Hearing the Spirit, Part 2

Thank you so much for joining me today! This is Part two of our “Hearing the Spirit” teaching. I trust that when we get to the conclusion of today’s post, You will be equipped to recognize and hear what the Spirit of the Lord would speak to you on a daily basis. Lord, open our hearts and spirits to receive from you today! Eric

On the 4-17-24, “Hearing the Spirit” post, we began this journey of learning to ‘hear’ the Spirit.

Last time, we shared that “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” (Psalm 37:23). We also looked at some Scriptures which revealed Jesus repeatedly stating that He did nothing of His own initiative, but only what He heard and saw from the Father. He only did the Father’s will.

We also established that Jesus left His glory, was born of a virgin woman and lived His life on the planet as a physical man, or the Son of man. Everything He accomplished, He accomplished in His humanity.

There are some important events in Jesus’ life that we need to be aware of: At the age of 12, Jesus astonished the teachers in the temple with His understanding and answers given to questions. He knew the Scriptures! He remained subject to His earthly parents while also continuing to increase in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God. According to Luke 3:23, He began His ministry at about 30 years of age. When John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove. (Luke 3:21,22). In Luke 4:1 we read, “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.” Then about a year later, Jesus began His Galilean ministry.

What we really want to take note of though is that when Jesus returned to Galilee, following His baptism and the testing in the wilderness, the Scripture reveals that He returned to Galilee in the ‘power’ of the Spirit! Luke 4:14, “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.” ’Power’ dynamis in the Greek, is the same word used to describe the miracle working power of God and is used in this verse to express: under or full of the power of the Holy Spirit. (Strong’s).

We ended the previous post by stating that there is only one way that we can have the priority of seeking and doing only the Lord’s will in our lives, as Jesus did. That way, is through the revelation and power of the Holy Spirit being manifested in our lives.

The only way we can receive the guidance we need from the Holy Spirit, so that we are ‘led’ by the Spirit, is to hear His voice!

Look at what the Scripture reveals about those who are led by the Spirit of God - they are the “sons of God” (Romans 8:14). ‘Sons’ (huios) according to Strong’s are: those who revere God as their father, the worshippers of God, those who in character and life resemble God, those who are governed by the Spirit of God, rest calmly, and joyfully trust in God.

Being led by the Spirit will affect every aspect of our lives - spirit, soul, and body. That means it’s effects will be seen in how we live, work, and play.

Jesus promised that He would have the Father send another Helper (the Spirit) to His disciples when He returned to the Father. (John 14:15-18). The Helper or Holy Spirit (parakletos) means: a helper, aider, and assistant. In the widest sense: the Holy Spirit was sent to take the place of Christ, with the apostles after His ascension to the Father; to lead them to a deeper knowledge of gospel truth and to give them the divine strength needed to enable them to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine Kingdom. (Strong’s)

The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth by speaking whatever He hears from the Father. (John 16:13).

Often times, I have been asked how we know when the Holy Spirit is speaking to us. John 10:2-5 answers that question, “But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 "Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."

The phrase, “the sheep hear his voice” expresses personal intimacy between the Shepherd (Christ) and His flock (believers.) “In the first century, a single sheep pen held multiple flocks, so it was essential for the sheep to know and recognize their shepherd’s voice. There had to be an unmistakable familiarity between sheep and shepherd for the sheep to feel safe and know which voice to follow.” (gotquestions.org.my-sheep-hear-my-voice).

We accomplish that familiarity by spending time reading and meditation on His Word, worshipping Him, and by spending time in prayer, where it is vital that we not only ‘speak’ but also ‘listen.’ Psalm 22:3, “ But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.” ‘Enthroned’ means” to inhabit, to dwell, and to abide. He dwells or abides and lives in our praises! As you praise and worship Him, you will surely encounter Him.

We all recognize the voice of those we are closest to. Cultivating our relationship with God is extremely important if we are going to recognize His voice.

