"But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you." 2 Corinthians 8:16
"And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon." Nehemiah 2:12
In this verse, Paul ascribes Titus' decision to come to the Corinthians as something put in his heart by God. But notice that it was primarily a desire in his heart, this, the apostle Paul described as earnest care. How we often miss the leading of the Holy Spirit because we usually do not associate such desires with God. There are many such desires that have passed through our hearts that we have overlooked not realizing that they are from God. In the Old Testament, we find the same thing in Nehemiah when God put it in his heart to go and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
The problem with many of us is that we are expecting to hear God in more dramatic ways, therefore, when He comes to us naturally, like in the desires that He inspires in our hearts, we miss Him. So you see, God spoke to you yesterday by way of a desire that He placed in your heart, but you let it pass by because it didn't come in the way and manner that you expect God to speak. Titus' going to Corinth was according to the apostle Paul, something that God put in his heart to do, and Nehemiah's perception of what God put in his heart to do at Jerusalem was an accurate representation of what God told him.
But consider what may have happened if they, like many of us, were waiting for a 'confirmation' before proceeding to Corinth and Jerusalem? The blessing that came to the church and Israel may have been delayed or even lost. Pastor Youngi Cho was once asked what was the secret of his success in ministry, and his simple answer was "I hear and obey." How true! If we can cultivate the same disposition towards the desires put in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, our walk of faith will be different.
Toni
"And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon." Nehemiah 2:12
In this verse, Paul ascribes Titus' decision to come to the Corinthians as something put in his heart by God. But notice that it was primarily a desire in his heart, this, the apostle Paul described as earnest care. How we often miss the leading of the Holy Spirit because we usually do not associate such desires with God. There are many such desires that have passed through our hearts that we have overlooked not realizing that they are from God. In the Old Testament, we find the same thing in Nehemiah when God put it in his heart to go and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
The problem with many of us is that we are expecting to hear God in more dramatic ways, therefore, when He comes to us naturally, like in the desires that He inspires in our hearts, we miss Him. So you see, God spoke to you yesterday by way of a desire that He placed in your heart, but you let it pass by because it didn't come in the way and manner that you expect God to speak. Titus' going to Corinth was according to the apostle Paul, something that God put in his heart to do, and Nehemiah's perception of what God put in his heart to do at Jerusalem was an accurate representation of what God told him.
But consider what may have happened if they, like many of us, were waiting for a 'confirmation' before proceeding to Corinth and Jerusalem? The blessing that came to the church and Israel may have been delayed or even lost. Pastor Youngi Cho was once asked what was the secret of his success in ministry, and his simple answer was "I hear and obey." How true! If we can cultivate the same disposition towards the desires put in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, our walk of faith will be different.
Toni
