The event I describe below occurred at the beginning of last year. This experience radically altered my perspective of my prayer life. Since then, my belief continues to increase in the power of prayer. Prayer is indeed one of the most powerful things we can do.
Malcolm and Sophie are two of my cherished treasures. God uses these Ragdoll felines to teach me many lessons, but . . . I have to seek those lessons. About a month and a half after they moved in, Sophie started sneezing. When it continued to progress to mucus flying out her nose, I took her to the vet and discovered it was an upper respiratory infection. On antibiotics, she immediately started getting better. After being off them for a couple of days, it came back and continued to get worse. We went through another around of antibiotics. Again, she got better, but after a couple of days it returned. Poor thing! I hated putting all these antibiotics in her because I was sure it would have long term affects on her little immune system. Once more, back to the vet. He took some cultures so in a couple of days we would know exactly what bacteria was the culprit. The next day she was sneezing up a storm, which was common because getting the cultures irritated her little nose. But at that point I had enough! Iâd been praying for God to heal her, but it dawned on me I hadnât sought for the lesson in all this. God, what are you trying to teach me? Obviously it wasnât a lesson for Sophie, it must be for me.
Thankfully, God quickly replied. It had to do with the power of prayer for others. Hereâs what I learned. I love Sophie more than you would think a human could love a cat. God loves me and all that concerns me is His concern. He cares for Sophie but also because of my love for her. When we care deeply about someone, God not only desires to help that person for her sake but also because of His care for us. His concern is heightened because of our concern – that is the nature of love. Heart-felt prayer spoken in faith shows we believe in Godâs love for us. Itâs critical that we believe God loves us because it affects our prayers. This is another reason we need to understand our value, last weekâs blog. We need to have a sense of value of ourselves to be able to accept and believe Godâs love for us so we can pray with the conviction that our prayers matter.
God needed me to understand this truth so I would pray for those He laid on my heart with the confidence that my prayers made an impact. I needed to believe that my prayers influenced Him because of His love for me, which then could affect the lives of others. Otherwise, my lack of belief drained the power of my prayers. See, my belief in the power of prayer had started to wane. I had started to think my prayers didnât have THAT much impact. This mindset crept in as I was seeking to understand His sovereignty. He is in control and His will prevails so how much impact do my prayers really have? Not much was my thought until this situation. I didnât realize how strongly I was holding this false belief until this lesson. I knew prayer was important, but I didnât understand how much of an impact it had, especially mine. Now I know that my concern and love enhances His concern because that is love. This is the power of prayer of Godâs children in numbers. If you had one child concerned about a pet â how much that would affect your heart. What if you had five children concerned â how much more would that affect your heart?
But it isnât just about numbers, but about the state of the heart. There is power manifested when we intercede for another out of love. This is why our love needs to be with sincerity. Love is an extremely powerful force in our lives. It changes others. It moves the heart of God. This is why it is important to seek the love of God to replace our corrupted version of it so that we can truly love others because if affects our prayers for them. If we are just saying the words and our hearts are distant, then the power of prayer is sapped. Thatâs why vain repetitions are a waste of time. Matthew 6:7 But if we pray with conviction because we truly care it has a considerable impact. This is why sometimes God âlaysâ someone on our heart. We have a strong pull to pray for them, because the heart matters.
When I realized this insight about the power of prayer wrapped in love and sincerity, Sophie stopped sneezing that night. The cultures came back revealing a certain bacterium, but she was better. Isnât God good? Glad I asked. She was going through what she did to teach me. I never would have stopped and sought if she wasnât sick. And my seeking brought me to a very important lesson about the significance of heart-felt prayer.
God loves His children beyond what we can imagine. His heart for us is mighty and what concerns us concerns Him. Prayer is to teach us many things and one is how much He loves us. Even if He doesnât seem to be healing a child or delivering them from an unhealthy lifestyle or friendship â know that He cares more so for that child because He cares for their life and that is amplified because of your care for them and His care for you. We canât see the big picture. We donât know what they may need to go through to learn what they need to learn. But God is listening if you are rightly related to Him through Christ. Proverbs 15:29 We have certain expectations about how things should play out, but God holds everything in His hands. If I hadnât gone through the tough times I did as a kid, ones Iâm sure my mom wished I avoided, then perhaps I wouldnât have drawn near to God like I have. From those experiences, I learned my need for Him and the extent of His love for me. In the end, her prayers were answered, but it wasnât a path she expected, but that path I needed to travel. We need to be careful of our expectations and make sure they are in God. If we are Godâs and praying with the right heart and motive about a matter, we need to trust that God is working things out as they should be. We have expectations about what the best path or answer to that prayer would be, but we havenât a clue. We need to trust in His divine wisdom to work it out to everyoneâs best.
