The Presence Of GodSample

Discerning a "Holy Nudge"

The sense of God’s presence can be manifested in a “holy nudge.” A nudge may come from without—like a gentle prod from an elbow, or from within—when a sense of duty comes into your heart.

But is a “nudge” always holy? There have been a good number of times I have for certain felt a “holy nudge” that turned out to be from the Lord. But there have also been times when I have felt a strong nudge to do something that proved to be of the flesh, not the Holy Spirit.

We must be able to differentiate between what we want or hope to be true from what the Spirit is truly saying. The Spirit may be speaking clearly, but if our minds are made up, we may well miss what He is saying.

Getting to the truth requires that we are impartial, neutral, evenhanded, and detached from our ego. It may mean asking for and accepting critical input from others. It means we must be willing to be seen as wrong. That is so humbling.

Question: Do you want the presence of the Lord so much that you are willing to admit when you get things wrong? How important is the true presence of the Lord to you?