October 25 - Follow the Leader

 Read today’s texts first: Job 16; Acts 21-23

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

“My sheep know my voice!” (John 10:14–16).
Personal prophecies from others should only
confirm what God has said directly to us. 

I’ve always believed in having mentors and being a mentor to others, but ultimately we are accountable to God. Fortunately we can hear directly from Him (John 10:4). He is our Good Shepherd and He should be the only One we follow.

As we read through Job, it’s easy to sense his frustration with his three friends, whom he now refers to as his “miserable comforters” (16:2). I know what is coming later in the story and sometimes I find myself skipping ahead just so I can hear from God Himself!  And yet, each of Job’s friends love him (why else would they sit with him for days on end?) and they sincerely believe they are speaking for God.

Paul is experiencing similar help from his friends. The disciples in Tyre advised Paul “through the Spirit,” not to go to Jerusalem (21:4). When he stopped in Caesarea, reputable leaders like Phillip, his four prophesying daughters, Agabus, and others (Luke, the author of Acts, included himself with the pronoun “we” – v.12) all tried to stop Paul from going to Jerusalem, saying “this is what the Holy Spirit says” (11).

And yet Paul was convinced by that same Holy Spirit that he needed to go to Jerusalem (20:22,23). We learn later in the story that there was no real conflict – the Spirit was both warning Paul of his impending arrest and urging him to go. His friends heard the same message but, because of their concern for Paul’s life, interpreted the message differently.

That’s why we must hear from God directly before we make a decision. I reread an obscure story from 1 Kings 13 today on my own, just for fun, about a man of God who learned the hard way about following God directly (check it out). I’ve told that story to young students who would come to our Bible College because someone else prophesied over their lives. My question to them was always “what has God said to you directly,” because we are all accountable directly to Him for what we do with our lives.

What Job, Paul and the man of God learned about following the Leader, I need to hear. “Lord, whenever I receive advice or offers of ministry opportunities from others, help me remember to only follow Your lead.”