Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
-Luke 18:1

Often times, in ministry, we may find ourselves helping another for no reason, other than as a result of a leading by the Holy Spirit. Have you ever experienced this? Maybe we have never talked to the person before. Maybe we didn't even know them at all. They could be anyone; the person driving our taxi, the barista making our iced mocha, the cop writing us a speeding ticket or the group of stockbrokers passing us on the street. We are beckoned by compassion and compelled into action. Being sensitive to the Spirit, perhaps we comply with zeal and focus. We do our very best to engage and determine our role in God's plan in the situation. That is, until we realize, all of a sudden, that we don't actually like the person all that much.

Perhaps it was something they said...a statement of political contrast to our own leanings or maybe it was their use of hard language that kept assaulting our ears. What did we do then? Did we continue on, in our anointed endeavor, despite our newfound hesitation? Did we push through our tendency to be offended and get on with the business of the Kingdom? Or did we refuse to help?

Here it is: A leading, by the Spirit, to help someone trumps any and all fleshly or prideful feelings we may have about that person's lifestyle, political ideas, music choice or whatever else we don't agree with. I am not saying that it is a good idea to knowingly place ourselves in danger, nor am I saying that we compromise our own values. But, I am saying that it is a good idea to let God determine who we help and how we do it. That means that we have to make an effort to stay connected to the Spirit, which means that we also have to make an effort to remain actively prayerful.

Keeping an open conversation with God throughout our day allows us to make course corrections in a moment's notice when we find ourselves in unfamiliar or uncomfortable territory. Ever the faithful leader, God takes us in directions that are, ultimately, the best for us, though we may find those destinations distasteful at the outset.

How many of us, ourselves, have been recipients of an obedient believer's merciful action? Did we deserve it? Looking back, before we believed, were we belligerent or purposely offensive toward them? What would we think, now, about how we were then? It's worth some thought.

The important point, here, is that we should make an effort to stay connected to God's leading, mapping his will to our actions, that we may never find ourselves allied with pride, in our effect on eternity.

Stay connected and aware in prayer. Don't give up and don't hang up. Longest call ever...and it's totally free.