James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
Needless to say, my prayer life totally changed. Our faith is everything. Our belief affects the power our prayer holds. John 14:12-13 I needed and am thankful for this lesson to increase my faith in the power of prayer. And Iâm very glad Sophie is no longer sneezing!!
 I started actively cultivating a deep, real relationship with God in 2001. What I gained is beyond tremendous in every facet of my life. My passion is to share with others what I have learned. Not to teach, but to give others the tools to drink from the fountain of living water themselves. I developed a mentoring program to help others to establish a quiet time with God to cultivate a relationship with Him. I’m posting the program on my blog for those who would like to participate on their own.
Watch the video below to hear more about this program.
 Below is information on the program.
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⢠Would you like to develop intimacy with God?
⢠Discover a love for the Word?
⢠Take your relationship with God to a deeper level?
⢠Have Godâs promises be active in your life?
Stir the Deep with Me: One-on-One Discipleship Mentoring was created to help others develop their one-on-one relationship with God. Its goal is to cultivate intimacy with God and help others fulfill their ultimate purpose to being in a deep relationship with Him in truth and love. It isnât a Bible study. It is establishing a lifestyle. It is a discipleship with coaching and accountability in spending quiet time with God.
Those with a desire to learn 1.) how to cultivate deeper intimacy with God 2.) how to spend quality alone time that builds a deep, real relationship with God, and 3.) have God as their first love are a good candidate for this program. Those who partake do with the understanding that itâs the journey to fulfillment of the first commandment to love God with all their heart, soul and mind and quiet devotion is of utmost importance among their priorities. It is for those willing to pass on what they will gain.
B. Participation in a brief accountability and counsel meeting as follows:
1. 1st â 4thweeks- Â 2 times a week
2. 5th â 7th weeks â 1 time a week
C. Your commitment to 40 minutes of one-on-one time a day with God in His Word that will become a part of your daily life.
This journey only works if there is an active engagement and commitment. If you are ready to step into a deep relationship with God and thus the life God has waiting for you and make this commitment you will be blessed beyond measure. This program is the only beginning to a lifelong journey walking hand-in-hand with God.
Our soul is like a territory held in bondage by an enemy. When we are awakened to the state of our soul, then we realize our need for someone mightier (Jesus Christ) than ourselves and our enemy to deliver us from the entrapment. When we accept that Jesus is the One to deliver us, then He comes and claims the beachfront of our lives. So we are His, however, aspects of our soul are still untouched territory. As we abide in His Word and are willing and listening, bit by bit Jesus makes advances taking over the territory of our soul as King. Under His Kingship, we live free and as we were created to live. I want to explore some ways He makes those advances.
For years I experienced pain in my body in reoccurring areas. It wasnât unbearable, but at my young age, it was far more than I should be experiencing. I knew something was way off. I tried many external remedies but nothing worked, but each âcureâ presented a new hope. A friend told me about what a Cranial Sacral Therapist had done for her, so I found someone in my area. During the session, as she was working on my neck and head, she asked me if I had experienced any trauma in that area as a child. At first I thought no, but then as I laid there several experiences came to mind, but they werenât of a physical nature but an emotional one. That thought process led me to see a deep trauma in my beliefs – that I lacked a sense of value for myself. Until that point, I never fully realized this debilitating belief. I went home knowing I had stumbled upon something significant. I realized I needed to stop looking outward for solutions and look inward.
