20/20: God's Vision For My LifeSample

Hear. Believe. Obey.

By Steve Dulin

“When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.” John 16:13 

“Are you excited to visit Grandma?” my wife, Melody, asked our daughter, Kristin, as we waited in line at the ticket counter at Dallas Love Field Airport. Two-year-old Kristin bounced up and down as she replied, “Yes! See Grandma! See Grandpa!” I smiled and reached down to hold Kristin’s hand as the ticket agent motioned us forward. 

After checking Melody in, the ticket agent turned to me and asked, “Luggage, sir?” “Sure,” I said. I grabbed the bags and put them on the scale. The agent checked the weight and said, “Ok, you’re all set. Have a safe flight.” Melody thanked the agent, and as she turned back to me, her smile faded. “Steve,” she said—her voice urgent with worry, “Where’s Kristin?” I looked down, and realized that Kristin was gone.

The ticketing area at Dallas Love Field is a vast, open space. As we quickly looked around the area, our concern deepened. “Where is she?” Melody asked me. I said, “There’s a gift shop over there, I’ll go check it out.” I sprinted to the gift shop, praying. As I reached the entrance, I was startled to hear Melody screaming at the top of her lungs, “My baby has been kidnapped! My baby has been kidnapped!”

It was completely out of character for Melody to begin screaming, especially after Kristin had only been gone for a few minutes. Melody had worked as an emergency room nurse and was trained to handle a crisis quickly and calmly. In my spirit, I knew something was wrong.

I reached the gift shop, but there was no sign of Kristin. Suddenly, I heard over the loudspeaker, “Attention. A child is missing. She is two years old with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a pink jumper. Her name is Kristin Dulin. If you see her, please alert the nearest authority immediately.”

For minutes that seemed like hours, the search continued. People left bags unattended and missed flights as everyone helped look for Kristin. There was no news, only the endless repeated announcement over the loudspeaker. Finally, the announcement changed. “Steve and Melody Dulin, please come to the security area. Your daughter has been found.”

Later, Kristin was able to tell us that a woman had picked her up while my back was turned. The woman told Kristin she was going to take her to her grandma’s house. She had taken Kristin through security undetected and was at the last gate in the terminal about to board a plane to another state. Witnesses told us that when the announcement came over the loudspeaker, she put Kristin down and disappeared. If Melody hadn’t starting screaming when she did, it most likely would have delayed the loudspeaker announcement long enough to allow the kidnapper to escape with Kristin.

Melody later told me that as she prayed, the Holy Spirit strongly impressed upon her that Kristin had been kidnapped and that it was imperative to tell everyone as soon as possible. She believed what the Holy Spirit was saying and started screaming!

Melody was empowered by the Holy Spirit to do something completely opposite of her personality. The key to her empowerment was based on three things: she heard the voice of the Holy Spirit, she believed what He said, and she obeyed His instructions.

John 16:13 says, “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.” But here’s the good news: the Holy Spirit doesn’t just speak the truth to you and tell you what to do. If you hear Him and believe Him, He will also empower you to obey what He says.

Acts 1:8 says, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The Holy Spirit gives you power, but not just power to witness to other people about Jesus. He gives you the power to do what He says and live in such a way that your life itself witnesses to others. The Holy Spirit empowers you to “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

On the day of Pentecost, I’m sure the disciples had no idea how their lives were going to be dramatically altered after being filled with the Holy Spirit. Yet they changed the world by living a life of hearing, believing, and obeying God.

Melody heard the truth that day in the airport. But what if she hadn’t believed? What if she hadn’t immediately obeyed?

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you today? It’s not enough just to hear. You have to believe what He says. And if you believe and submit to Him, He will give you the power to obey. If you allow yourself to be led by the Holy Spirit, He will empower you to do His will and your entire life will be changed!

Men ought to seek with their whole hearts to be filled with the Spirit of God. Without being filled with the Spirit, it is utterly impossible that an individual Christian or a church can ever live or work as God desires.
~ Andrew Murray

Memory Verse

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8