Published by admin on 13 May 2011 at 04:45 pm
HEARING THE HOLY SPIRIT
Through the years many have told me they don’t know how to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. In the days of the Old Testament, only the King, Priest, or Prophet heard the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of God came upon them, but the average person was not anointed to hear from God. Only when the Holy Spirit decided to speak to someone were they able to hear Him. But that changed on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell upon those believers in the upper room after Christ Jesus arose from the dead. From that day onto now, the Holy Spirit is available to those who are seeking God.
Today, we not only have the Holy Spirit upon us, we have Him IN us as well. In the old days, when you needed to know something from God, you went to the local prophet, and he would tell you, because the Holy Spirit had not been made available to all believers yet. Today, with the Holy Spirit inside us, we no longer are to seek a prophet to guide us, for the Holy Spirit himself will guide us IF we will listen. True, God may send someone to us to prophesy a word over us if He chooses to do so, but that is not how the Lord normally works. It is written in Romans 8:14; For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Notice it does NOT say, For as many are led by the prophets of God, they are the sons of God. Many have got off into error these days by still seeking to be led by a prophet. The purpose of the prophet is not the same today as it was in the Old Testament, in that since that day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples, God chooses to lead His children by the inward voice of the Holy Spirit. Can people prophesy today by the gift of the Holy Spirit? Yes. But are there still prophets today? Only for the purpose of confirming what the Holy Spirit has already told the believer. The church is not instructed to ordain Apostles and Prophets. Yet some churches still do so in spite of the fact it is not Biblical.
It is one thing to be led by someone telling you what to do, but it is another thing altogether to be led by the inward witness of the Holy Spirit inside you. Having the Holy Spirit inside is much better! You can have an answer to your question anytime, anywhere, and you don’t have to search for someone who might have the answer….or might NOT have the correct answer.
It is written in Proverbs 20:27, The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly. Man is a spirit, he has a soul, and he lives in a body. The Bible tells us that God is a Spirit. He speaks spirit to spirit, that is, His Holy Spirit speaks to the spirit of man in us. God gives the Holy Spirit unto us so He can communicate openly with our spirit. We know the spirit of man in us speaks to our mind and gives voice to our flesh. So, a man or woman filled with the Holy Spirit of God can hear His voice speaking to their spirit, which we will call the “inward witness”. I have only heard an audible voice of the Holy Spirit twice in my life, and it nearly scared the wits out of me. When people ask me how I know God speaks to me, I tell them He speaks with the Holy Spirit within me, which speaks to my spirit, and of course my mind hears.
Many are led by the voice of the flesh. We see that all the time. If you don’t have the Holy Spirit living inside you, then the only way you are led is by your own spirit speaking to your mind. Sadly, there are many people in the church who don’t have the Holy Spirit, and they are trying to lead the church, and it’s like the blind leading the blind. It’s important to know the Holy Spirit will always agree with the Word of God. It amazes me how someone who says they have the Holy Spirit can come up with doctrine that is completely off from the Word of God.
And that brings me to a subject near and dear to my heart, which is healing. One only needs to study the ministry of the Lord Jesus to see clearly He was led by the Holy Spirit. In fact, it is written in Luke 4:18-19, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Acts 10:38 says, How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Here we have it, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost, and He healed the sick. So there’s no question there that it is God’s will to heal the sick. Yet, some would still argue that it isn’t always God’s will to heal, and they use the fact that many who have sought healing from God have died anyway. This is where the ministry of the Holy Spirit comes in. There is no question to me that it is always God’s will to heal, nor is there any question to me that it is always God’s will to save the lost soul. BUT, God gives every person free will, and often that free will overrides God’s best will and purposes for us. We clearly see that many die unsaved, even though it is the divine will of God that all be saved, and we see many die sick, even though it is not God’s will they do so.
Lacking the guidance of the inward witness of the Holy Spirit, we are subject to be led astray by the doctrines of men. And even though God makes the Holy Spirit available to all believers today, He does not force us to LISTEN!! Some churches teach God does not heal today. So what happens? They raise up a generation of sick people who do not believe God heals. Some have told me they have felt the leading of the Holy Spirit that they should be healed, that healing BELONGS to them by covenant right, but their church elders have told them that Jesus suffered, and therefore, they should suffer. And they never lay claim to their healing, even though the Holy Spirit was trying to lead them into their healing. So sad.
The point I’m making here is to be led by the Holy Spirit of God, not the doctrines of men. If you spend enough time reading and studying the Holy Bible, you will see that healing belongs to you, it was bought and paid for by the Lord Jesus, and He intends you to enjoy your health all the days of your life. Hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit is easy, but I’m willing to bet the voice of your mind will argue with Him, for you have been taught many things contrary to the Bible during your lifetime. The Holy Spirit will confirm God’s Word to you every time, but yet each and every one of us is faced with the choice whether to do what the Holy Spirit leads or to do what our mind wants to do. The Spirit and our flesh are at opposites with one another, and you will NEVER come to a point where the Spirit and your flesh will agree, no matter how many years we walk with the Lord. Therefore, to be blessed in our doings, we must learn to tell the voice of the flesh to sit down and shut up, and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit instead.