As I brought this issue into my quiet time with God, He started unraveling it bit by bit. It ended up being a core issue that underscored many other issues (almost all of them, including my pain). I started to see the massive ripple affect of that ill-belief spreading to every area of my life. Eagerly, I prayed and listened to Godâs instruction, and He started laying it all out. He showed me how most of my thoughts, actions, and decisions were tied to a lack of value for myself. He showed me where this idea started and was reinforced in childhood. As He took me back to painful memories, ones I feared to face or simply didnât want to out of pride, I travelled with Him trusting His guidance and He covered them with His love, truth and forgiveness. As pain appeared in other areas in my body, I listened and He led me to other issues all related to my core one. He opened up each area of anger, pain, and fear, and brought in His truth. When He was done, I held an unchanging priceless value in myself as His child. However, many of my habitual ways of responding and acting were still reflective of that girl who had no value. Through awareness, abiding in His Word and prayer, those actions started to fade and were replaced by ones based on who I truly am as His unique creation and this transition is in progress today.
I share this story, because 1) it demonstrates a type of progression in how the territory of our soul is conquered by God, and 2) many people have this core issue of a lack of value (from childhood rejection, abuse, neglect, modeling of parents, and so on). Some know it and many deny it, but I see it in many people. When we lack value we spend our lives trying to prove and earn our worthiness and most of what we do is a result of this lack of value, therefore, we arenât able to be completely surrendered to Godâs will. We are more driven to prove or earn our worthiness. God calls us to be surrendered completely to Him and that surrender is a journey. For many facing core issues is a significant part of that journey. But we have to stop the madness of trying to prove and earn and abide in Godâs presence and seek His deliverance. God wants us out of that bondage and will allow or do what it takes in our lives to bring us to this understanding, to healing and freedom.
The Progression of Conquering Our Soul
First, an uncomfortable situation arises in our life to get us seeking, like a physical aliment (as I had), intense trial, or difficult relationship. We live in blindness to our own soul and something has to wake us up. When all is fine, we donât seek. But when things arenât, itâs to push us to search from the depth of our soul. Often what starts us seeking is something that gets our full attention, and it is different for different people. How better to get our attention than with something we really care about?
Second, from seeking we get a word of truth about the state of our soul that comes to us through a dream, person, the Spirit, or Godâs Word. When that word or insight resonates strongly with us, like the issue of value did for me, this is our first awareness of seeing Christ on the edge of this section of our soul ready to take it over and deliver us.
Third, through spiritual weaponry (like faith, prayer, meditating on His Word, the Bible, and /or fasting) the anchor of that stronghold is uprooted. For me the stronghold was the lie I had no value, God uprooted that ill-belief and replaced it with the truth that I have infinite unchanging value. One point on fasting, it is a tool that when God calls us to use it (He decision not ours), it can be extremely powerful. Itâs an act of faith that we are completely reliant on His Word for life. Matthew 17:19-21
Fourth, once the anchor is uprooted then there is a time (usually much longer) of restructuring and rebuilding, like when a land is taken over by a new regime it has to be established on their rules. As the rebuilding occurs in this certain area, many issues may spring up that are related to that area like anger, modeling (what we learned from our parents), and unforgiveness. Each one of these has to be addressed and replaced with truth and love. This work of rebuilding is Godâs. Our part is to seek His deliverance, listen to and obey His instruction, abide in His Word that cuts through our soul healing and restoring, pray, and hold onto His truth as itâs established in us.
After believing lies for so long it sometimes takes awhile for the truth to truly be ours. Because of the strong connections in our brain established from acting certain ways for so long, it sometimes takes awhile for us to act according to the deliverance that is happening in our soul. But once the anchor is uprooted, then we should see progress forward however slow. Building a new way of behaving requires great patience, trust and perseverance. It requires that we trust God who begun a good work in us will complete it (Philippians 1:6). As this area is rebuilt, God moves onto the next one to conquer. If we are diligent to heed His instruction, follow and trust in Him to do what He promises to do, we will experience true freedom in our soul. The good news is that once our core issue is addressed it resolves many other issues that came from it. Though, it may be a longer process initially, it is delivering us from many problems in our lives.
If you are struggling right now, perhaps it is the Spirit trying to get your attention. Ask and seek why you are going through what you are. Be aware of insights you have about your situation. Pray about them donât ignore or push them to the side. Dive into them. They may be God on the forefront ready to move and waiting for you to call Him in. Deliverance requires your involvement. Let His pure Word penetrate your heart, pray, meditate on His truth daily and follow His direction and He will take over and rebuild you into the new creation you are in Him.
