Driven or Led?
A few years ago, I remember receiving a call from someone who was frantic and upset. A friend of his was trying to talk him into a real estate deal that was causing him to feel extremely anxious and overwhelmed. As the deal came closer to a “closing”, he could not resist the internal struggle he was feeling so he called me to talk it out.
“Olivia” he said, “I just don’t know what to do! I don’t know if I’m making the right decision but I am so far into this deal.”
I listened and then calmly responded, “When have you ever made a ‘right’ decision feeling this uneasy about it?”
As I later reflected on the phone call interaction I thought about something my mom and grandmother use to say….
SATAN DRIVES BUT THE HOLY SPIRIT LEADS
Satan drives us through fear, anxiety, and worry to make decisions that lead us to death. Maybe not a physical death, but death in regards to decisions that are not profitable to our lives. Remember he goes around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Through lies and deceit, Satan looks to cloud our judgment and drive us to a place where we cannot hear the Holy Spirit’s voice concerning a situation.
As Jesus prepared his disciples for His soon to be death and resurrection, He tells them that He is sending a helper. This helper is being sent to aid Jesus’ followers through life in a way that isn’t driven by fear and anxiety. “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” (John 16:13).
I believe that sometimes the Holy Spirit allows us to feel the fear and anxiety as a warning sign that we are headed down the wrong path. When we feel anxious and worry, it is a good chance to pause, examine what the source is, and then use our godly authority to go down a different path. That path could be turning down a real estate deal, it could be staying still until clarity comes, or it could be going a completely different direction. We have 2 Timothy 1:7 to remind us that “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” We also know that God’s word says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” Philippians 4:6. Therefore, in times of fear or anxiety, let’s question the direction Satan is attempting to Drive us towards or away from, and allow the Holy Spirit to truly lead us into all truth.
