Well...if that's what the Spirit says....

What if Paul had paid attention to the words of trouble in Jerusalem in Acts 21? What if he acknowledged the Spirit speaking through these disciples and prophets and decided not to go? We could see that maybe many other churches would have been started by Paul and many other prominent leaders would have come to know Christ through the words which Paul would have spoken to them. Paul's followers would have grown more in knowledge and action, as well as learned more from their great teacher.

Or, what if Paul had taken their word and not gone, would he be deny what the Spirit might be saying to him? That statement is a stretch beyond means, but Paul obviously knew that going to Jerusalem was not the wisest choice ever. He knew from the Spirit that if he went he would face trouble and maybe even death. Would Paul be escaping from what the Spirit was wanting him to do? The entire idea of why Paul went rest on his words that he was ready for what was about to come to him. He knew that the time was at hand for him to face death and Jerusalem was the way to get there. This is the never ending battle of "what if?" that stems from making one decision over another.