In my experience this process can be painful at times as our depths are unraveled and exposed and it isnât instant by any means. It is a journey, sometimes taking years, but He is faithful to finish what He began. What are a couple of years compared to a lifetime of freedom? Most of us give up. Stop trusting. Stop seeking deliverance. Stop listening. Stop abiding in His Word. Donât give up. Believe God is good and desires you to be free. And remember it is God who starts, directs, and completes this journey. It is by the Spirit’s lead not our own initiative.
Matthew 7:11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
For the past couple of months the Holy Spirit has been teaching me various mindsets to have in order to be able to listen and follow to Him throughout the day. When we learn to listen and follow the Spirit, our lives become truly powerful as we are consciously connected to Him, operate according to His will not ours, and act in His strength not ours.
Celebrate Each Day
The first mindset the Spirit taught me is to celebrate each day because itâs the only one we have. We will never have the opportunities we have today to love, give, learn, impact someoneâs life and so on. We are to enjoy, embrace, and share what we have been given. We canât go back and repeat a day, what we make of it is what it will forever be, and what we do today affects tomorrow. When you consider the impact and finality of a day, itâs amazing most of us live like we can repeat them. Today is whatâs real, which leads me to the next lesson learned.
Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Stay in the Day
In my early twenties I tried to live by the phrase, live in the moment. Back then, it meant to enjoy each day and not get caught up in the past or future. But the Spiritâs recent instruction brought a bit of a different slant and importance to this mindset. When we are in the moment or stay in the day, as a friend calls it, we are more connected to the Spirit because that is where the Spirit is, therefore that is how we have a spirit-lead life. When our mind is elsewhere we arenât engaged with Him and not listening to His voice and instruction, which is what we need to live by. 2 Corinthians 10:5, 1 John 2:27
The past is done and the future is unknown, but many of us live in one or both of these places mentally and emotionally. The past does affect our current moments because what we experienced and choose put us where we are today, but too often we are bounded by it. And one common way is through un-forgiveness. For years I had un-forgiveness in the form of âjustified anger and painâ from things that happened in the past; it plagued my days sucking true life from them. When we donât forgive someone and harbor ill-will against them, then that affects our current decisions, mindset and health. Un-forgiveness is a thief of life, freedom and joy. But how do we forgive truly? For many years I wanted to forgive but couldnât. We forgive by the power of God working in us. As I cried out to God, He brought forgiveness into the depths of my soul, it was a process.
Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
The flip side is dwelling in the worries of an unknown future. (Blog I wrote on worry, Irrational Worry )We get caught up in worry about what might happen that we live this present moment in a future that doesnât exist and that also is a rancid thief. There is a balance between being responsible and making good decisions that affect the future, and being consumed with worry about it. The former comes from a mindset of trust the other from fear. To overcome consuming worry requires trust in God, the One who is sovereign over everything. Trusting God is the fruit of cultivating a relationship with Him. Only by spending time getting to really know Him, can we truly trust Him. When we do the worry begins to cease and trust takes over; trust in Him, His love for us and His promises. We need to be listening to the Spirit, not worrying.
Matthew 6:24 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
When we stay in the day, then we can attune to the Spiritâs active leading. When we engage Him it changes what happens in our lives as His direction is perfect and complete for us. Take time to invite the Spirit into your thought processes.
Mindset of Praise
The third mindset is to be praise-oriented, which means to praise God throughout the day for Him, His promises, the things around us, and so on. This mindset is the ultimate worship of God, because it is real, true, heart-felt, and active.
This mindset isnât about denial of whatâs happening. Itâs looking at a situation from a different perspective. For example, many are in the midst of a financial trial. This type of trial is a tremendous test and refinement of trust in Godâs ways not ours, His provision, and sovereignty. We can either dwell in the mindset of being frustrated and complaining, or recognize Godâs control and work, God taking care of our present needs, and seeking the Spiritâs counsel. Praise isnât to be forced or contrived, but real. God cares about the heart. And praise without denial glorifies God. It shows we know Him, trust Him that He is faithful to do what He promises. It reveals we understand His perfect love for us and working in our lives. To gain a heart of praise comes from truly knowing Him and trusting in Him and His promises.
When God is our God there is always a reason to praise because of His love and care for us. We may not feel that in the moment, but our feelings arenât reality. They are the sum of a whole host of things. The truth is the former.
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Connecting the Three Mindsets
A praise mindset helps us to celebrate each day and to stay in the day (so that we can be spirit-lead) because we are aware and thankful for what is right before us. We are outward focused not self-absorbed and therefore more readily available to listen to and be used by God.
