Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Freedom

Have you ever had those moments when the Holy Spirit whispers in your ear to do something, but you don't want to do it? It's like God wants to put you in the most awkward positions to get you do what He has asked of you. As a Christian, I try hard to allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide me. He is definitely no man made GPS, for He is accurate 100% of the time. He knows the entire situations of not just me, but my surroundings. As a human, I gauge things according to my feelings, my situations, and follow accordingly, but God wants us to view things from others perspectives, not just our own.

On the flip side...have you ever felt alone. I mean...alone, yet you are surrounded by people? Even if the people truly care about you, you can face this loneliness that only you understand. Maybe you are the type of person who doesn't know how to reach out to others. It takes alot of courage to open your mouth and speak those few words, "Please help me." It makes you feel vulnerable, exposed, and you feel like once you say them, people will view you differently and in the end you feel even more alone.

I was recently in a restaurant with people I know well. Despite knowing them well, I knew that one person in particular struggles with anxiety and depression. This person represents the loneliness that one can feel in a crowded room. This person is overwhelmed by crowds, struggling with her own personal needs, and consumed by what the week had brought before her. Despite surrounded by an entire room of people, some of whom love her, you can tell she always feels alone. At times she blurts out how she feels and at other times she pushes her feelings deep, deep down.

Sensing how her week had been going, I began to ask questions and figured out some of the issues that plagued her this past week. The Holy Spirit nudged me to pray with her. Pray with her? That's the easy part, but praying with her in a crowded restaurant, surrounded by people looking, awkwardly asking if I could pray for her, and wondering her reaction was the hard part! As we were leaving, I walked over, put my arm around her and asked if I could pray for her. She said, yes, and I quietly pulled her aside, prayed for her, left a scripture that God had for her, and we went our separate ways. For me, despite it being awkward, it was something I knew that God wanted me to do. I put aside my feelings, put aside her feelings, and put God's wants first. Sure, it was probably extremely awkward for her as well. Yet, I know that sometimes when people can't physically speak and ask for help, that God sees their heart, hears their cries, and knows what's best for them.

I am not a hero. I am nobody. I am just a person that God placed there to speak His life into another. He orchestrates our lives, places us in situations, and stretches us to further His work. What is the Holy Spirit nudging you to do today? Will it completely pull you out of your comfort zone? Will it create awkward moments? Will you refuse? If I had refused, I could not have ministered to a hurting person at a time when she needed God most. I want to encourage you all today to listen to what God is telling you. That little nudge in your spirit...that's the Holy Spirit, asking you to be there for another...asking you to step outside of your comfort zone to comfort another, giving them freedom. The verse for you today is "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Corinthians 3:17.