The Prompting of the Holy Spirit!

The earring on my right ear has a way of coming off; a few years back, I lost a pearl earring from that ear.  Sometime back, I had my diamond earring on, and it came unscrewed three or four times, and every time I noticed it, I said, 'Thank you, Jesus, ' and tightened it, feeling thankful to God for prompting me.  This happened many times, and one day I lost the earring!  I searched everywhere but could not find it.  My loss was great.  Last winter, my thin chain came off the hook and fell on the heavily carpeted floor in my son's house in the US, and by chance, I noticed it.  As I picked it up, I automatically said, 'Thank you, Jesus,' but the Lord said in my heart, ‘it is not enough’! It is not enough on my part to thank God without doing something to correct it!  So I did not put that chain on again.  After returning to India, I changed the hook to a 'U' hook, and now there is no problem with the chain coming loose!  The Lord taught me a lesson that day!

Many times the Lord nudges us to give up something or forgive someone.  Sometimes He prompts us to stop speaking or even to speak up.  The Lord tells us to give up a bad habit or a hateful thought or even take the initiative in reconciling with someone.  The Lord may challenge us to spend more time with Him and His Word.  Whatever the area in which the Lord is nudging us and correcting us, we have to take it seriously and act upon it.  It is not enough to say, 'Thank you, Jesus, ' and go on as before!  We have to stop and make the correction needed.  If we do not respond to God's gentle nudging,  we may find ourselves in great  trouble, for the Bible says in Proverbs 29:1, "He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."

My friend, do not ignore the Holy Spirit's prompting in your heart.  That is how the Lord is preparing us for His coming.  The Lord is working on us, bit by bit, to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy (James 1:24).  Thank God for His corrections and put those into practice, for the Lord is coming soon!

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