Considering these new mindsets, how do you change your thought patterns? Have you ever tried? Itâs very difficult on our own. We donât do it; God does it in us. When God instructs us, and we heed His instruction then He enables us. God rewires our brains. He has done it many times in me. Our part is to pray and keep these truths always before us. Acts 5:32
Through this instruction, I realized how much Iâve missed out on by living in the past or living in the future. I realized how ineffective Iâve been by being absorbed in those and not listening to the Spirit because my mind was busy somewhere else. Those are powerful motivators to drive me forward in what the Spirit has taught me. God is amazing in how perfectly He instructs and leads us to walking in the abundant life He came to give.
These are some powerful New Years resolutions to consider if youâre looking for some.
The Word is perfectly intricate, like a huge puzzle that as we put it together, by the guidance of the Spirit, it teaches, reveals, and explains the things of God. One verse links to another through the words and symbolism. It’s complex and perfect. I’m coming across some intriguing similarities between what I see happening among Godâs people and what happened in the exodus out of Egypt. Here I’ll dive into some of them.
Exodus out of Egypt, House of Bondage
Egypt was once a place of refuge for Godâs people. Under Josephâs leadership, who is symbolic of Christ in various ways, Godâs people were protected and provided for while a famine consumed the land. Through Josephâs provision, Egypt had plenty of bread. During the Israelites stay, they grew in strength and in numbers. But as time passed, new rulers came into reign. Instead of helping the Israelites to prosper, they were hard task masters and put them under bondage. The Israelites were their workers to carry out their will. They were a large and free workforce for building the Egyptian empire. Egypt became spiritually know as the house of bondage. Exodus 13:14 The Israelites cried out to God because of the bondage, and in time God sent Moses. Moses not only delivered them but also ushered in a new covenant between God and His people.
Moses asked Pharaoh to let Godâs people go so they could serve God in the wilderness. Exodus 7:16 Pharaoh resisted as his heart was hardened. Moses performed signs and wonders and Pharaohâs magicians copied them trying to destroy the credibility of Moses. When Pharaoh continued to resist, God sent a barrage of plagues upon Egypt. The last plague was the angel of death passing through the land and killing all of the first born. Godâs people were saved from the plague by eating unleavened bread and by putting the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. Exodus 12:15, Exodus 12:7 When the angel of death passed through the land, the cries of the Egyptians filled the air and Pharaoh finally let them go. The Israelites left the house of bondage following the voice of their shepherd, Moses, into the wilderness where it was just them and God. God instructed, taught, lead, protected, and provided. Joshua 24:14, 17
The journey through the wilderness for the Israelites served the purpose of learning about God, His ways and learning to trust and follow Him alone. God became their God. When they got scared, they cried out and God provided. But when God wasnât providing as they desired, they wanted to go back to Egypt. They would be in bondage but at least they would be comfortable. But Moses encouraged them and God continue to show them His mercy. And for those who endured and trusted God at His Word, they entered into the Promise land.
Exodus out of the Corrupted Church System, House of Bondage
The Church System (CS), as a whole, was once a place of refuge for Godâs people. For a time, Godâs people grew in strength and in numbers, as the true bread, the Word, was plentiful. But as time passed and brought different leaders, new agendas came into play. They started to rule over Godâs people and the true bread started to disappear. The leaders became task masters putting church goers in bondage to carry out their will. In many situations it wasn’t done maliciously or intentionally, but came about because of a lack of focus on the pure Word. It was about âgoodâ works, programs, increasing numbers, and entertainment all in the name of God. All the while the CS grew strong and powerful, and mega churches became the new beastly goal. Cultivating true intimacy and discipleship with God in His Word was set aside for âgreaterâ efforts. In time, some of Godâs people cried out to God. And God responded by calling them out of bondage by Jesus, The Word, to meet with Him one-on-one in the wilderness to be taught, feed, protected and provided by Him. Ezekiel 34:22-27.
God is calling His people, the true Church, to Him in truth and spirit to His Word. Saints are gathering together in spirit to His Word as God is revealing Himself in powerful ways through His Word. Joe in Montana, Lucy in Nebraska, and John in Kentucky are leaving the CS that has become corrupted, clinging to Godâs Word and seeking like-minded believers. I see this growing movement throughout the blogs I read. God is calling His true Church together in an incredible and unexpected way. They are coming together in the wilderness, out of Egypt, the house of bondage. Some are gathering in homes or small fellowships where God is truly the head and where the Word of God is at the center â not programs, church empires, or pastorâs salaries.
