OnStar

“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…” (John 16.13, NIV)

A little over a year ago I had my first experience with a GPS device. I was in California and my cousin leant me his Garmin while Cindy and I spent a couple of days on the coast. Ms. Garmin stayed on the windshield and navigated us with gentle words. “In point 3 miles turn left.” With each following of her promptings we had confidence that we were a little closer to our destination. Finally, we arrived at the inn we had reserved, overlooking the coast. The beautiful thing about this trip was that I was able to relax the whole time.

When it comes to navigating through this life we need help! There are many road hazards–pits we can fall into, detours that take us off course, and falling rocks that strike us. We can be traveling a road that we think is true only to find that it is a deadend. We need someone onboard to help us stay clear of these hazards and get us safely to our destination. Jesus has given us the Spirit of truth for just this purpose. He is our onboard guide. He does not speak on His own, but He only speaks what He hears from the Father and the Son. How we need to learn to listen to His voice!

Our problem is that we are so easily deceived!

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14.12, NIV)

If we follow our hearts we are destined for disappointment. Why? Because the heart is a lousy guide.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17.9, NKJV)

Following the heart is like asking directions from a drunken foreigner. It has neither the knowledge nor the ability to instruct us. But when we learn to listen to the indwelling Spirit, who is our direct link to heaven, then we have a true Guide who is all-knowing and omnipotent. He uses both conscience and the Word to steer us clear of hazards until we arrive safely to the beautiful and spacious place that God has chosen for us.

Tomorrow we’ll look more closely at how we listen to this Guide…