Heed The Warnings Of The Holy Spirit To Stay Out Of Trouble

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘(7) So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, (8) do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, (9) where your ancestors tested and tried Me, though for forty years they saw what I did.”’ (Hebrews 3:7-9)

We have well water at our home (which has positives and negatives). Occasionally, upon smelling the familiar but unpleasant odor of sulfur in the water as it is running, it’s possible to have a leak somewhere in the system. I walk all around the house and garage, inside and out, to see if I have a leak somewhere, as the smell can come after the water constantly runs; typically the water in the aerator tank doesn’t have the time to release the sulfur ‘gasses’ since it constantly runs out of the tank – typically. 

Usually (and thankfully), however, there are no leaks; I just forgot to add a chlorine tab to the aerator and change out the in-line filter. If the pumps aren’t running, and with no leaks from the hose faucets, the pipes, the hot water tank, and the water pipes in the house are looking ‘dry’ (looking at all our ceilings in each room, and seeing no ‘wet’ spots from the attic where our water is piped through), I can only conclude that it is coming in ‘strong’ from the underground aquafer (where we get the water), and the chlorine and the filter usually will ‘kill’ the smell if it doesn’t clear out by sitting in the aerator. 

We sometimes get warnings for problems that have not yet appeared, are out of our control, or are not problems at all.  The ‘check engine’ light comes on, and after a quick diagnosis one finds out the engine is fine but the exhaust sensor is dirty, or the fuel cap is not sealed.  Not necessarily a problem with the engine, only that something is not as ‘normal’ as it should be.  We get that ‘spidey sense’ that something is amiss, or a feeling of something that is not quite up to par. 

Sometimes we ignore these warnings, and most times nothing occurs.  However, we should at least do some quick checks to ensure that at least for the time being we can continue on as normal, but take the proper precautions to prepare that down the road, we may encounter that warning may indeed be valid, that the check engine may really mean the engine needs servicing, or the sulfur smell may really be there’s a leak and the pumps are running overtime to keep the water flowing. 

Thankfully, the Lord gives us an ‘early warning’ system for the lives of His people. The Holy Spirit has been given to us as our Spiritual ‘check engine’ indicator.  The Spirit indwells within us so that when we start going away from what is righteous, He can provide us that nudge to say, ‘don’t do that’, or ‘I wouldn’t recommend going on that path’.  The Spirit doesn’t always go ‘off’ to say something is wrong, but can warn us that something could go wrong unless we stop and check out the situations we find ourselves in.

Like our ‘check engine’ light on a car, we can look and diagnose what the possible issue is.  The Spirit may not always say ‘don’t do that’, but may tell us to upon examining the situation to ‘be prepared before you do that’.  An example is talking to a family member who may not be a Christian and is hostile toward those who profess Faith, and perhaps living a lifestyle that is anti-Christian.  The Spirit can warn us not to immediately engage, to prepare through prayer and studying the Word to then engage so as to be prepared to answer questions and be patient with someone who may be insulting or belligerent, and can provide that ‘tap’ to let you know when to speak, when to listen, and when to end the conversation. 

The Spirit also provides us people who we can ask or talk to when we have issues, such as those in our Fellowship (other Life Group members, the Pastor, the Elders), or sometimes by ‘happenstance’ place us in the path of people who can either help us, for us to help them.

When we ignore the Spirit, like ignoring our ‘check engine’ lights, we can end up in a situation that may not allow us a ‘quick fix and go’ but instead a major repair and a major inconvenience.  Like having an engine rebuilt, we likewise may have to rebuild our relationship with the Lord; we realized the sin we are in, we repent of that sin and pray for forgiveness to God and if involving others those we’ve sinned against.  Only then can the warning be turned off, but never disconnected, else it can happen all over again. 

Listen to the Spirit; don’t ignore warnings.  Even if the problem is minor or the warning is informational, use it to improve the situation you are in, and keep ahead of your problems and don’t let your problems keep ahead of you!