A few weeks ago I was walking out the door to go to work. To my surprise there was a bird hovering around the doorway just under the ledge. This was strange since it had never happened before. My first thought was that the bird had started a nest somewhere close to the door. However, when I walked out I realized that the actions of the bird drew my attention to our porchlight. And what do you know there was the meager beginnings of a wasp nest taking shape. I went back in the house and retrieved the wasp spray and quickly disposed of the wasp and its home. Very odd situation. Was the bird trying to warn me? Or was it something c0mpletely unrelated going on that just happened to result in me discovering the wasp nest. I don't really know and won't speculate. I am just thankful that I was able to remove the nest. We have had difficulties with wasps these past few years. I guess I could have ignored the bird and went about my business. Most likely I would have eventually seen the nest and took care of it. But, would I have been stung before that happened? Who knows? Strange as it may seem this little episode is a good illustration of how the Holy Spirit works in the life of believers.
The Holy Spirit indwells a believer, it guides us, it teaches us the meaning of God's Word and produces fruit in us. Many Christians believe that the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. I, however, do not agree with this. If the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin then there must be restitution for that sin. And we know that Jesus Christ took away our sins for eternity and that now there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Instead of conviction for sin the Holy Spirit leads a believer back in to the truth of who they are in Christ. As children of God we are constantly reminded by the Holy Spirit that we are sinless in the eyes of God. That doesn't mean that we stop sinning, but that we are clean in God's eyes through faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible says that it is the grace of God that "teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age (Titus 2:12)." Conviction of sin is something that occurs after the fact. It is a recognition of our guilt and if we are guilty there must be a penalty. However, the Holy Spirit as it teaches us who we are, we in turn avoid sin because we realize that by engaging in it we are not acting in accordance with who we are in Christ. And, if we do sin we know that the death of Christ paid the penalty for that sin and there is no penalty for us to take.
In my example of the bird and the wasp nest, the bird can represent the Holy Spirit and the wasp represents sin. The bird warned me of the wasp nest and the potential danger it presented. I responded to the direction the bird was giving and I was able to avoid any consequences of interacting with the wasps. If I had ignored the bird I may have been stung and suffered the pain that goes along with it. And that is how it is as we live the Christian life. We spend our life learning to trust the Holy Spirit and its leading. The first place we have to start in this process is believing and understanding that our sins no longer separate us from God. If we think that our sins still come between us and God, by breaking fellowship with Him or causing the loss of our salvation, we will never be comfortable enough to trust God. Since we have the Holy Spirit lighting our path through life we have a better ability to discern sin prior to falling into. Therefore, we have the choice to avoid it or engage in it. Regardless, we can't lose. We either avoid the sin and its consequences or we have the forgiveness of God that allows us to go to Him, in confidence and faith, to learn why it was we chose sin instead of responding to Him. I have first hand experience in this area.
A friend of mine recently asked how do we know when God is speaking to us? My answer was that we know that God is speaking to us when the answer to our prayers is something we never would have thought of on our own. For example, when I first got saved I still struggled with alcohol dependency and the sins that are a byproduct of it. I asked God to help me stop. I had tried going cold turkey and drinking non-alcoholic beverages. Nothing worked. I always "fell off the wagon." Then one night, frustrated and in tears, God spoke. He simply spoke to my spirit by saying, "stop hanging out with your friends." As simple as it seemed, it was something I never thought about. If I wanted to stop my behavior I needed to avoid the environments and the people who engaged in the activity I was trying to stop doing. It was not easy, and I don't say this as an indictment on my friends, but it is what happened. My behavior was not consistent with my identity as a child of God. The flesh is weak and I needed to stop tempting it. In other words, I needed to pay attention to the "birdy," the Holy Spirit, and avoid sin rather than reacting after I got stung by the "wasp" through engaging in sin. This is a lifelong process. And as we grow we will begin to recognize the guidance of the Spirit in our lives. We will never stop sinning, but in the midst of them we learn to trust God and understand the inheritance we have in Christ.
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