Lesson 101 – When the Spirit Confronts

2 Chronicles 15:1-3

"Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the Son of Oded. And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: 'Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you, while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law."

    There's lot's going on in this account, and much all of it has to do with the Spirit's touch as a means of confrontation.

    Of course, most people shun confrontation. We talk a good talk, but when it comes to standing face to face with another when confrontation is called for, we often bow to our fears and simply keep our opinions to ourselves.

    While this may be our nature, it is not so with God. His righteousness demands confrontation, and the Spirit is his instrument of confrontation.

    Here, the Spirit confronts Azariah. Simply put, God tells Azariah to take it upon himself to become the teaching priest of the land and to bring the truth of the law to King Asa. Talk about a tough assignment! Go to the man who could imprison you for life, or cut off your heard, and tell him his leadership style needs to change. But that's what the Spirit does. He tells Azariah to be the man. Step up to the plate. Do what is right. Take a stand by confronting King Asa.

    God still confronts believers today, telling us to shun fear and take a stand for truth and godliness.

    Prayer empowers the Spirit to act, and often times, he chooses to act by confronting our hearts. God takes the coward and makes him an instrument for sounding forth his word.

    There have definitely been times in my life I only took action because the Spirit first confronted my heart. I must confess, I only moved forwarded because I knew the confrontation was of God.

    So there you have it. The Spirit confronts the heart of every believer, in directing us from sin or directing the paths of our lives or even others.

LORD JESUS

Lord, I thank you for your clear leading as the God who confronts his people to action. May we remain open to your leading and willing to be your instrument of righteousness for your kingdom's sake. Amen.