As the Spirit moves us…

Have you ever used or heard the phrase “as the spirit moves me”? An AI generated definition says “as the spirit moves me” is a common idiom that means “when one feels like it” or “when the time is right.” It suggests acting on a feeling or impulse, rather than following a strict plan or schedule. It can also be used in a religious context, referring to the influence or prompting of the Holy Spirit. 

Those are two totally different things. On the one hand, I’m moved by what I think is right. On the other hand, I’ve surrendered to the leading of the Holy Spirit. 

In Acts chapters 10 and 11 we hear the account of Peter going to share the Good News with the Gentile Cornelius. It begins with Peter receiving a vision from God of a sheet filled with ceremonially unclean animals which Peter is told to eat. He refuses. The Lord told him not to call anything impure that God has made clean. In particular, the Lord was teaching him the importance of sharing the saving Gospel with those he otherwise might have hesitated interacting with. When messengers from Cornelius came to Peter, he went with them. When some heard how Peter had gone to the Gentiles, they reprimanded him. But after sharing how the Holy Spirit came upon the Gentiles, Peter had this simple reply: “Who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” 

When one surrenders to the leading of the Holy Spirit, He may move one to do something he or she might not otherwise do. The Spirit has a way of leading God’s people to see creative possibilities – possible ways to share the Good News through which the Holy Spirit brings people to faith and creates new life in Christ.