Likewise, some of my closest friends are members of the Messenger International team. We regularly discuss our intentions, challenges, and goals. I heavily rely on their expertise and friendship. I don’t know where I would be today without these amazing men and women. We are continually engaged with each other; without this ongoing fellowship, Messenger International’s mission to teach, reach, and rescue would not be possible.

It’s evident in Scripture that the apostles completely depended on their fellowship with the Holy Spirit. In Acts we read, “And now I [Paul] am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead” (Acts 20:22-23 NLT). Paul conversed with the Holy Spirit about what lay ahead of him. Notice the Holy Spirit didn’t tell him that jail and suffering awaited him in one city. Rather, because of his regular fellowship with the Spirit, Paul knew that hardship awaited him in city after city.

I don’t know about you, but if my partner—the one I am in close fellowship with—kept telling me that suffering awaited me everywhere I went, I would probably start questioning him. I would say things like, “Have you changed your mind?” or “Maybe this can be altered just a little bit,” or “How about some minor inconveniences instead of suffering?” The Holy Spirit wasn’t rejoicing in Paul’s suffering but rather preparing Paul for what lay ahead, and He could do this because they were in close fellowship.

There have been times when the Holy Spirit has told me things I did not want to hear. I kept asking Him about these things (hoping for a different response), but I received the same message day after day. When we interact with the Spirit in this way, He eventually gets quiet. It’s as if He is saying, “I have already made this abundantly clear to you; now you choose whether you are going to accept My direction.” Being in close fellowship with the Holy Spirit means there will be times when He tells you things you simply don’t want to hear.

In Acts 10 we find an account of Peter receiving this type of direction from the Holy Spirit. God gave Peter a vision that revealed God’s willingness to extend salvation to the Gentiles. In verse 19, we read, “While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Behold, three men are seeking you.’” These men were coming to escort Peter to the home of a Gentile centurion—a place that Peter, as a devout Jewish man, would never have ordinarily gone. Therefore the Holy Spirit clearly told him, “Hey, you have some visitors down there, and I want you to go with them. I need you on this assignment.” The Holy Spirit knew that Peter would not be overjoyed about this directive, but He gave the command without offering any further explanation.