Sorry it has taken so long to continue this series-- As I mentioned before, this post is part of a recap of a sermon given to us at River of Life by Emily Vallar a few weeks ago. She talked about how God talks to you. I am back again with the third "voice" that speaks to us, the Voice of God, the Holy Spirit.
The voice of the Holy Spirit is many things--
He is the voice of Comfort: Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you.
Joh 15:26 And when the Comforter has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He shall testify of Me.
The word for "comforter" here means--"an intercessor, consoler:--advocate, comforter."
Notice the Holy Spirit is teaching us all things, and bringing what we know to mind while He brings peace and comfort. He is "testifying" of Jesus--putting our focus back on the Lord and off ourselves.
The Voice of God, the Spirit can bring conviction and correction along with that same comfort:
Joh 16:7 But I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send Him to you.
Joh 16:8 And when that One comes, He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment.
The word for "convict" means--to confute, admonish:--convict, convince, tell a fault, rebuke, reprove.
Just as a loving Father would train and correct His children for their own growth and safety, the Holy Spirit will point out things that we need to change. No loving parent would let their child run wild without any discipline or training.
Here are some other quick aspects of the Voice of the Lord:
He can speak in stillness and quiet: Ps 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
He instructs us, doing so in the context of a relationship: Ps 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
He teaches us in His ways, that often don't make sense to our natural reasoning: 1Co 2:13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The Holy Spirit reveals things to us that we could not know: 1Co 4:5 For this reason let there be no judging before the time, till the Lord comes, who will make clear the secret things of the dark, and the designs of the heart; and then will every man have his praise from God.
The voice of the Holy Spirit is usually gentle, quiet, bringing peace and order, not confusion and anxiety. The Voice of the Holy Spirit reveals the true issues in our heart and the truth we need to change. He brings comfort and rest, conviction and revelation.
I will share more next time on ways we hear the Voice of the Lord. See you soon!
Friday, December 23, 2016
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
His Master's Voice-- How God Talks to You Part 2
I started this series yesterday on how God talks to you, based on a message I heard at Church from a Guest speaker, Emily Valler, who is preparing to be a YWAM (Youth With A Mission) medical missionary. Her message really spoke to me so I am summarizing it here so you can be blessed as well. She shared three sources that speak to us and seven ways God speaks to us. Yesterday I covered the way the Devil speaks to us. Please go back and read that if you can, it will help you know when you are under attack.
Today I am writing about the second source she described as speaking to us--our own fleshly human soul. She quoted "Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" The word for "deceitful" means "to rise up, crooked, deceitful, polluted" The word for "wicked" is frail, feeble, melancholy, desperate, incurable, sick." The fact that the verse ends with "who can know it?" tells that our capacity to understand truth with our own reasoning is flawed. How did that happen?
The human mind became corrupted by sin--we can not trust our human logic. Emily shared the story in Genesis 3:1-6 of how Eve was tempted by the devil, true, but he appealed to what her natural senses told her and obscured the command of God with the instincts of her own flesh. Here's the story below.
Ge 3:1 ¶ Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"
Ge 3:2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
Ge 3:3 "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
Ge 3:4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.
Ge 3:5 "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Ge 3:6 ¶ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Notice that the Devil appealed to her own power of reasoning--she could decide for herself better than God. He appealed to her desire for power, independence, wisdom and pleasure. This is the nature of our flesh--it craves autonomy from God and prefers reasoning over God's truth.
This fleshly voice seeks comfort and pleasure--such as when people use drugs or food for comfort rather than the comfort of the Lord.
This fleshly voice would rather figure out a plan and then pray for blessing instead of seeking God for what He wants.
This fleshly voice says, "we cannot possibly pay tithes til we can afford it" even though God has promised blessing if we obey.
This fleshly voice says " I can not forgive--what they have done is so evil, even if in light of Christ's sacrifice and forgiveness, God promises freedom and healing.
Gal. 5 sums up the nature of the flesh and the motivations that will continually speak to us from our own soul:.
Ga 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
Ga 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
Ga 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
Ga 5:21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
This is a picture of our flesh in a nutshell--how do we avoid listening to the voice of our own flesh that seeks its own power, pleasure and comfort?
Ga 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.--We who have been born again have the real power and nature of Christ in us. He is also speaking to us and we choose to hear his voice above all the others we are bombarded with. More on this tomorrow.
Today I am writing about the second source she described as speaking to us--our own fleshly human soul. She quoted "Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" The word for "deceitful" means "to rise up, crooked, deceitful, polluted" The word for "wicked" is frail, feeble, melancholy, desperate, incurable, sick." The fact that the verse ends with "who can know it?" tells that our capacity to understand truth with our own reasoning is flawed. How did that happen?
The human mind became corrupted by sin--we can not trust our human logic. Emily shared the story in Genesis 3:1-6 of how Eve was tempted by the devil, true, but he appealed to what her natural senses told her and obscured the command of God with the instincts of her own flesh. Here's the story below.
Ge 3:1 ¶ Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"
Ge 3:2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
Ge 3:3 "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
Ge 3:4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.
Ge 3:5 "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Ge 3:6 ¶ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Notice that the Devil appealed to her own power of reasoning--she could decide for herself better than God. He appealed to her desire for power, independence, wisdom and pleasure. This is the nature of our flesh--it craves autonomy from God and prefers reasoning over God's truth.
This fleshly voice seeks comfort and pleasure--such as when people use drugs or food for comfort rather than the comfort of the Lord.
