My son has had a fever for a couple of days now. Like most parents, our first thought was to grab some Motrin or Tylenol to bring it down. My next thought was, “What’s causing the fever?” Fever is a symptom that something else is going on. It’s the body’s defense mechanism to fight infections. It creates a hostile environment for infections to grow in and it triggers the body to produce more white blood cells that fight infections. Low grade fever is not the problem. It’s an indicator that something else is wrong.
If I treat the fever and not the real problem, I can prolong his sickness. I end up stopping the one thing that truly is fighting the infection. It makes me wonder what “fever” looks like in my spiritual life. What are the indicators that something is wrong in my life? When they show up, do I try to mask them or get rid of them without treating the root cause? Or do I dismiss them all together?
The Holy Spirit works In our lives as an indicator of when something is wrong. If I’m being tempted or in a bad situation, He starts going off like an alarm. Warning me that I’m in danger. When I’ve sinned, He indicates that I need to repent. In John 16, Jesus was introducing us to the Holy Spirit. In verse 8, He said, “When He comes, He will convict the world of its sin.” It’s up to each one of us to decide what to do with the indicators He gives us.
Sometimes we choose to dismiss them. We say, “I’m all right. I can handle this.” That’s when we refuse to listen to His indications that something is wrong. We figure we’ll let the situation run its course. What happens is we don’t get better, the situation gets worse and we get deeper into whatever it is than we intended. By ignoring the indications of the Holy Spirit, we pass on the cure.
We need to recognize the indicators and then respond to them. The Holy Spirit tells us when we’ve sinned and helps us to get back into a right relationship with God. Our response to His promptings should be repentance. Seek forgiveness from whatever it is and then treat the root cause of the sin. If we only treat sin at the surface level, we’ll relapse and fall back into it. Let the Holy Spirit do His work to create a hostile environment in you for sin and to eradicate the infection of it.
What are the indicators He gives you? How have you ignored them in the past? What do you need o do differently in the future when He prompts you? How we respond to the Holy Spirit determines our overall spiritual health. We need to respond quickly and do the things necessary to stay healthy spiritually. Don’t dismiss the indicators that God has given us to keep us healthy.
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 