A Voice Worth Listening To

Listen carefully, or you might miss it. It could come when you have faith and expectation for it to come, but it can also come when you least expect it, and that's when you have to be listening. The impressions, or speakings, of the Holy Spirit are a large part of our communication with God, on par with the reading of the Word and prayer. Just as the silent thoughts of our prayers are made known to God in heaven, God makes known His "silent" thoughts to us here on earth through the power of the Spirit dwelling in us.

When you should expect it --

"When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say" (Luke 12:11-12).

And when you might not --

"When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come" (John 16:13).

"And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance" (Acts 2:4).

That is not to say you're going to be walking through the grocery store and start speaking in tongues to the deli lady, but it does mean you will feel impressions from the Spirit at times you don't feel particularly “spiritual,” and there's a good chance you will not feel like doing whatever the Spirit is telling you to do, unless you have trained yourself to love the voice. This is where walking in the Spirit really occurs. The guarantee is that the message the Spirit delivers will be clear; any confusion is caused by your own denial and unwillingness. I’ll venture to say that you probably will not hear an audible voice, but you will know what you are supposed to do. You have most likely felt it before, whether or not you have acted on it. It could be as simple as starting up a conversation with someone you’ve never met before, or it could be as monumental as evangelizing to and leading someone to Christ. The form is not guaranteed, but when God has chosen you to play a specific role, He will never fail to reveal that plan to you when the time comes. It could be long term, or it could be spur of the moment. Listen, and you’ll hear it.

Listen, and obey it. Sacrifice your own comfort and build up rewards in heaven, and sometimes even rewards here on earth. Think of the friendships that could form, the insight that could be learned, the feeling of intimacy with God that could be obtained, the revolution that could be started, all as a result of listening and obeying when the Holy Spirit speaks. He's always there. He'll speak if you ask, and He'll speak if you don’t. If you have a time for prayer each day, it’s a good idea to add on some extra time before or after to clear your mind and just listen. It’s a discipline that requires practice, because of our mind’s tendency to wander toward thoughts. It is when we are most silent that the Holy Spirit will speak most loudly and clearly into our lives.

"And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him" (Acts 5:32).