When you see a set of traffic lights, you know that each color has a different meaning. Red means stop. Amber means prepare to stop short of the intersection (and not “speed to beat the red light”, contrary to what some drivers think…). And green means go.

The thing is that traffic lights are just that — lights. They’re not physical barriers that block cars or engines that push them through. They’re just signals to your brain that you should act a certain way. If red is on and you still want to drive through the intersection, you can. The red light won’t stop you. But chances are you’re going to crash…

In the same way, the Holy Spirit may be within you, but He won’t force you to do anything. Part of His work is to signal to you that you need to act in a certain way. He may light up a red light if you’re about to do something bad. He will put you on amber alert when a certain action may not be a good idea. And He will flash a bright green light when He wants you to take action and go ahead with something you want to do.

But He will never impede you from doing what you want to do, even if that means it will ruin your life. And He’ll never force you to do what you have to do, even if your inaction means you’ll miss a big opportunity.