COVID-19 Novel Encouragement Sample

Be Led: The answer to a thousand questions

The Bible says in Romans 8:16 that "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God."

In the Old Testament, the prophets would say "And the word of the Lord came to me saying…"

Have you ever wondered how it came?

I believe that the 'Word of the Lord' came to the prophet's spirit from the Spirit of God. New Testament prophets are very similar to Old Testament prophets in that they both saw and knew things supernaturally, but the status of Old and New Testament prophets is different.

Under the Old Covenant, only the priest and the king were anointed by the Holy Spirit to stand in those offices. The 'laity' did not have the Spirit of God upon them or in them. So, under the old covenant, they would seek guidance through the prophet because a prophet had the spirit. But under the new covenant, we not only have the Spirit of God upon us, but we also have the Holy Spirit in us. Romans 8:14 says: "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."

Hence, we can see that the primary way that God's people are led is by the Spirit of God. We might also say that God's people are led by the inward witness. The inward witness can be described in terms like these: a check in your spirit; a traffic signal with a red, green, and yellow (caution) light; a velvety-like feeling in your spirit, like a 'go-ahead' signal in the inside; or the witness of the spirit to go.

During this novel coronavirus outbreak, I have spoken with many people about how they are coping. One person asked me if they should leave China. My answer to this question was related directly to being led by the Spirit.

It is said that the answer to thousands of questions in life is to 'be led by the Spirit.' What your spirit is whispering to you? What is the peace of God leading you to do? Every Christian can be led in this way, and it is important to note that listening to your spirit is something that needs to be developed. As you learn to listen to God's voice and develop in your spiritual life, you will begin to understand that God is ready to lead and guide you in every aspect of life.

How do we do this? We do this by following the inward witness. First, it is important to get quiet before God. Isaiah 40:31 says: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint." Usually, our first reaction is mental, so quieting ourselves is vitally important when learning to follow the inward witness.

Second, while you are waiting, remember to pray and read your Bible. It is easier to discern the voice of God if we know his Word. If we know His Word, we can more easily discern what is true and from the Holy Spirit. Spend time praising and worshipping God. When we are worshipping God, our minds stop racing and a peace comes over us. This is because when we worship and praise Him, we begin to see things from God’s perspective.

Finally, we should wait until we hear what the Spirit is saying. Get serious about this as you purpose to spend time with God. Sometimes our head will say one thing and our spirit will say another. It is important to not hurry and learn to wait on the Lord and spend time in His presence until we hear from Him.

God is ready to lead you and guide you in all matters of life. It is important that you follow your deepest premonitions. Do not copy other people and their actions. Instead, focus on learning to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in your life.

In Luke 1:3, Luke writes: "It seemed good to me … to write an orderly account …” It just seemed 'good' for Dr. Luke (a physician) to write the Gospel of Luke. In other words, Luke was led by the Spirit of God through the inward witness to write this Gospel.

In the midst of this novel coronavirus outbreak, it is vitally important to remember to follow peace in our lives. If you do not have the peace of God in a situation, then do not make a decision until you do have His peace.

We most certainly can be led by the Holy Spirit in our lives. Maybe the Holy Spirit places someone on your heart here in Beijing to call and encourage. Maybe the Holy Spirit leads you to go to Thailand to wait out this coronavirus outbreak. Maybe the Holy Spirit leads you to stay in Beijing to minister right where you are. The beauty of being led by the Holy Spirit is that He is personal: He leads us and guides us in our unique situations. So be encouraged, get quiet before Him, and begin to listen and be led by the Holy Spirit.

By Pastor Randy Eplin, BICF Elder: Wang Jing