This fleshly voice would rather figure out a plan and then pray for blessing instead of seeking God for what He wants.
This fleshly voice says, "we cannot possibly pay tithes til we can afford it" even though God has promised blessing if we obey.
This fleshly voice says " I can not forgive--what they have done is so evil, even if in light of Christ's sacrifice and forgiveness, God promises freedom and healing.
Gal. 5 sums up the nature of the flesh and the motivations that will continually speak to us from our own soul:.
Ga 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
Ga 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
Ga 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
Ga 5:21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
This is a picture of our flesh in a nutshell--how do we avoid listening to the voice of our own flesh that seeks its own power, pleasure and comfort?
Ga 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.--We who have been born again have the real power and nature of Christ in us. He is also speaking to us and we choose to hear his voice above all the others we are bombarded with. More on this tomorrow.
Monday, December 12, 2016
His Master's Voice---How God Talks to You--Part 1
The guest speaker at our church was Emily Valler--an ER trauma nurse who is leaving everything to become a YWAM missionary. Her topic was: How God Talks to You. She identified three sources that speak to our soul, and then seven ways that God speaks to us.
The first source she identified was the way the Devil speaks to you. She said the voice of the Enemy will bring Obsession (a thought you can't get away from), Condemnation(feeling like there is no way out, hopeless) Discouragement (lack of courage and strength) Guilt (guilt should go once it is confessed and repented of--the Enemy's guilt will not relent) Shame (a feeling of being unloveable or unworthy). The voice of the Enemy will be pushy--urgent and demanding. It will make you feel as if there is no room for error or mercy for mistakes. The voice of the Enemy will question and contradict scripture. He will twist what people say, and isolate you.
I hadn't started writing down her scripture references at that point in the message but I did find one on my own: 1Pe 5:8 ¶ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
1Pe 5:9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
His primary attack is to speak into people's minds and get them away from the love of God.
Emily stated that we need to be aware that we have an Enemy, acknowledge that he has demonic forces who seek to destroy us. If we know we have an enemy, we can learn to recognizet his warfare against us and learn to reject it.
This message is so good, and so helpful because I don't aways consider WHY I feel down or discouraged or examine my thought process to see if in fact I am thinking true things.
I am going to share the rest of the message in installments because it is so good!
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Safety in Joy
Php 3:1 ¶ Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.
Chris died a week ago. The picture of my mind, of seeing her on the ground, touching a hand that was so smooth and cool, brushing her hair--her face, peaceful, surrounded by leaves in her front yard. I said good-bye--I wanted to freeze that moment. I wanted to tell her more. I wanted to tell her how much I admired and even envied her. I wanted to rewind things and stop by for more beers, stay longer at family gatherings, I wanted to look her in the eyes so many more times. In my mind, I am still standing there, next to her peaceful body, wondering what she would do.
I can try to fill some of her steps, but not her shoes. I see part of her shining light coming out in new people in new ways. Other's stepping up. Finding undiscovered strength that she had poured into them.
Joy is not lack of pain. Joy is not lack of lack of sorrow. Joy is knowing that pain and sorrow is not the ultimate victor. Joy is not a feeling--it is raw strength to get through. When your joy is a side effect of knowing Christ--it is pressing against the pain, whispering that He who is greater can conquer the grief. He can transform it, but he does it secretly, in the background.
The safety in Joy is that it comes from outside you, comes inside you through a close relationship with Christ. It has a life of it's own, warring against the infections of dispair and depression and hopelessness. It is a part of God working inside you, working against the grief that threatens to engulf you.
I choose to rejoice in the Lord. I choose to be grateful for Chris in almost 48 years of my life. I choose to take up her example of blessing, her example of using her talents without fear or doubt in order to make things better for others. I choose to Bless the Lord because dispite what I feel and see, He is good and will set in place all I need to overcome, and to see her one day.
I love you, Chrissy-poo. See you soon.
Chris died a week ago. The picture of my mind, of seeing her on the ground, touching a hand that was so smooth and cool, brushing her hair--her face, peaceful, surrounded by leaves in her front yard. I said good-bye--I wanted to freeze that moment. I wanted to tell her more. I wanted to tell her how much I admired and even envied her. I wanted to rewind things and stop by for more beers, stay longer at family gatherings, I wanted to look her in the eyes so many more times. In my mind, I am still standing there, next to her peaceful body, wondering what she would do.
I can try to fill some of her steps, but not her shoes. I see part of her shining light coming out in new people in new ways. Other's stepping up. Finding undiscovered strength that she had poured into them.
Joy is not lack of pain. Joy is not lack of lack of sorrow. Joy is knowing that pain and sorrow is not the ultimate victor. Joy is not a feeling--it is raw strength to get through. When your joy is a side effect of knowing Christ--it is pressing against the pain, whispering that He who is greater can conquer the grief. He can transform it, but he does it secretly, in the background.
The safety in Joy is that it comes from outside you, comes inside you through a close relationship with Christ. It has a life of it's own, warring against the infections of dispair and depression and hopelessness. It is a part of God working inside you, working against the grief that threatens to engulf you.
I choose to rejoice in the Lord. I choose to be grateful for Chris in almost 48 years of my life. I choose to take up her example of blessing, her example of using her talents without fear or doubt in order to make things better for others. I choose to Bless the Lord because dispite what I feel and see, He is good and will set in place all I need to overcome, and to see her one day.
I love you, Chrissy-poo. See you soon.
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