Devotions

Auto-Correct

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

John 16:13-14 NIV

Your computer device thinks it is smarter than you. You know it does. So many times when I have sent a text message, after tapping “send,” I realize a word has been automatically changed to reflect what the computer thought was a better choice instead of keeping the original wording. It is so annoying when I have to go back and correct what was right the first go around but got auto-corrected.

Wouldn’t it be nice, however, if all of our spoken words and actions were auto-corrected by The Holy Spirit right on the spot? Wouldn’t it be great if we find ourselves heading for calamity, we could just freeze and not be able to move until we could reassess our situation and make changes accordingly? Well, while this idea is a little far-fetched, the concept does have some merit. Scripture reminds us that the Holy Spirit is our guide in and through this world and will “guide [us] into all truth” if we will allow Him.

One of my favorite Bible stories is of the time God used a donkey to speak literally to a false prophet. The whole episode is too lengthy to give to you in this writing, but I encourage you to read the story. You can find it in The Book of Numbers, chapter 22. Thinking about it even now makes me laugh out loud.

The gist is that God will use anything to help you and me do what is right because He loves us. He takes no pleasure in watching us stumble and fall but as in every other situation, God allows us the freedom to make choices even when our choices are not good ones. It has been my experience that if I watch and listen expectantly for The Holy Spirit’s guidance in every situation, right decisions, and choices become evident. It doesn’t mean I don’t still have the power to make a wrong choice but the consequences of my actions will not come as a surprise if I am honest. Hindsight, as the saying goes, is 20/20. By looking back, we can evaluate our circumstances and see where our judgement was faulty. Misjudgment will always lead us to God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Deliberate obstinance leads to sorrow and regret.

The next time you have an important decision to make and you are not sure what to do, STOP, LOOK, AND LISTEN for The Holy Spirit. He is our Auto-Correct, built-in, fully integrated App, “downloadable” and paid for in full by Jesus!

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