Fences Keep You In As Much As Out
Today's Scripture
Acts 19:2-3 (NASB95)
He said to them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' And they said to him, 'No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.' And he said, 'Into what then were you baptized?' And they said, 'Into John's baptism.'
Cowboy Wisdom
A fence on a ranch serves a purpose — it keeps livestock where they belong and protects them from wandering into danger. But there's another kind of fence that nobody builds on purpose, and it's the most confining kind there is: the fence of not knowing. When a man doesn't know something, his world shrinks to the size of what he's familiar with. He can't go where the trail leads if he doesn't know the trail exists. Those disciples in Ephesus weren't bad people — they were simply fenced in by what they hadn't yet been taught.
Paul recognized it the moment he arrived. He could tell something was missing. There was no Holy Spirit working through them in the way a fully equipped believer ought to operate. So he asked a diagnostic question: 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' Their answer revealed everything. They didn't even know the Holy Spirit existed. They were sincere followers, but they were living in a small pasture when God had wide-open country waiting for them. That's exactly what spiritual ignorance does — it confines. It limits. It keeps you from being the witness and servant God designed you to be.
The Holy Spirit is not a luxury feature of the Christian life — He is the essential power source. Jesus told His disciples plainly in Acts 1:8 that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Without Him, they were not ready to go anywhere or do anything of eternal significance. The same is true today. God's plan for every believer includes the fullness of the Spirit, teaching us all things, calling to remembrance the words of Christ, and equipping us to serve. Don't live fenced in by what you haven't yet received. Seek the fullness God has for you.
Questions for Reflection
In what areas of your spiritual life do you feel 'fenced in' or limited? Could ignorance of God's Word be contributing to that limitation?
Have you ever experienced the Holy Spirit working through you in a way that clearly exceeded your own ability or understanding? What was that like?
What practical steps can you take this week to move from a smaller understanding of God toward the wide-open country He has for you?
Prayer Focus
Holy Spirit, I don't want to live in a small pasture when You have wide-open country prepared for me. Tear down every fence of ignorance and unbelief in my life. Fill me with Your power and Your presence. Teach me all things, just as Jesus promised You would. I surrender every limitation to You today, and I ask You to make me everything You created me to be. In Jesus' name, Amen.