The Holy Spirit within us will always lead us in the way we should go. I’m sure you’ve had what we would call a “check in the spirit”, something that just didn’t feel right at the time, when faced with a decision. Maybe it was a financial matter, where someone wanted you to buy something or invest in something, but “it just didn’t feel right”. That was the Holy Spirit giving you warning. Maybe you listened, maybe not. Maybe you went ahead and did it anyway, only to regret it later. That is part of the process of learning to hear and OBEY the Holy Spirit. He is in there to help you, not hinder you. God knows what will happen as a result of your every choice, and He gives us the Holy Spirit so we may profit withal.
Learning to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit requires getting God involved with your every decision. Does He want to help you decide what to eat for breakfast? I’m not sure about that, but I know He wants to bless your life, and for that to happen, you have to be in a position to hear His directions. It’s like listening to a radio, you have to tune in and be quiet. There are many voices out there, and you have to tune out every voice that isn’t the one you want to hear. It’s a simple process, but most people won’t do it. No, they will just listen to any old thing that comes to them, and hope they pick the right thing. There’s a much easier way. The next time you’re faced with a decision, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you. Of course, that means if HE is leading you, then YOU aren’t leading you. That’s the trick to it. The Holy Spirit is definitely available to help you. Will you let Him lead you? Will you listen and obey? If so, all your ways will be blessed, you will have peace in your life, you will be well and He will give you good success.
It’s all about listening, for you can hear the Holy Spirit if you choose to. It’s a matter of ignoring every voice that is contrary to the Holy Bible and following Him only. We all know the voice of the devil is easy to hear, for he shouts the way that leads to destruction loud and clear, and much of the world follows him. The voice of the Holy Spirit is a still, small voice, and we must listen for it. And once we’ve heard, we must obey. Be quick to hear, quick to obey, and you’ll be quick to be blessed. We have the Holy Spirit available to us, which the people of the Old Testament did not have, to help us in every area of our lives. Let’s not waste that privilege!
If you do not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, the Lord says you only need ask of Him, and He will send the Holy Spirit to dwell forever in you, to lead you into all His truth.
Lorie Leahy on 14 May 2011 at 6:34 am #
Thank-you Jerry for this encouragement. It is good to have “pep talks”. Every day is an adventure to an unknown future and I need the Holy Spirit to help me make good choices.
Lorie
frank dellino on 15 May 2011 at 12:31 pm #
so many churchs and ministries do not make it clear as to how to hear from the Holy Spirit.I know that you do,and i am greatful to have met you and your wife in 2003.God bless you both.
frank and deanna and david
Dr. John E. Russell on 16 May 2011 at 9:53 pm #
Brother Jerry,
Good teaching. Keep up the good work!
The time you ministered to Carolyn and me in Branson is still in my memory. You were a blessing.
John
Kyle on 15 Aug 2013 at 5:20 pm #
It sound like the prosperity gospel..and you will have success in all that you do? Yo the Holy Spirit isn’t hear to help us..we are going to suffer for the gospel and that’s biblical!
Jerry’s reply: God says if you obey Him you WILL prosper. See Deuteronomy 28:1-14, but read the rest of the chapter to see what happens if you DON’T obey. Yes, you will SUFFER! But, you DO bring up a good point, Kyle, we will suffer persecution for the Gospel’s sake, for the devil is against the Word, and if we have the Word in us, he is after us. BUT…greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. Don’t forget that part. We are to be overcomers, and overcomers win, howbeit with effort and the strength of the Holy Spirit. You say the Holy Spirit isn’t here to help us? Wherever did you get THAT??
Kyle on 15 Aug 2013 at 5:20 pm #
Hear to bless us*
Billie Jo on 27 Aug 2014 at 5:41 pm #
God bless you for writing the truth. I was and have been feeling like I don’t have the Holy Spirit in me because I haven’t stopped smoking and also have a weakness for one other unmentioned thing. I have prayed, cried, asked for mercy, try to stop but haven’t been able too. I feel confused and unworthy. I am saved and have had the self control to stop many other things in my past that kept me in chains. I decided to look tonight on the internet about how do I know if the Holy Spirit is in me and clicked on your blog. I will continue to ask the Holy Spirit to lead me and Keep my faith in Him.
Katherine on 14 May 2022 at 6:27 pm #
I am a worship pastor, and in 2020 had some incredible spiritual things happen to me. They led up to the voice that I hear 24/7 through the Holy Spirit. It’s palpable, so I can hold someone’s hand and they can feel the speaking vibrations. I have gone through a time of great repentance and strengthening. I have seen miracles happen from the Lord! There’s so much more to share but I believe God is refining His children and calling us to put Him first in our lives again. To be men and women of His word and of prayer. We are to serve Him with our life!