CHAPTER FIVE

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS MY Guide:HE Speaks FROM THE FATHER TO ME

While the Spirit is our Teacher, He doesn’t often speak out loud as Jesus did when He was on earth. He does often whisper to us as we saw in the story about Elijah, reminding us of the words of Jesus, of the truth of God’s word and His standards. For us in these generations since the Resurrection, it is by His Spirit that God guides us with these words of truth.

Jesus explained to the Twelve during the Last Supper that the “Holy Spirit will guide you into all the truth for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak …” (John 16:13). One of the most frequent questions we all ask is: How do I know it’s the Spirit speaking to me, guiding me to do or not do this?

BECAUSE THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKS TO US AND TEACHES US INWARDLY IN WHISPERS, we find it difficult to recognize when He is speaking to us, when it’s our own voice, or when it’s the voice of the enemy, the “father of lies” (John 8:44) who tries to deceive us away from following God and His plan.

Just as employees of banks and many businesses are taught to recognize counterfeit money by studying closely the details of authentic bills, so we can learn to distinguish the deceptive voice of the enemy and even our own selfish desires by comparing those words to the truth which the Spirit always speaks.

So let’s focus on the authentic voice of God which will make recognizing the counterfeits more obvious.

HERE ARE THREE WAYS TO recognize THE SPIRIT’S VOICE:

1. LEARN THE LANGUAGE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. I only speak one language, English. I envy those who are bilingual or multilingual. But just imagine the multiplicity of languages God speaks—He is fluent in every dialect of every language from every civilization and tribe who ever populated this earth! Yet His eternal words containing the secrets to knowing, pleasing, and living rightly before God have never changed since time began.

The Bible is the Spirit-inspired vocabulary God uses to speak to

us. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, “All Scripture is breathed out by God …” and 2 Peter 1:21 says the Word of God was written by men who “spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Our first goal in recognizing the Spirit’s voice is to become more fluent in His Word. The more you know His Word, His language,

the more easily you will recognize His Spirit’s voice. Remember, learning a new language takes time. Ask your Helper to be your translator as you continue growing in fluency.

But this is important. He cannot remind you of something you didn’t ever know. Just as you can’t lose something you didn’t first possess, so the Spirit can’t remind you of Jesus words if you don’t first possess them in your memory bank. The Holy Spirit doesn’t put random words into our heads, though He certainly could as He did on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.

His assignment is to bring to our remembrance what we have heard, which makes it essential for us to know the

words of Jesus, the words of the Bible. This is one way He teaches and guides us.

Over a recent lunch conversation, a friend encouraged Dennis and me about a looming decision. “The eventual outcome is NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY; IT IS GOD’S,” he said. In the moment, I thought it was a good reminder. But upon later reflection, I understood the Holy Spirit was shining His light on those words that were so strongly based on the truth of Scripture. I needed that reminder that God was sovereign which is solidly biblical.

Remembering this truth about God helped me realign my anxious heart with the truth of God’s control and purposes. And it gave me peace. This reminder was clearly the whisper of the Holy Spirit. He was saying to me, “Trust Me and relax in My sovereign control.”

2. REMEMBER THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL NEVER

CONTRADICT GOD’S WORD.

A good starting place to measure what we hear is the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus. Any thought in your own mind about cheating, stealing, lying, jealousy, adultery, or harming someone else is clearly not from the Spirit. When you think, “I could pick up that cute little bookmark and drop it in my purse … no one would know,” that’s not the Holy Spirit’s idea. The

Holy Spirit’s whispered words will always match the unchanging truth of God’s Word.

THE SPIRIT WILL NEVER GUIDE ME OR YOU TO DO OR BELIEVE SOMETHING CONTRARY TO GOD’S WRITTEN WORD. NEVER.

3. LEARN TO RECOGNIZE THE SOUND OF HIS VOICE. It’s unflattering to learn that God likens us to sheep who are quite gullible, defenseless, and susceptible to disease and injury. Jesus knows our every weakness and so in His great love and kindness,

He teaches us to stay close to Him for our safety and protection.

“I am the good Shepherd … I came that they might have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10-11).

There is a very real thief who knows our weaknesses and who intends to steal, kill, and destroy the sheep Jesus came to save. The safety Jesus longs to give us is found in following His voice:

“My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me”

(John 10:27).

Jesus told us the devil is the father of lies. So, every suggestion, every single word, from Satan will be contrary to God. Anything from his voice is obviously wrong, even if it might feel comfortable, inviting, or convenient.

The world we live is not yet voluntarily subject to the King of kings. God, in His mercy, allows people to exercise their free will to live in disobedience to His authority. From these millions of people on earth come voices: opinions on how to live, choices we should make, and a plethora of ways to be happy. Some voices contain elements of truth that line up with God’s Word, as Satan usually does, but many don’t.

GOD’S SPIRIT LONGS TO GIVE US DISCERNMENT BETWEEN TRUTH, PARTIAL TRUTH, AND FALSEHOOD SO HE CAN GUIDE US ACCORDING TO THE TRUTH IN HIS WAY.

