He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
When we receive salvation, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. It is a seal of authenticity and it sets us apart, sanctifying us for God’s use. And while we are here on earth, God calls us to live up to this position of sanctification by living out our lives in a godly way, according to His good will, not ours. God gives us the Holy Spirit because it is by His power that we are able to fulfill His will.
Upon receiving salvation, the Holy Spirit immediately begins to inwardly regenerate and transform all believers. Our will, thoughts, words and actions begin to change and become more Christ-like as we grow and mature in our Christian life.
He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:5-7
God intended for the Holy Spirit to be extremely active in believer’s lives, communicating His will and purpose to them as His power is released through faith. The believer’s goal is to listen for God’s word, believe God’s word, adjust his or her life to God’s word, and then be obedient in order to fulfill God’s word. Sounds overwhelming, almost impossible, doesn’t it? God knew we wouldn’t be able to do it on our own, so He assigned the Holy Spirit to each and every one of us, to personally help us succeed.
For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. John 3:34
The more deeply we know the Holy Spirit, the more deeply we will know Jesus. He will always draw Jesus closer to you because everything the Holy Spirit speaks about, teaches about, reveals to us is about Jesus Christ.
“He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” John 16:14-15
This month I take a look at how the Holy Spirit communicates heaven into our hearts by speaking to us. The Holy Spirit is essential and without Him we would never hear the voice of God, for God speaks through Him.
Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. John 8:47
The Holy Spirit speaks to us
The Bible doesn’t tell us what the Holy Spirit looks like, but He can communicate with us, and listen to us. He can reveal His presence and message through any form He chooses. He never speaks on His own behalf; He speaks only what the Father tells Him.
He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. John 16:13
The Holy Spirit speaks through the Word of God; He can take a Scripture and announce to you what God is about to do in your life through it.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
When God speaks to you and I through Scripture, He speaks to each of one of us in a unique and personal way, so we are able to recognize His voice. I know for me, it’s changing the way I read my Bible. I’m not just trying to finish a page or chapter each morning. I may just linger on one verse where I feel God is talking to me, knowing that He wants me to stop and stay there until He tells me what He means. So it’s not about “how much” of the Word I am reading, it’s about my conversation with God while I am in His Word
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27
Try and meditate on His Word throughout the day; keep God present in your thoughts so that it becomes natural to have Him in your conscious mind and not your subconscious mind. Don’t make Him an afterthought; make Him your first thought. Practice each day until it becomes your new normal. Personally, I love to write down the verses that speak to me and meditate on them, I also like to write my prayers around them in my journal.
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:8
The Holy Spirit speaks to us through prayer; so it is important to set aside specific quiet time to hear from God. He will tell us not only what to do, but when and how to do it. The Holy Spirit helps us to speak intimately with the Father through prayer by helping us to enter into God’s presence. As we pray, our priority is to adjust our life not only to what He is already doing in our life, but also to what He wants to do in our life. Never doubt the leading of the Holy Spirit, especially when you are unsure about how to proceed in a situation, or in life. He is God’s spokesperson and He will reveal to you God’s plan and timing for you, so be sure to have your spiritual ears, eyes, and heart alert.
He will tell you things to come. John 16:13
Sometimes it takes great patience waiting for God’s message to completely be given to you, it may not come all at once. Better to do nothing and wait, then to forge ahead and do it yourself. I shared with you previously how when God spoke to me about my daughter Jenn, I did not wait for further instruction and a giant mess ensued. I learned the hard way to be patient and not rush ahead of the Holy Spirit. Fortunately it all worked out because God is a God of second chances and He lovingly gave me one. I now begin my prayer time asking the Holy Spirit to not only be my prayer partner, but I ask Him to help me pray to be patient; to help me be still and listen.
Is God telling you something? Are you listening? Are there things that come to you and you think it’s impossible for you to do so you just ignore it? This is when your faith in Him helps you to move forward, because if it’s from God, whatever He chooses to do through you, will be accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within you. This is why it is so important to surrender daily to Him, every day we face the temptation of looking to satisfy our own selfish needs, putting God second. Our human nature is to be self-centered, but as we grow spiritually, we will look at ourselves second to God and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and model His behavior.
