To Go or Not To Go | Acts 21

In Acts 21, we encounter a profound question that resonates through every believer's journey: when God calls us forward, how do we discern between warnings meant to prepare us and those meant to stop us? Paul's determination to reach Jerusalem despite repeated warnings from the Spirit reveals a critical truth about faithful obedience. Three times he was warned of impending trouble—by disciples in Tyre, the prophet Agabus in Caesarea, and his own friends—yet Paul remained resolute. This wasn't stubborn disobedience; it was Spirit-led conviction. The disciples weren't wrong to warn him, but they were interpreting the Spirit's revelation through human concern, wanting to protect Paul from suffering rather than prepare him for it. This teaches us that God's will often includes difficulty, and trials aren't detours from His plan but pathways through it. When we shelter ourselves or others from every hardship, we might actually be preventing the very growth God intends. Paul's declaration—'I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus'—challenges us to examine our own readiness. Are we willing to push through sticky doors, or do we retreat at the first sign of friction? Faith requires action, and when we step out in obedience, we will have testimonies of God's faithfulness to share. The question isn't whether following God will be difficult—it will be—but whether we trust Him enough to walk through the difficulty toward His purposes.