Judgment is coming upon the Church System, and perhaps is already upon it, as it did upon Egypt. In Revelation, we see the spiritual connection between Egypt and Jerusalem. Revelation 11:8 Sodom is also included to give us another hint of what the future holds. In the Bible, Jerusalem often symbolizes Godâs people. This great city is called the Great Harlot in Revelation. Revelation 17:18 Throughout the Bible, God’s straying people are often referred to as harlots. It says she will be judged for her actions against God with plagues. Revelation 18:8. Interestingly, the plagues of Egypt and in Revelation have many similarities â and the language connects the two together to lead us to seek a deeper understanding. Ezekiel 6:11, 18:30, 24:21, Revelation 18:2-4
Just as Pharaoh resisted the call, so do many leaders in the churches and are leading many astray as people are mistakenly trusting in their counsel. Ezekiel 34:10 As Pharaohâs heart was hardened, so are the hearts of many so they canât hear or see the truth. Like the magicians, many false prophets are filling the churches to mislead people from the truth. Darkness is overtaking their understanding for a lack of love for the truth. They are working out of their own counsel and not Godâs. As a result, they are being given over to a strong delusion. 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 But those who attune to Godâs voice will be protected by Him. Those who truly have the blood of the lamb, reflected in a relationship with Christ (Matthew 7:22-23), and have been eating of the unleavened bread (pure word of God not infiltrated with the lies of men) will be sensitive to His call and be protected. Revelation 18:4. They know their Shepherdâs voice from abiding in His Word. They will follow Him into the wilderness (outside the church system) as the people followed Moses to be led by God and taught, provided and protected by Him. And God will provide in every way by His mighty hand.
Coming into the wilderness isnât easy. To hear the call to follow the Shepherd is sometimes filled with doubts and fears. And some are tempted to return back to the CS for comfort and ease as they rationalize the bondage. But being with God, taught by Him, provided and protected by Him is a glorious experience. John 6:44-45 It isnât one to fear but to embrace. And for those who do, they will not only be abiding with God because in the wilderness is where He is at, but they will see His mighty hand perform all things for them. Lamentations 2:7 I believe this journey leads into the promise land if we trust, follow and endure until the end.
Interesting isnât it? The parallel?
These are challenging days. Our protection is having a love for the truth. John 8:31-32 We are to abide in the pure Word of God and trust the Spirit to teach us, who was given to us for this purpose. 1 John 2:27. Itâs critical to have a foundation of truth in our lives built up by the Spirit so we can test otherâs interpretations. 1 John 4:1 If you put the Word of God above all else, then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free and keep you free. Psalm 17:4, 2 Timothy 4:3
Thanksgiving always begs the question, what are we thankful for? One gift our Father gives us is the Holy Spirit to teach, help, guide and counsel each one of us. John 14:15-17, 1 John 2:27
For years, I felt like God forgot me on this account. There were several reasons for this, but a couple were I really didnât ask (Luke 11:13) and I wasnât making an effort to listen. The Spirit is given to help us, but if we arenât seeking and listening weâll believe He isnât there at all.
This gift we have been given is tremendous. If youâve never stopped to listen to His counsel you may wonder â what is it like? Here is a quote I pulled off a fellow blogger’s site, RunHoly, from a woman and her experience of this gift;
âI know when the Lord is speaking to me because literally the air around me changes. There is a stillness that settles all my raging emotions and questions and simply bids me to be silent, listen, and consider what I hear. And then itâs almost as if it comes from the center of my beingâthe answer, the revelation, the instruction, and it is sealed in this definite place inside of me that I canât describe. I only know that I must do what Iâve been prompted to do. If I resist, I canât breathe, but when I say yes and obey, the most incredible sense of knowing and peace overtakes me, and the matter is settled once and for all.â âMichelle Mckinney Hammond
To learn to listen to the Spiritâs leading in our lives is an art especially these days with all the noise around us and in our heads. Cultivating this habit of being still and hearing the Spiritâs counsel is critical for several reasons:
The Spiritâs counsel:
⢠Is contrary to manâs wisdom
⢠Brings Godâs power into our actions
⢠Has fruitful outcomes
⢠Is different from manâs wisdom
The Bible is loaded with examples of these points but here are two that I recently read. In Luke 5:5, fishermen had been casting their nets all day and catching nothing. Jesus told them to cast the nets out one more time. But what would another cast do when all the previous ones turned up empty? According to the wisdom of the world, it would be stupid to waste time and energy doing exactly what you had done before and what you proved doesnât work, right? But at Jesusâ word, they cast their nets one more time and caught so much fish that their boat started to sink. The Spiritâs counsel is contrary to the worldâs and at His counsel things happen. When He tells us to do something itâs for a reason and when we act according to His instruction, we are acting in a power beyond ourselves. We accomplish what we could never do on our own.
