Are You Sensitive To The Holy Spirit?
This article is excerpted from The God Nudge, a book by Mike Robertson.
What is a God Nudge?
God nudges us in many different ways. His Spirit may speak to us through a passage of Scripture. As we read, the Holy Spirit “illumines” the truth to give us encouragement, direction, or correction. A nudge may come from the advice of a leader or a mature Christian friend. God often uses circumstances. He may put up a roadblock to steer our path or open a door for us. God leads some people in visions and dreams.
Here is a definition of a God Nudge:
discernment, insight, and foreknowledge
(n.) a spiritual premonition, feeling, or sense; an illumination
(v.) a spiritual prod or push
Sometimes, God nudges us to become messengers or delivery persons on His behalf. However, to become a delivery agent for the Lord, you've got to understand certain things. We don't need to be sinless, brilliant, or exceptionally gifted to serve God and be a part of His delivery system.
We have to be available, but we also need to develop sensitivity to the Spirit’s whispers. It’s easy to miss it. Learning to listen is one of the most essential elements of our walks with God. Sensitivity comes with practice.
I’ve always approached preaching the Bible with the utmost respect. Whether I’m preaching to four people or four thousand people, I prepare the same way. My routine consists of ferocious study and fervent prayer. Years ago, at a pastor’s conference, Ed Young asked Bishop T.D. Jakes, “How do you prepare to preach the gospel?”
Bishop Jakes smiled and replied, “I study myself full, I think myself clear, I pray myself hot, and then I let myself go.” That’s a great recipe to be used by God—for a pastor or any of us.
For many years, I’ve committed to spending time every day in prayer. In this give-and-take communication with God, He prepares my spirit to be useful to Him. In Revelation, John wrote, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church” (Revelation 3:13).
Most of us have physical ears, but we don’t all have spiritual ears. God is speaking, but most of us aren’t listening. It’s as if we’re tuned to an AM radio station while God is speaking on an FM radio station.
We’re finite, and we’re in a relationship with the Infinite, so it’s easy to misunderstand Him. To keep lines of communication clear, I’ve determined to work on my tuning to clear away all the static in my life. I’m committed to being on the right channel, and I will keep my antennae up and working because I want to hear what the Spirit has to say to me.
Our church has multiple services every weekend. Before I preach, I whisper this prayer:
Lord, open my eyes to see and my ears to hear, and give my heart the ability to discern what Your desire is for each of the people here in front of me today. And lastly, Lord, give me the courage to step out in faith when I receive a God nudge from heaven.
I’m God’s servant and God’s vessel. I want Him to use me in any way He delivers His message to the people He loves.
A Wake-up Call
Many years ago, while I was attending a chapel service at the Bible College in Waxahachie, Texas, a missionary in Arkansas described how the Lord woke him up at about 2 AM on a cold winter night. The Lord gave him a vision of a family in a van that was a few miles away. The missionary sensed the Lord wanted him to help this family. He got dressed, got in his car, and drove down the road in the direction the Lord impressed him to go.
He came across a family stuck in a van by the side of the road about thirty miles away. He stopped and helped them get home. As he was driving back to his house, he began to talk to the Lord about the incident. He asked the Lord a question:
“Lord, why did You have me do that? I’m thirty miles away, and I know of a lot of godly people between my house and this vehicle was stranded. Why did you choose me? Why couldn’t you use one of these other Christians around here?”
The Lord answered, “You’re right. I have plenty of people between you and the stranded family. I woke two other people, but they refused the God nudge. You were the third one I called, and you answered.”
This story makes me wonder how many God nudges I neglect because I want another hour of sleep or because I think what I’m doing is more important than God’s leading.
I have determined that I want to be sensitive to God and available to respond to His voice. I’m sure you do, too.