“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.” - Psalm 81:11-12

One of the many reasons we do not realize our full potentials is as a result of our inability to follow the right path to fulfillment. While some paths are straight, smooth and leading to a final positive destination, others are curved, rough and leading to nowhere in particular? It is true that somehow, the road to success can be rough and full of hurdles, yet, it gets to a point when every bend straightens out and you could actually see a scintilla golden ray of hope, signaling the end of trauma and pains. Yes, I have won! You tell yourself with excitement. This is a perfect example of the life of a true Christian, aspiring to become great, by listening to God’s advice, and through obedience to His word, allows the Holy Spirit to take the lead at all times. At some other times however, the reverse is the case. Why, you may ask? It happens when we deliberately refuse to listen to God through the Holy Spirit. Instead, we do what we think is right in our poor judgment. Although, such persons seem to pray, they are actually not praying, because they do not allow the spirit to take the lead. This is because their minds are already fixed on what they think is the solution to their problems, and so they tailor their prayers along what they perceived is the solution to their problem. This is very wrong for in true worship and prayer, we simply allow the Holy Spirit to take the lead step by step, across the spiritual realms, where the problems are located, and then, we are given power to overcome. When we allow the Holy Spirit to take the lead, He instructs us wisely, and we are consequently empowered to solve our problems in the course of time.

In today’s scripture, the psalmist may be referring to a number of times in Israel’s history when they had not listened to the prophets of God, especially when they were in the wilderness; at a point, the King also did not listen to God, and these series of disobedience eventually ended in Israel’s destruction and captivity. This same scripture applies to us today! The Israelites were so sure of themselves that God gave them up to their own counsel. We know that the wisdom of man is foolishness to God (1st Cor 3:19). The word of God tells us today to listen to good counsel, but be obedient to the lead of the Holy Spirit. How do you know if you are taking the right counsel as led by the Holy Spirit? When the Holy Spirit takes the lead, He gives us power to fulfill His dictates or instructions. The dictates of the Holy Spirit are usually very simple to fulfill and they solve our problems in no too long a time. When we act on our poor judgment instead, things usually get complicated and are not solved at all. From today, resign to God, through the Holy Spirit. Let Him take the lead at all times; problems become easily solved when the Holy Spirit is in control. Remember, the voice of God comes to us through the Holy Spirit!