Most of us have found ourselves at one time or another as a passenger in a car with a driver who doesn’t drive the way we think he should. We find ourselves pushing our feet against the floor as though there are invisible brakes and gripping the arm rest as if we were hanging on tight to the steering wheel. We may even lean our bodies in the direction that we think the driver should go. Who’s driving; the person sitting in the driver’s seat or the one in the passenger’s seat? It can be pretty scary when we’re no longer in control.
Up until the time we receive Christ, we controlled our own life; coming and going as we pleased, doing whatever we wanted to do. Whatever felt good we did, whether sinful or not, we pursued our own desires. When we become born again believers, something truly miraculous happened to our inner being. Not only did we become a new creature (inside), but we belonged to God; we became His children. Like earthly children, we need to be obedient to our Father. In other words, allow Him to have control over our life.
In Romans 8:5-9 (NIV) we read, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. The sinful mind is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.” Also, in verse 14, we see that, “those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
Allowing the Holy Spirit of God to control our life probably won’t happen instantly, but will take place progressively. At times we may allow God’s Spirit to lead us, and at other times, slip back into our old pattern of doing what we want and when we want. After all, no one in today’s fast paced living wants to wait. However, if we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit, being obedient to God, we begin to experience a greater degree of peace and freedom in our Christian walk. In Galatians 5:18, we find what that freedom is; “.. if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” We do not have to feel driven to serve God because of the Ten Commandments, but are free from the bondage of the law. Serving God in whatever circumstances we are in will become a natural and holy way of living. That is the freedom of being controlled by the Spirit. Doing what is right will give us perfect peace.
When Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, was physically on the earth, the Bible tells us that He put himself under the control of God’s Spirit. “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan
It may seem scary to give up control and just be the passenger, but as time goes by, it becomes easier and we can experience the joy of being in the will of God. Like a passenger riding in a car we can also fight giving up control. We can try putting the brakes on, or steering in the direction that we want to go. However, if we do that we probably won’t enjoy the ride.
Lets ask ourselves today, “Who’s Driving , Anyway?”. Are we being led, or are we going through life trying to put on the brakes against God’s will for us, and trying to steer in another direction than the one God wants to lead us in? Reflect on this and ask our heavenly Father to “lead us in paths of righteousness”,
(Psalm 23:3) With the Bible for a road map and the Spirit of God as the driver, we can be assured we will arrive safely at our destination.
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