| Author | Message | ||
| Lydell |
Colleen, I noticed your comment on a recent thread about the indwelling Holy Spirit being a recent revelation to you, and that it has changed how you see things. (Can't remember your exact words there.) I can identify with what you said there. And the analogy that occurred to me some time ago was that it was like I wake up one morning and walk into my living room to find my husband putting the final touches on a beautiful oil painting. I exclaim with surprise and delight, "I didn't know you could paint." He just smiles at me and replies that his paintings are all around me. And as I walk through my home I discover it is true, everywhere I can now see his signature on paintings. Then I rush to tell my friends about my wonderful discovery and they react with surprise, "why didn't you know? He is the greatest painter the world has ever known. He's also a sculptur, song writer, musician, poet..." and the list goes on. It just seems that he is constantly doing something that makes me stand back with surprise and say, "wow Lord, I didn't know you did that sort of thing." It's just a precious thing to know that the sweet presence of God is literal HERE rather than up on a throne looking down. | ||
| Colleentinker |
Lydellóthat's a great analogy! I remember that you did post that idea some time ago, didn't you? It's such a great way to explain the amazing discovery of the Holy Spirit being here, in me, and I've just recently figured that out! You know, it's such a wonderful and amazing thing to discover that I actually feel love for Jesus! | ||
| Lydell |
Oops, sorry to repeat it then! Middle-aged brain at work! But it is just such fun to have Him surprise us. The pastor's sermon today was concerning the only solution to people finding meaning in their often pain filled lives is by walking in the very presence of God. When we do that, He can then interpret everything that has happened in our lives. By the way, a friends' uncle accepted Christ today....and we had always believed him to be one very! hard person to crack! But when you come into a service where the presence of God is... | ||
| Lynn W |
Lydell, Praise God for the friend's uncle. "Nothing is difficult for Him." | ||
| Annette |
How do you KNOW when the Holy Spirit is leading you? How do you recognize His leading over your own ideas and thoughts? | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
Annette: Good question. Let Jesus answer: "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever -- the Spirit of truth." John 14:14-16, NIV. The key: Obeying the commands of Jesus. If you are doing this -- loving your neighbor, loving your enemies, not returning evil for evil, shunning sexual immorality, and all the other moral imperatives found throughout the New Testament -- you will know that it is the Counselor (Holy Spirit) that Jesus sent to you, and to all of us, who is leading you and not your own ideas and thoughts. God love you always, Jude | ||
| Susan |
Annette, Jude is correct in pointing you to the scripture. This is how we can be sure that the Holy Spirit's leading is correct. The Holy Spirit would never convict us or lead us in a way that contradicts scripture. As we grow in the word, the truths of God become more clear and things that are conterfit, send up red flags for us. Also, as we grow in our walk with God (through prayer and study of the word) we are promised the wisdom of God. It's not a wisdom in the worldly sense, but rather a wisdom of things that unbelievers can never comprehend. Eph.1:17-20 "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly relms," This is an awesome kind of power, that is promised to believers, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit! May God bless you Annette! Just keep praying. I'm discovering that's really the most important thing. |