If the Spirit tells us to do something and we donât or we arenât listening, we will miss out on the blessing. What if those fishermen just ignored Him? What if they listened but said â youâre crazy there arenât any fish Iâm tired and going home? Often, when we do hear His instruction, we donât realize it was His instruction and/or we talk ourselves out of following it because it doesnât resonate with the wisdom we know and miss out on the blessings. Godâs ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts and that is why itâs so important to develop the art of listening to the Spirit. God wants to do so much in our lives, but many arenât listening. And we have to listen to Him because His counsel is different from most counsel we receive. Many are praying and crying out to God, but are they listening to the instruction that will be an answer to their prayer?
Another great example is Joshua who sought and listened to Godâs counsel and the accomplishments in his life showed it. The time he didnât seek Godâs counsel in Joshua 9:14 and acted on his own judgment he was defeated. But when he sought Godâs counsel and obeyed it, God prospered all his efforts. It was tremendous the nations he conquered and the battles he won. But look at the crazy instructions God gave him, Jericho being a great example. Walking around a city blowing trumpets in order to conquer it? Doesnât seem like a very effective strategy by the worldâs definitions of logic. However, it brought the walls down and the Israelites took over the city. What unique counsel; not something manâs wisdom would suggest. But the oddity of Godâs guidance brought glory to whom glory and praise are due – God. There was no doubt it was Godâs doing. Listening to His instruction is for our good and His glory. Joshua 23:10, Judges 7:2
A main point of these two scenarios in Luke and Joshua and MANY others in the Bible where we see the uniqueness, contrary nature, power and outcomes of Godâs counsel is that we should seek His counsel and not our own. We need to learn to listen to the one He gave us to counsel us, the Holy Spirit. He uses different strategies and if we arenât listening we wonât know what they are and weâll act in our own judgment and we will live the consequences of it.
What does it mean to be lead by the Spirit? To listen to the Spirit? To seek His counsel? It means abiding in the entire Word of God to become personally aquainted with His voice to be able to discern it in our lives. It means cultivating the habit of being still in His presence, seeking His counsel, understanding confirmation and acting on it. Iâm finding this practice has MANY rewards as I’m learning to listen. When we are listening to His counsel for our lives and walking in it then we are doing His will and not our own of what we think we should do. We are walking in the spirit â literally walking according to His words.
God gave the Spirit to reside with us always to teach, counsel and guide. But if we never stop and listen, whatâs the point of this incredible gift? It is like having a present that you never open and use. He has given us the Spirit for our good, to help us and lead us where we need to go, and to fill our lives with actions done in Godâs power not ours.
This holiday season take time to consider this awesome gift and show true gratitude by cultivating the art of seeking and listening to His counsel. You never know what will happen â perhaps your nets will break or youâll conquer those seemingly impossible giants. Whatever it is youâll be acting in His power that is bound to blow your socks off.
I wrote this while ago . . . but it is worth reposting with a few additions . . .
The other night, I was talking with my husband about a teaching I heard on end times, one area where there seems to be more theories than mosquitoes on a summer night in the Deep South; all fighting for life. Okay maybe not that many, but sometimes it feels like it.
Christians seem to disagree more than agree about the various aspects of our faith. What gives us our name, Christ, we agree on but outside of Him most beliefs are up for discovery; end times, hell, salvation by election, prosperity, authority, role of women, and state of church to name a few. The array of denominations and new ones popping up testify to the extent of our dissentions, but that isn’t how it should be. 1 Corinthians 3:3-7
In this life, disagreement will always be there because we are all in the process of learning but it shouldnât divide us but unite. Dissensions can be beneficial in that they remind us not to put our trust in manâs words, doctrines or interpretations but to rely on God. The thoughts of man are futile, but Godâs Word is perfect pure truth. Psalm 94:11, 12:6
But if we are all reading the same Bible how can we have so many different theories?
