The Nudge

Have you ever felt a nudge in your heart to talk with someone or pray for them?

Have you ever heard a whisper that you should check on a situation and then found out it was a good thing that you investigated?

Have you ever been praying for wisdom and then had a gentle prod from within about the direction you should take?

You might call it a prompting, a leading, or a whisper; but it is clearly more than your intuition. It is the voice of the Holy Spirit inviting you to join Him in his work in your life and in others.

It's the voice - the nudge - of the Holy Spirit inviting you to join His work.

Detecting the nudge and cultivating an ear for the voice of the Holy Spirit is one of the most important habits you can learn. The Holy Spirit has been given to us to provide in-the-moment guidance. Welcome him into your life and learn to discern his movement so you can abandon yourself to it.

My "Great" Intuition

When I was younger, I was always worried about what was the nudge from the Holy Spirit and what was my own intuition. My husband always raved about my great “womanly” intuition; and he was right. My radar was very acute, and I could sense situations ahead of time and make accurate decisions. My “gut instinct” was usually right.

I didn’t want my own wisdom, though, I wanted Gods. I knew his wisdom was far above mine. I wanted to clearly hear his voice and then speak, move, and make decisions from his leading.

As I was meditating on this one day, I heard a whisper. I sensed that instead of giving all the credit to myself when my “great” intuition saved the day, I should give all the credit to the nudge of the Holy Spirit who was leading and guiding me 24/7.

So, I did just that.

I gave all the glory and thanks to God every time I was able to speak life and wisdom into situations at home, work, and other places. I gave the credit to God's leading when I made good decisions.

I found out that every time Scott called it my intuition, or I applauded my own mysterious instinct – it was really the nudge of the Holy Spirit. He was continually speaking to me, leading me, helping me make decisions, giving me wisdom, comforting me, correcting me, and an endless list of how the Holy Spirit works in my life.

I still give him all the credit.

Now that doesn’t mean that every nudge is from God. We are all given brilliant minds from God’s design that work out of facts, feelings, and imaginations. Sometimes that prod came right from your own thinking and it might not necessarily be true or godly.

The devil also tries to get into our life with his elbow and jab us toward a certain direction and decision.

So how do we tell the difference between our own thinking, the enemy’s trickery, or the nudge of the Holy Spirit?

Discerning the Difference

This is not an exhaustive list for discernment, but a few simple tools to use as your litmus test.

• Prayer. Start off each morning inviting the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you. Trust in God more than leaning into your own understanding.

Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make.Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go. Proverbs 3:5-6 TPT

In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will “nudge” you forward.

• Be Alert. Be aware that the enemy wants to wolf you up. Remember, his prodding claws do not bring peace to your spirit.

Be well balanced and always alert, because your enemy, the devil, roams around incessantly, like a roaring lion looking for its prey to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 TPT

• Authority. What does the Bible say? Is there anything in Scripture that would prohibit what you are sensing? Is this nudge consistent with the Word of God? The Holy Spirit’s nudge will NEVER contradict the Bible.

• Providential. Does the door open, or do you have to knock it down? When it is the nudge from Holy Spirit there is an open path before you.

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Psalm 37:23 NLT

• Peace. What do you honestly feel in your heart of hearts? When we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit it brings the deepest sense of life, inner peace, and freedom. There may be a hesitancy to obey the nudge because of fear, but you need to step out of fear and into faith.

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:5-6 NLT

• Confirmation. Along with the nudge of the Holy Spirit, there is confirmation through the Word of God, Godly counsel from others, and an inner calm that settles in you.

 Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts. Colossians 3:15

24/7

God is always at work in your life – 24/7 - even when it doesn’t look or feel like it. He is doing far more than your eye can see. It is your job to trust him, pay attention, and walk in obedience.

I pray, dear friend, that you would develop the habit of seeking the movement of the Holy Spirit in every moment, every hour, and every day. May your ears be attentive and recognize his work around you. His nudges will direct you, lead you to healing, freedom, and growth, give you wisdom and discernment, and guide you to help others.