The Holy Spirit speaks to us in various ways:

Revelation of God’s Word - Psalm 119:97-99 and 105, “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation (musing and study) all the day. 98 You, through Your commandments, make me wiser (teaches me wisdom) than my enemies; For they are ever with me. 99 I have more understanding (insight and comprehension) than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. ... 105 NUN. Your word is a lamp (guide) to my feet And a light (diffused light everywhere such as the day and the sun) to my path.” 2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT), “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” All truth is measured by God’s Word. John 8:31 and 32, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide (live and continue) in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Inner Voice or Witness - Romans 8:16, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”

Audible Voice - Acts 8:29, “Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot." The Greek word for ‘said’ is exion which means to speak.

Visions and Dreams - Acts 16:9, “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Matthew 2:13, “ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."

Spiritual Discernment - We see spiritual discernment manifested in a number of ways. One is through the “gifts” of the Spirit: 1 Corinthians 12:7,8,”But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit” Wisdom, sophia in the Greek means: insight and skill. “Knowledge” gnosis, means: what is known concerning divine things and human duties. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts. Wisdom is the proper use of facts, it has to use knowledge. Chuck Smith has said about the word of knowledge and wisdom, “an anointing of the Holy Spirit which is exercised when issues arise and when there are important decisions that must be made. This knowldege and wisdom comes from the Spirit of God!

In 1 Corinthians 12:10, “… to another discerning of spirits,” ‘Discerning’ diakrisis, means distinguishing and judging. ‘spirits’ pneuma, means one in which a spirit is manifest or embodied, actuated by a spirit, whether divine or demonical; one who either is truly moved by God’s Spirit or falsely boasts that he is. A scriptural example is found in Acts 20:23 where we are told that the Holy Spirit testified in every city, where Paul went, that chains and tribulations awaited him.

Godly Teaching - 1 Peter 4:11, “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” ‘Oracles’ mean the words or utterances of God, and in this verse are those which come through Christian teachers or preachers, the words and admonitions of God in the sacred Scriptures.

Be aware! There are many voices in this world that are false. 1 John 4:1-3, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the [spirit] of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.” When the Scripture instructs us to test the spirits, the Greek word for spirit is the same one we saw in 1 Corinthians 12:10, pneuma, which means: one in whom a spirit is manifest or embodied; actuated by a spirit, whether divine or demonical, one who either is truly moved by God’s Spirit or falsely boasts that he is. The word ‘test’ dokimazo means: to examine, prove, and scrutinize.

There are many false prophets in the world today. You test them by questioning them as to whether or not Jesus is come in the flesh and is of God. False prophets will not confess that as truth. Reject their word. Do not allow yourself to be deceived.

When you encounter situations where you don’t know how to respond or what to say, remember, you have a Helper! Mark 13:11 (Amplified Bible), “When they take you and turn you over [to the court], do not worry beforehand about what to say, but say whatever is given to you [by God] in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit [who will speak through you].” This word is very clear. You absolutely can depend on the Spirit of God to give you the words! He will speak through you!

I dare say that many of you (believers in Christ) have heard the voice of the Spirit whether you’ve been aware of it or not. Possibly with a thought that has come to your mind when you have needed wisdom or knowledge to fix something? Maybe an inner voice or nudging with a thought about a direction or directive. Perhaps you have had a check in your spirit about making a decision about a big purchase, or who you should marry, about whether or not you should attend a certain event?

The Holy Spirit through an adamant inner voice spoke to my wife to “Slow Down!” when she was driving through a forested area and cresting a hill! Fortunately, she listened and slowed down immediately. There was a huge buck in the middle of the road when she crested the hill!

Remember! It is one thing to ‘hear’ but then again, another to respond appropriately!

Learn to recognize His voice. Be in the Word, pray, and worship.

Listen to what He says.

You have to decide to allow Him to lead you.

Let this be your prayer:

Psalm 143:10, “Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.”

All Scripture is taken from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

NLT New Living translation