Other messages come from the flesh. The flesh is the invisibly broken soul, “the law of sin” that dwells within (Romans 7:22). Every human inherited this from Adam and Eve when they rebelled against God.

But there’s hope! Paul, the apostle, teaches us how to live set free from the always-with-us desire to sin. He explained, “Walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh”(GALATIANS

5:16-18).

The Spirit-flesh dichotomy, our heavy-duty theology for this chapter, is the essence of our question.

Here’s a litmus test to give yourself when you can’t decide if the voice you’re hearing is the Spirit or the flesh:

• Is your first instinct to defend yourself or prove you’re right? If so, that is your flesh. It is not the Holy Spirit. First ask Him what He wants you to say or not say. Maybe He wants you to listen first.

• Are you looking down on someone or feeling disdain for another person? If yes, that is your flesh, your sinful nature at work. The Holy Spirit is always love and wants to give you love for every person

. • Are you envious of what someone else has, feeling you deserve the same thing? If so, that is your flesh. The Holy

Spirit never condones jealousy.

• Are you struggling to apologize and admit you’re wrong? That too is your flesh. The Spirit’s desire is for your pride to decrease and the humility of Christ to grow in its place.

• Do you see the toddler version of yourself coming alive? Do you want what you want, when you want it? That’s walking in the flesh, not the Spirit. The Holy Spirit desires sacrifice for God that is also God-dependent, not sacrifice for self-glory. • Are you ungrateful and discontent? If so, you’re being led by your flesh. Ingratitude is never from the Holy Spirit.

Romans 12:2 tells us that God’s will for each of us is, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind …” The Bible teaches there are two realms with two populations: the realm or kingdom of God with those who belong to Him, and the realm of Satan and those people who belong to Him. Jesus even said in the church there will be wheat and tares, meaning those who follow God and those who don’t.

So in this verse Paul reminds us not to be shaped or transformed by the world which is the sphere or realm ruled by Satan whose plan is to conform you to his plan to destroy you. But the Holy Spirit’s work

in us is this—renewing our minds to be in conformity to God’s truth and God’s will.

The verse continues: “ … that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” What a comfort it is to know that, even while living in a world opposed to God, through the Spirit’s teaching we can know Him, know His Word, and know His plan for our lives. And we can, by the Spirit who lives in us, learn to recognize His voice and have the power and strength to resist Satan.

A FINAL Encouragement

As Dennis and I prepare to celebrate our 50th anniversary, I remember our engagement, which was only six weeks long. Yet in the midst of all the fast-paced wedding planning we began a deep immersion of learning about each other. He was in Colorado and I was living in South Carolina, so our

communication was all by phone or by old-fashioned letter writing. Our phone calls often lasted till after midnight as we asked lots of questions and shared answers back and forth …

“Tell me more about your mother.”

“Tell me more about your father.”

“What are your hopes for our future family?”

“What are your dreams for our life?”

“What are your fears?”

“What are your likes and dislikes?”

Essentially we were eagerly pleading, “I want to know all about you. Don’t leave anything out!” Even though we could never have imagined then the depths that we’d share over the next five decades, the intentional exciting whirlwind of our engagement whet our appetites with a desire to know more and more of each other.

In a similar way, I hope this ebook whets your appetite for knowing and

understanding the Holy Spirit. There is so much more to know … so much more that I couldn’t cover. And so much more that I don’t know yet.

WHAT AN INCOMPREHENSIBLE GIFT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS TO US!

HE IS OUR FRIEND, THE VERY BEST FRIEND ONE COULD HAVE.

HE IS OUR HELPER WHO COMES TO OUR ASSISTANCE IN COUNTLESS WAYS.

HE IS OUR PURIFIER, MAKING US MORE LIKE CHRIST.

AND HE IS OUR TEACHER AND GUIDE who illumines our minds and hearts, speaking truth about Jesus, about ourselves, and about His world!

Ask Him what He wants you to remember and to do. Then thank Him abundantly for every way He works on your behalf. Keep studying Him, meeting with Him, talking with Him, and meditating on Him. He longs for a relationship with you.

May we as women who know God grow hearts of love that look more and more like the heart of Jesus our Savior!

Reflection

1. A very good practice is to begin asking God to teach you, to illumine your understanding, and to show you more of Himself every single time you read the Bible. Too often, if we read it at all we are in a hurry. But good relationships take time, so be willing to ask Him these questions. If you do that with a sincere heart, you’ll be surprised and delighted to discover more of Him.

2. Which of the three ways to recognize His voice is new to you? Are you willing to ask

Him to help you grow in this way of hearing from Him?

3. Was the information about the difference between the desires of the flesh and the

Spirit new to you? Will you choose to practice discerning the voice of your flesh from the voice of the Spirit?

4. If you’ve never memorized Romans 12:1-2, I’d highly recommend it. One of the first verses

I learned as a new baby believer, it’s been a constant reminder of many truths over the years of my journey with Jesus.

WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT: How You Can Hear From Him

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Some scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible® , Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org

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