NT Fire Starters – Day 191: Acts 21:1-16

READ: Acts 21:1-16

THINK: A lot of people will give you a lot of advice about a lot of things. Sometimes this is helpful. Often it’s confusing. Some advisors are sincerely trying to help. Others just want to put in their two cents. But regardless of what you hear and from whom, there’s always one source of sure guidance and direction: God’s Word. No counsel that is truly from God will ever contradict what He’s already revealed in His Word . Even when God uses other people to speak into your life, it will only be to confirm what He shows you through personal time with Him in the Word.

RESPOND: Was the Holy Spirit trying to direct Paul away from Jerusalem? Why or why not? (See 21:4 note.) Why was Paul willing to continue on to Jerusalem, despite the risk? Was Agabus trying to discourage Paul from going on to the city? Why or why not? (See 21:10 note.) What is the first place you should look for God’s guidance? How will God sometimes use prophecy in relation to His Word? (See 21:10 note.) How should the views and advice of the majority of your well-meaning Christian friends affect your decisions in regard to following God’s plans? How can you best determine God’s will (i.e., His desires, plans and intentions based on His character and purposes) for your life in any given situation? (See 21:14 note; see article on The Will of God, p. 946.)

PRAY: Pray that you never turn from God’s plans, regardless of who or how many try to dissuade you. Ask God to always draw you to His Word as your source of guidance and to help you understand how it applies in every situation.

ACT: If you’ve backed away from anything you know God wants you to do because you’ve feared the difficulty you’ll likely encounter, ask God for strength. Then face the challenge and begin boldly pursuing God’s plan. If you’re facing a significant decision, take extra time today to search God’s Word for insight regarding the choice you need to make. It may help to use the Subject Index beginning on p. 1955, or the Concordance beginning on p. 1979. You could also search the article index on p. 9 at the front of your Fire Bible.