The Holy Spirit is the channel through which the believer hears God speak. When a person becomes a Christian by asking Jesus Christ to become their Lord and Savior, they are given the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide, comfort, and empower them (Acts 2:38; 5:32). The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Divine Trinity and clearly is the power and inspiration of the new covenant (Matthew 28:19). When a believer ties into the whispers and promptings of the Holy Spirit, their life changes dramatically -- after all, they are accessing the knowledge of the future and overwhelming power of God Almighty Himself!
We saw from the first devotion in this series that you need to tune into His frequency if you are to get the wisdom you need (click here to read Tune into God's Frequency). Once we do tune in, how do we know what the Holy Spirit will sound like or what He will say?
First, know that God, the Holy Spirit, does not shout in the streets but instead whispers into your soul (1 Kings 19:11-13). Second, know that the Holy Spirit only speaks from the truth of His Word and within the boundaries of it (1 John 2:27). If what you think you hear violates God's Word, then it is not the Holy Spirit speaking. You can be sure of that.
The early church used to train new believers to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit by having them memorize four different Scriptures that God authored. I'm giving you these lists, which are in a sense categories of what types of things He communicates about. These are the areas where He will prompt you to move toward. The four sections of Scripture that help us hear God speak are:
The Holy Spirit aims at producing in your life new behaviors and new attitudes, and eliminating old destructive behaviors. It is the Holy Spirit that prompts you to do strange things like being kind in the face of rudeness. It is the Holy Spirit whispering that you should be teachable when you clearly know more than the person who is talking. It is the Spirit of Christ that is communicating to your spirit to turn away from lust and temptation even when it looks like nobody will know. It is the Holy Spirit that is making that odd request deep in your conscious mind to trust God -- that virtue will eventually win the day even though it looks like the cheats, losers, and drunks are having all the fun.
Yes, the Holy Spirit is not restricted to these lists of qualities, attitudes, boundaries, and ideas, but this is where He always starts. He wants your life to be a life that is consistently God-honoring in your actions, speech, and attitudes. If you will listen to the whispers and promptings of the Holy Spirit every day, your life and relationships will take a huge turn for the better.
When He says stop, then you should stop. When He says act in a particular way, then let His energy flow through you to act in a new way. Spend time going through the categories of verses I've listed above and ask God what He wants to change in you. What fruit or virtue or commandment does He want you to work on? When He points one out, you'll know the direction to move towards. That is God speaking.
I look forward to interacting with you during your spiritual journey. Please email me to let me know how God is speaking to you.
In His service, Gil Stieglitz
Mission Possible: Winning the Battle Over Temptation
Men! Register for the R3 Men's Conference in Rancho Cordova on October 8, 2016 and get a chance to hear Dr. Gil speak on how to overcome temptation and sexual addictions. You can register by clicking here. You can receive a discounted ticket price of $43 by entering coupon code: SPEAKER before 10/5.
If you can't attend, you can order a copy of Mission Possible on Amazon.com, and be sure to check out our website for plenty of free resources, ptlb.com.