Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:3

I grew up in a small Texas town of less than 2,000 people. My parents took me to church faithfully. I would like to say I listened attentively to the pastor’s every word. Truth be told, my best friend and I had other things vying for our attention. We would pass notes, play tic-tac-toe, and draw funny faces on the missionaries’ pictures on the back of the bulletin each week.

One Sunday we were sitting by each other which was the norm. We had entertained ourselves with silly activities during the sermon. At the end, we stood and sang the final hymn. This was the invitation time of the service when people were encouraged to join the church or make a decision to follow Jesus as Savior.

As I sang I felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do (not that the pastor hadn’t said it numerous times) but I knew God was getting my attention. My friend turned to me, saying, “I feel like I’m supposed to go down to the front.” She had been Holy Spirit nudged, too.

We walked to the front of the church and spoke with the pastor. Some months later, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit again while alone in a sleeping bag at my grandparents’ house. I invited Jesus into my heart and He has been with me since that night.

The Holy Spirit still points me to Jesus. He helps me understand the Bible (2 Corinthians 2:13,14). When I get off focus, the Holy Spirit redirects my thoughts to spiritual musings (Philippians 4:8). The Holy Spirit brings verses or songs to memory as I need them (John 14:26).

Holy Spirit, guide us to Jesus daily so we may proclaim anew, “Jesus is Lord!”

Terri