The Bottom Line, Ministries Christian News, Articles, & Poetry 
As I was writing my final article in my series on the fruits of the Holy Spirit, I was dealing with a medical situation. It was not something that required immediate emergency care, but I wanted to see my doctor as soon as possible and he was booked up for almost two weeks. I didn’t want to wait that long. I prayed that someone would not need to go to the doctor so there would be an opening. This was on a Friday. Soon after that a thought entered my mind from seemingly nowhere: Monday at 9:am. That thought kept coming back. I called the clinic at 7:30 am on Monday and asked if there were any cancellations. Sure enough, there was an opening at 9 am! I was spiritually blown away to think that God not only answered my prayer, but spoke to me through His Holy Spirit before it happened. I had never experienced anything like this in all my years of being a Christian.
In these difficult times of uncertainty we need to hear the “voice” of the Holy Spirit more than ever. We don’t know from day to day what will suddenly happen on the world stage of current events. We don’t know if we will all at once find ourselves lacking a much needed basic commodity due to the supply chain fiasco. Let the words of Isaiah 33:6 be your promise and comfort: “God shall be the stability of your times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge…” Then be open to the Holy Spirit, free of noise and distraction, to “hear” his wisdom and knowledge.
Nothing in the world or in our lives catches God by surprise. He knows what will happen today, tomorrow, next month, and a year from now. People need to be prepared for the hard times ahead as much as humanly possible, but at the same time Christians need to be in tune with the “voice” of the indwelling Holy Spirit. He just might give us a “heads up” by putting a thought into our minds about something we need to know or do to help prepare us ahead of time for anything that will happen. John 16:13 drives home the point that whatever the Spirit hears, “he will speak, and He will disclose to you what is to come.”
