The time is arriving for Pontius Pilate to make a decision regarding the fate of Jesus. As he sits down on his judgment seat to consider the options, he receives a note from his wife, warning him to distance himself from this situation:

“Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.” (Matthew 27:19)

In essence, God is warning Pilate through his wife’s dream to not allow himself to be pulled into passing judgment against Jesus. Of course, God knows that Jesus is going to be crucified no matter what happens, but He is giving Pilate the opportunity to not be the one who makes it happen.

Initially, Pilate tries to heed this warning as he attempts to dismiss the case against Jesus. He assembles the chief priests and rulers and tells them that he doesn’t see that any crime worthy of death has been committed, so he’s just going to tell Jesus to stop upsetting everybody and then he’ll let Him go. (See Luke 23:13-16).

However, the multitude that is gathered won’t let Pilate off the hook that easily, so he winds up going against God’s warning and he continues with the process that eventually leads to Jesus being condemned to be crucified.

Having the Holy Ghost within you, you’ve likely experienced occasions when God has warned you to not proceed with some type of action you were considering.

• Perhaps God’s warning kept you out of danger in some way. I have my own testimony of a time when God warned me when I was driving to not pull into an intersection in the path of a large truck that was approaching. Heeding this warning saved my life as my car then stalled in the intersection after the truck had passed.
• Perhaps God’s warning prevented you from making a decision that looked OK on the surface but later would have resulted in a very negative outcome. Examples of this can include being tempted to accept the wrong type of job for you or to marry the wrong type of person for you, etc.

How does God issue His warnings to us? In the case of Pilate’s wife, it was through a dream. In my case, when I was about to drive into the intersection, I heard a voice say, “No.” However, very often, God warns us about something by having the Holy Ghost “prompt” us, giving us a bad feeling about the option we are considering. If you experience any of these types of communications from God, it’s advisable to seriously consider whether God is trying to warn you to not take the action you are considering.

If you determine that you are receiving a warning from God, it’s up to you what you do next.

• You can heed God’s warning and alter your planned actions accordingly. When you do this, it’s possible that nothing dramatic will occur. You may never even realize the trouble you avoided. However, through faith, you can assume that God protected you from something significant and you can express your thankfulness to Him for doing that.
• Or you can avoid God’s warning and proceed with the actions that may correspond to your own personal preference. If you do this, you probably will find out what God was trying to warn you against, and you might well wind up wishing that you had listened to God’s warning.

If God goes to the “trouble” of warning you about something, the consequences must be something you don’t want to experience. When Pilate didn’t heed God’s warning, he wound up being the one to pronounce the crucifixion of Jesus. Do you really want to find out what will happen if you ignore God’s warning about something?