A New Day

By: Pastor Johnie Akers     

Romans 8:14, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God.” The story is told of a country preacher who, many years ago, was driving through the mountains of Eastern Kentucky on a narrow road. He said he felt that the Lord told him to stop his car, get out and preach. He didn’t see anyone around, and at first was a little skeptical—but he did what he had been told to do by the Lord and he preached the Gospel to the trees and forest creatures. Some weeks later he was stopped by a man on the street. This man was a resident moonshiner. He told the preacher that on that afternoon he had seen the preacher’s car coming down the road and that he had hidden in a ditch to avoid being witnessed to. The very spot where he was lying was the place the preacher stopped his car. As the moonshiner lay in that ditch, the Holy Spirit used the sermon by the preacher to bring the man to repent and change his life. Like the preacher, we may, at times, become a bit skeptical as to the leading of the Lord, throughout our day to day activities. But how often, does God attempt to break through the hustle and bustle of our busy days to attempt to get us to be obedient in a direction that He has sovereignly planned to impact someone’s life. You see, God knew where the moonshiner was—not only in the ditch, but at a point in his life where he needed to make a change. In the preacher, God found an obedient vessel, who was willing to even appear foolish, in preaching a sermon to trees and forest animals, to obey the voice of the Spirit of God. God’s voice to you today may not direct you to some profound act such as preaching to the woods, but I believe if we are sensitive enough to His direction, there are hurting lives and hungry souls that God desires to lead us into their paths to become a light as they traverse through dark circumstances, and to bring them hope, through a way of a myriad of uncertainties. Be sensitive to His voice and leading today, it could change your life and without a doubt, change someone else’s, by bringing them to the dawning of a hope-filled new day.