Thursday, February 7, 2008

Learning To ‘Follow the Leader

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14)

 

When I was a young child, my siblings and I used to play games called "Follow the Leader" and "Simon Says." As leader, I had the upper hand and could get my siblings to do what I wanted!  (Clean the house, take out the trash, vacuum, and so on)  Otherwise I was stuck doing all the work myself..  Making a game out of some household chores was fun for them and me. Then of course, there was Simon Says.  It was always fun to make them do silly things; to trick them into doing an action that would cause them to loose.

 

 As the scripture says, we are led by the Holy Spirit, placed behind Him — just as children stay behind the leader as they play "Follow the Leader"!

 

When I think of the word led, I think of how I walk our dog, Tuffy.  When I attach her harness and begin our walk, I literally lead her with the leash.  Most times, she can be slightly pig headed wanting to lead me.  Then she gives in knowing that I am the leader. 

 

Scripture tells us we should be willing to let the Holy Spirit lead us in every part of our lives. We should be so surrendered to Him that wherever He tells us to go or whatever He tells us to do, we should simply be obedient and follow.  More times then not, I am like my dog, slightly pig headed, wanting to go my way.

 

There is an intense conflict, such as a struggle in a wrestling match or a struggle of the human will. The Holy Spirit wants to lead us, yet my human will does not like the idea of no leading. You see, it is our fleshly nature to want to go our own way, so when we choose to walk in the Spirit and let Him dictate our lives, His leadership over us creates a struggle between our will and our flesh.  Have you felt a struggle?

 

Man, I will tell you that growing up was a struggle for me.  I just love to do my own thing.  I could not wait until I was old enough to live on my own.  I disliked it when teachers nagged me into getting assignments finished on time. This list goes on…  Just for a moment, think of how many times our flesh has rebelled against exercise or a diet that we have imposed on ourselves. There is no doubt about it — the human will and the flesh are strong. These parts of us have a very difficult time surrendering control to someone else — and that includes the Holy Spirit!

 

As a youngster, I did not like to "Follow the Leader" but BE the leader.  I did not like being led by my sisters or brother, nor did I like being told what to do. I wanted to be in charge myself so I could call the shots as I saw them! Maybe that is how you have been feeling about your own life. However, as a child of God, you have to learn to stay in your place — behind the Holy Spirit, following His lead.

 

Maybe the scripture could be best said this way:

Following the leadership of the Holy Spirit is one of our privileges of being a child of God, although it might aggravate us to learn how to defer to Him and to really let Him be our Leader.

 

If we want to learn to live a Spirit-led life, there is no getting around it — we have to deal with our fleshly need to be top dog. The flesh wants control, so we must mortify or kill that animal and allow the Holy Spirit to have His way. The struggle may seem great, but it is the only way to live a supernatural Christian life!  Moreover, the benefits are eternal!

 

Make it your goal to learn how to discern the Holy Spirit's leading. Become His constant "shadow," watching to see what He is doing, where He is going, and how He is leading. Stay sensitive to Him so you can pick up His "nudge" in your heart. Then once you know what He wants you to do, just fall in step behind Him and "follow the Leader"!

 

 

 


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