Put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24
The Holy Spirit speaks through other believers, our spouse, even our children. He will often use them to confirm His will. It’s important to keep our spiritual ears open. Just another reason we need to surround ourselves with believers who seek to do the will of the Father. I can’t tell you how many times He has used one of my sisters in Christ to confirm what I thought He was telling me. You could have a sister or brother in Christ right next door or it could be someone you work with, you won’t know if you keep your faith to yourself.
All of the believers were one in heart and mind. Acts 4:32
Having spiritual sisters and brothers adds a special dimension to your life that is priceless. The Holy Spirit not only can speak through them, but we gain support, encouragement, inspiration, prayer partners, discernment, accountability; the benefits are endless. Look around you and see who might be walking the same path as you – I bet you’ll be surprised! To try and walk alone in your spiritual journey can be very difficult.
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Once we receive God’s Word, we need to respond to it. Don’t overthink about how he spoke to you, focus on what He said and then answer the question, “Am I going to do what God says?” God has an encounter with you because He comes looking for you! You don’t go looking for Him; He is pursuing you because He wants to have a personal, intimate relationship with you.
God wants you and I to have a heart that is focused on Him so we can recognize His voice. He wants us to place His word above everything else; there should be nothing more important in our lives then when the God of all creation speaks directly to our heart. And although He speaks to all of His children, He doesn’t necessarily speak all of the time. There may be periods of time when it seems He’s not with you or not listening, but He could be simply observing how you handle a particular situation, watching the sincerity of your faith, seeing if you’re still praying, or if you demonstrate the same commitment to do His will. Just because we are in a temporary period of silence, doesn’t mean He’s forgotten us. We faithfully fellowship with the Holy Spirit and continue to trust and pray, knowing in our heart He is the God of our salvation who keeps His promises.
The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 13:3
If you feel you are never hearing from God, is it possible that something is preventing you from hearing Him? Now is a good time to take a look at the condition of your heart. Are you holding onto anger or hurt; are you fearful or unable to give forgiveness? Do you feel confident that you can handle things without God? Thinking like this will cause your heart to become hardened and you will be unable to hear God speak; this could be costly. Don’t miss out on all God has to offer because of a hardened heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. A hardened heart is self-inflicted; it is by your choice if you choose to not forgive, become resentful, or not let go of a hurt. You can surrender the cause to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to fill your heart with hope and joy in all circumstances.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23
When God speaks to us, there is a reason. Remember He has the plan for our life. We need to always listen for His direction, His guidance; without it our lives will never experience the fullness God has for us.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
One word from God created the universe and He wants to speak to you and I. How incredible is that? Be careful to guard your quiet time with Him. The noise of our daily life can easily drown out His voice if we don’t protect our time with Him. Turn off your phone, the television, and the computer; be still and listen. He will not be second to anything or anyone. What are you willing to set aside or turn off? God wants our undivided attention.
And when God does speak, write it down! God has a definite plan for your life and mine. When we look back over time at what God is telling us, we will be able to see what He has been doing and where He is leading us. As I said before, I keep a journal by my Bible and as God speaks to me through Scripture, I write it down. It is important for me to see on paper what God is saying or asking me to do. I pray to be obedient and look at how I need to make adjustments to accomplish what He has given me. I love to go back and check off what God has accomplished through me and how the Lord is using me. I am always humbled and amazed at how He speaks to me, the God of the universe, speaking to ordinary me.
Are you open to hear? Are you open to trust and obey and do as He asks? It is all a choice. Jesus did it every day of His life out of love and obedience to His Father. You may be saying, “Well, He’s Jesus, it was easy for Him.” If you look throughout the Bible, there are many ordinary men and women who cleared their plate, dropped everything and loved and trusted the Father enough to obey Him without having to think about it. Mary didn’t tell God she was too busy or had other plans. She trusted God enough to believe what He said was true and made herself available. She said, “May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38). Without hesitation, Mary joined God in bringing our Savior into this world. Don’t let one word from God fail to bear fruit in your life. When God speaks, let Him know you trust and love Him and answer, “Yes, Lord.”
In July I’ll continue my discussion on how the Holy Spirit affects the life of the believer. Have a blessed month!
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