Acts 16:6-7
And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.
We often hear people say or catch ourselves saying, “What is the Holy Spirit?” We would be closer to answering our own question by asking, “Who is the Holy Spirit?” This is because the Holy Spirit is not a power we can harness but HE is God the Holy Spirit, emanating from God the Father and God the Son. HE is the helper that Jesus sent for us after his ascension. So now the question becomes, “What does HE do?” In this case, Paul, Silas, and a new team member, Timothy, were on Paul’s second journey in Asia Minor; modern day Turkey. Here is the first mention in Acts of Galatia. God, the Holy Spirit prevented the three from ministering in Asia and Bithynia.
At first glance, this seems to be a strange way for God to help us in the Great Commission, preventing the gospel from going to these places. It is not that at all. Paul, Silas, and Timothy were meant to be elsewhere doing his will and the Holy Spirit communicated that. And no, we do not know how it was communicated. We are led by the Spirit into places and prevented by the Spirit from others. The way to discern this is with much prayer, asking God what he wants and where to go, and by reading the word of God so that, when we feel called to do something, it squares with Scripture. Today, pray to God, read his word and..
Let the Spirit move you.