle Ferguson and husband Pastor Lee (grandson Lucas), and Minister Kristina Jenkins and husband Pastor Joel (grandsons Andrew and Austin, and granddaughter Alyssa).