Experiencing God's Presence #281

Experiencing God's Presence #281

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.

John 16:13

We hear voices. They aren’t audible voices—at least not for most of us. But despite their subtleties, we have the ability within us to hear three distinct messengers: our own thoughts, God’s voice, and the adversary’s lies. The problem is that all three voices clothe themselves in our own vocabulary and speech patterns. They sound like us. If we aren’t discerning, we can hardly tell the difference.

That’s where the Spirit of truth comes in. He is the arbiter among these voices, distinguishing His own from ours and the enemy’s. If we listen to Him, the flaws in our own thinking are revealed and the lies of the evil one are exposed. The more we focus on His truth, the more we recognize the variations from it. Intimacy with Him makes voices clearer.

As always, our question in matters like this is “how.” We want a step-by-step pathway to cultivate intimacy with Him and to hear His voice. Entire books have been written on the ways God speaks, though His ways can’t be limited to a finite number of pages. But as usual, God’s answer to our “how” is “keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking.” Don’t look for steps; look to a Person. Pursue Him in faith. Ask the Spirit to be an alarm signal in your heart to alert you to false perceptions and to clothe His words in such vitality that they come alive as you hear them. Expect Him to do verbal surgery within you, separating corrupted and cancerous ideas from the life-giving inspiration He gives. You may never notice His process, but you’ll see the results: a greater discernment and sensitivity to His leading. It’s a promise. The Spirit will guide you into all truth.

Holy Spirit, only You can sort out the voices in my mind, and I’m trusting You to do that. You promised to keep me from deception and to lead me in truth. Please fill me with the ideas and inspiration of Your heart and Your Kingdom.