I
Corinthians 2:10-15
But we know these things because God has
revealed them to us by his
Spirit
and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God’s deep secrets. No
one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and
no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And God has actually
given us his Spirit (not the world’s spirit) so we can know the wonderful
things God has freely given us. When we tell you this, we do not use words of
human wisdom. We speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s
words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t Christians can’t
understand these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because
only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means. We who
have the Spirit understand these things, but others can’t understand us at all.
The moment we ask Jesus Christ to come and
live in our heart, the Holy Spirit begins to reside inside of us. It is from
that point forward that we can begin to know and understand what God is
thinking and speaking to us because the Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God
and he can translate them to us. This whole process sounds ludicrous to those
who don’t know Christ because the Holy Spirit doesn’t live and dwell within
them.
A good portion of the Christian culture won’t
talk about or make reference to the Holy Spirit due to lack of knowledge and
understanding of who He is, but once understood, the He becomes a powerful,
vital force bringing comfort, guidance and direction to a believer’s life.
Living a Christian life without acknowledging the role of the Holy Spirit
severely limits the hand of God on our life. Think of him as our tour guide
through this life, leading and guiding us in the right direction, enlightening
us with the knowledge to navigate the rough terrain and empowering us with the
tools to overcome any obstacles. But we must first acknowledge his existence
then submit to his guidance, in order to move forward successfully and
strategically.
Often times, fear of ridicule and
rejection causes us to downplay and reject the inner voice of the Holy Spirit
speaking to our hearts. He has much to say if we will simply learn to distinguish
his voice and listen.
A number of years ago, when my husband and
I were newly married, I went to visit my parents for a few days. They lived
about 60 miles away from us at the time, and about half way into my return trip
home I felt a voice speak to me, telling me to pull over and call my husband to
come and meet me and follow me home. (This was in the days before cell phones)
Thinking that I had lost my mind and understanding that my new husband would
really think the same thing, I chose to keep driving. With the setting of the
sun, I exited through a large city and soon entered into a relatively dark,
deserted stretch of highway. Within moments, my car began to shake violently
causing me to pull to the side of the road to survey the situation. I soon
realized that I had blown a tire and was unaware and unprepared to resolve the
problem on my own. There I sat, on the side of road in complete darkness, vulnerable
and susceptible to anyone who would decide to stop and help me. Fortunately, I
was fairly close to the next exit, so I made the decision to continue forward,
slowly creeping along until I came to a deserted gas station that happened to
have a pay phone in the parking lot.
Needless to say, my hero of a husband came
and rescued his damsel in distress, but all the stress, turmoil and fear would
have been averted had I just listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking
into my life. After a few other similar situations, I soon learned to not only
value that voice, but to act upon it quickly and obediently.
God didn’t place us on the earth to live
our lives apart from his help and guidance. He didn’t just plop us down one day
and say, “Ok, you’re on your own, figure it out.” Once we accept him as our
Lord and Savior, he sends his Holy Spirit to help us. We’re just usually too
stubborn and prideful to accept that help. He is constantly speaking to each of
us. It’s up to us to slow down, quiet the noise out of our lives and simply
listen. Just like in my life example, you will be able to avert a lot of
stress, turmoil and fear. Are you listening?
Take some
private, quiet time today and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you. He’s waiting
to commune with you, if you will simply listen for his voice. Make this a daily
practice and you will soon begin to recognize his voice more quickly and
understand his direction for you more clearly. Take advantage of all God has
provided for you through his Holy Spirit.
Have
a great day!