If any form of emotional and experiential Christianity is not based on Scripture, it is nothing more than New Age mysticism. And if any form of Christianity is entirely cerebral and has no impact on real Word experience, it is nothing more than an empty shell. People of the Word must also be people of the Spirit, and people of the Spirit must also be people of the Word.
The Word of God is not called "the sword of the Christian." It is call the sword of the Spirit. In other words, it belongs to the Spirit. He alone can wield it properly. Without the illumination that the Holy Spirit brings, the Bible is just black ink on white paper.
At the end of Jesus's earthly ministry as He was preparing to die on the cross, He told His disciples, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit is not a doctrine or denomination or optional experience reserved for only a few Christians. Hearing the voice of God is actually hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
The more we give the Holy Spirit's presence a place of honor in our lives, the more sensitive we become to His voice. It's this fellowship and communion with the Holy Spirit that sharpens our spiritual sensitivity and makes our hearts better able to hear the voice of the Lord when He speaks to us.
I have often been asked, "Why doesn't God speak to me?" I think many times the reason is so simple - we aren't listening! We are often so busy and in such a hurry that we rush right past the Lord and never stop to give Him our attention. I wonder how often we miss an encounter with God or a word from heaven simply because we are too busy to take the time to "turn aside."
Prayer is not about making lengthy lists of requests for God and continually chattering for as long as possible. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to be quiet and listen! Francois Fenelon said, "A humility that is still talkative doesn't run very deep." Learn to become quiet in the presence of the Lord, in a posture of humility and awe, and tune your spiritual ears to His voice.
Daniel Kolenda, Live before you die
The Word of God is not called "the sword of the Christian." It is call the sword of the Spirit. In other words, it belongs to the Spirit. He alone can wield it properly. Without the illumination that the Holy Spirit brings, the Bible is just black ink on white paper.
At the end of Jesus's earthly ministry as He was preparing to die on the cross, He told His disciples, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit is not a doctrine or denomination or optional experience reserved for only a few Christians. Hearing the voice of God is actually hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
The more we give the Holy Spirit's presence a place of honor in our lives, the more sensitive we become to His voice. It's this fellowship and communion with the Holy Spirit that sharpens our spiritual sensitivity and makes our hearts better able to hear the voice of the Lord when He speaks to us.
I have often been asked, "Why doesn't God speak to me?" I think many times the reason is so simple - we aren't listening! We are often so busy and in such a hurry that we rush right past the Lord and never stop to give Him our attention. I wonder how often we miss an encounter with God or a word from heaven simply because we are too busy to take the time to "turn aside."
Prayer is not about making lengthy lists of requests for God and continually chattering for as long as possible. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to be quiet and listen! Francois Fenelon said, "A humility that is still talkative doesn't run very deep." Learn to become quiet in the presence of the Lord, in a posture of humility and awe, and tune your spiritual ears to His voice.
Daniel Kolenda, Live before you die
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