For several reasons, but I think one is about trust. If we depend on God to be our Teacher of His Word and not humans we move closer to truth and not farther away. There is one truth and He wants us to know it. The problem is many believers trust people instead of God. Therefore you get a multitude of philosophies and interpretations. How many are learning from God verses from highly esteemed teachers who are just passing along their limited understanding? That system gets us further and further from the truth. It’s like the game of whispering a secret from ear to ear around a circle. In the end it is quite humorous because the statement is much different than how it started. You have to go back to the source to know what was really said. Dwelling in the Source, the Word, youâll start to see the multitude of lies out there being taught and believed by many.
Many believers arenât sitting alone with God and diving into the Word with the Spirit as their teacher. There is often the accompaniment of a teacher, commentary or study guide. Not that anything is wrong with these at certain times, but if we rely on them to show us the truth, we arenât relying on God and probably will be misled. Itâs necessary to be with God alone on a regular basis and spend significantly more time with Him listening to His pure words without manâs interpretation than any other source to establish Him as the source of truth in our lives.
In Matthew 23:8, 10 the titles teacher and Rabbi denote authority in the area of instruction. The Rabbi held an honorable place in the synagogues and he was seen as the authority and expert in spiritual matters. When Jesus came, He took the place of the teachers who held that superiority as noted in the verse. Christ alone became The Teacher having preeminence in instruction about Him and His kingdom. He gave each one of us the Holy Spirit to teach us. 1 John 2:27 The Spirit gives us understanding of passages, applies them to our lives, prompts us to dig deeper, and takes us into the depth of Godâs Words. If we trust Him to teach, ask for understanding and wait on His instruction, then He is faithful to teach us what we need to know when we need it know it. No one can teach us like He can because He knows exactly where we are at, how to build our understanding, write it on our hearts, and how to explain it so we understand. Jesus came and made everything personal including instruction. Galatians 1:11-12
In contrast, Paul tells us that God appointed teachers in the church. 1 Corinthians 12:28 However, this role doesnât contain the authority of what Jesus spoke about in the previous verse. If so the verses would be contradictory. Teachers among the brethren are simply that, our brethren. All they say is secondary to our Teacherâs words. Growing up I had two brothers. No doubt in certain areas they were knowledgeable and I could learn from them, but they didnât hold the authority, wisdom and overall instruction that my father did. Though they had points of enlightenment, they were young and immature like me and often lead me down the wrong path. It is the same within Godâs family. For a healthy family, our Father, God, should hold the role as the utmost Teacher in each one of our lives. Both canât hold first place. We need discernment in listening to others and that comes from spending time in the Word with the Spirit as our Teacher. Itâs critical for the strength of His body, the true church, that each one of us builds our foundations on Him and not each other. 2 Timothy 4:3
The Word says that each one of us should be able to teach. 2 Timothy 2:24 That skill is a hint to how we should be spending our time. Students learn from the Master teacher not other students. From our fellow comrades, we share an insight, see another side of an issue, or get confirmation, but we have One, who is our Teacher. Learning from others and disagreement can be healthy, enriching, and a wonderful experience as long as our trust is in God for the source of truth and not man.
Without Godâs Word no one can know the truth. There is one truth. The only way to gain truth is by spending time with Him alone one-on-one. I believe He designed it this way to draw us near to Him because He loves us. The one-on-one time builds trust and intimacy which lead us to fulfilling the first commandment and our ultimate eternal purpose â to abide with God in a unity of truth and love.
God isnât limited by our educational backgrounds. He is able to teach each one of us one-on-one. He is God after all. Yet, if we donât believe we wonât find. Our minds will be closed off and we wonât seek. We canât get frustrated by the diversity or throw our hands up and think, how can I know? That mindset is counter to Godâs will for us. We will never have the full picture but we can get continually closer. He wants us to know. He wants us to seek and to learn from Him. We have been given the Spirit to teach us and we need learn to hear His voice and to trust Him to do His job.
3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
Living Light 