When you think of the Holy Spirit coming, what do you typically think of? Is there more to the joys of being filled with the Spirit than acquiring a prayer language?
Often, it is easy to only think of Acts 2 and flames of fire when discussing the Holy Spirit. Sure, it’s the first recorded event of the Spirit coming. But that’s not the only place we can learn about the Spirit.
For example, look at John 16:13,
But when the truth-giving Spirit comes, he will unveil the reality of every truth within you. He won’t speak on his own, but only what he hears from the Father, and he will reveal prophetically to you what is to come. John 16:13
The Passion Translation
The Holy Spirit is a truth giver. He helps you to know what God is saying and to discern what is good and right. Along with speaking in tongues (prayer language), we get a guiding light.
If you think back on your life, I believe you will find many times that the Holy Spirit has helped you make a decision or prevented you from making a horrible mistake. I know that He has done that for me throughout my entire life. Whether it was a life-threatening car accident or deciding whether to attend a camp my freshman year, He’s helped me in it all.
Truth is one of the most important things to live on. Without truth, you will find yourself confusing and hurting those around you, sometimes even yourself. That’s why it is so important to listen when He is trying to teach you. He’s not going to lie to you, and the scriptures already told you that all His words are from the Father. We know full well that God loves us more deeply than we can imagine.
Do you struggle with simply listening? It can be challenging to just stop and wait before making a decision. We’ve so convinced ourselves that everything has to be done right away or we’ll miss out on something. But taking some time to just be with God helps us make better decisions. Sometimes, taking that time is just so that you can differentiate between the feeling of what you want and the feeling of what God wants.
It’s not impossible to listen to God. My freshman year of high school my best friend invited me to go to theatre camp with him. I was super excited, and my parents had already told me I could go. The only yes I needed was God’s and I was set. For weeks I was so certain I was going to go, but I still prayed and waited to confirm. After praying about it for a few weeks, when I’d think about attending the camp, my stomach would become uneasy. That’s when I knew I wasn’t supposed to go to camp. I was disappointed to say the least, but I was not ashamed to tell him that I couldn’t go because God didn’t want me to. I have no idea what could have happened if I’d gone, but I know God had different plans for me at that time, I just had to listen.
Listening to God can be as simple as acknowledging the uneasiness like I did in that situation. Or it could be listening to a small voice that tells you what you need to do. Maybe something will stand out to you on a sign or in a book and God will use that. Don’t box God in. Allow Him to speak to you and open your ears to hear it.
Are you ready to just take some time and listen to God? We will always have decisions to make, and whether we think they are big or small, they all affect some part of our lives. I pray that you will listen to the truth-giving Spirit and find wisdom in each situation.
