My dog Molly on the path I walk to work

Now, I do not claim to be an expert at this (following the Spirit’s voice), believe me I’m no Mother Teresa, but this I do know for certain:

Following the Spirit is simple, I’m not saying it is easy, but it is simple. It consists of knowing the Lord so intimately that you recognize God’s voice and then act on the Spirit’s nudges and prompts.

Following the Spirit is daring to believe that God abides within us, always guiding us into life and love and then trusting this truth enough to act on what our heart, our conscience or our soul urges or nags us to do.

This is a risky life. Heeding the nudges and the prompts the Spirit places on our heart could lead us down a path that we might not have chosen or that others might not have chosen for us. Most likely, it won’t be very efficient and it may take us off our predetermined course.

But, as the Gospels make clear, to go with the Spirit leads us to the people and activities that are most important to God.

Jesus came, not for the well, but for the sick; not for the rich, but the poor; not for the mighty, but for the lowly. As we follow his example the Spirit will guide us to the least and the lost, not the 99, but the one.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m no Mother Theresa, but I’d like to encourage us with a couple of things the Spirit has taught me that helps me in my desire to journey with the Spirit.

(part 4 will follow on my next post)