And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possesed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: (17) The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. (18) And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. ~ Acts 16:16-18 KJV
Have you ever had that “feeling” inside you that something wasn’t right but you just couldn’t put your finger on it? More than likely you have. Someone who loves you very much lives inside you and tries to help you or point things out to you that might not be good. In this particular passage Paul had that “gut” feeling so to speak. He heard the right words coming from the lady but something didn’t feel right in his spirit. This went on for a few days while he was ministering the Gospel in this town. The lady was associating herself with Paul and the other ministers so it would seem like she was with them when eventually they would leave town.
The gift of the Holy Spirit which was operating in this particular scenario is the gift of discernment. Paul discerned that she had a spirit in her that was not of God and he cast it out of her that very instant. This is one of the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit we receive when we are baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit. The 9 gifts are found in Chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians.
When you do not have peace about something you need to listen to your heart. One of the many blessings we have is his protection. He wants to protect us from any harm. If you don’t have peace about a decision you need to make or about something you need to do, come back to it later. If you keep getting the same feeling not to do it you should probably listen. The Holy Spirit guides us with His insight and we can avoid much heartache if we pay attention. If you have peace follow it. If you have fear but you still feel good about it follow it too. We have fear of the unknown but once you step out with the Lord’s leading you will find that you can trust the peace in your heart even if it is scary.
