Matthew 16:1-3 NKJV Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. (2) He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; (3) and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.
Ephesians 5:15-17 AMPC Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), (16) Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil. (17) Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.
Colossians 1:9-10 AMPC For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make [special] request for you, [asking] that you may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things– (10) That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition].
Let’s establish two things in this:
- You are a spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 NLT (23) Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
Hebrews 4:12 NIV For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
- The spirit is made new at the New Birth.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
- Our souls must be saved after we are Born Again.
James 1:21 AMP So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls.
Romans 12:2 NKJV And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
- We present our bodies as a living sacrifice.
Romans 12:1 NLT And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice–the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.
1 Corinthians 9:27 NLT I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
- God lives in you.
1 John 4:15 AMP Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he [abides, lives, makes his home] in God.
- God will guide us and lead us through our recreated human spirits.
Proverbs 20:27 NIV The human spirit is the lamp of the LORD that sheds light on one’s inmost being.
Your recreated spirit is a safe guide for you to follow, but how?
- The first way that God is going to speak to us is through His written Word.
2 Peter 1:16-21 NKJV For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. (17) For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (18) And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. (19) And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; (20) knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, (21) for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
- The second way God will lead you is through the inward witness.
Romans 8:16 NKJV The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
- His Spirit, God’s Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we are His children.
There is a knowing that is right down on the inside of you.
If He will bear witness in our spirits about being Born Again, the most important decision that we could have possibly made, then surely, He will bear witness about all of the decisions in our lives.
Colossians 3:15 AMP And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].
God will lead you in this way as you pursue a “peaceful knowing” in your spirit.
He will also warn you of impending danger or harm in the same way.
- The third way that He will lead you is through the inward voice or the voice of your recreated human spirit.
Sometimes we call this our conscience. We sometimes refer to this as the still, small voice of the Lord.
Let’s look at the working of our conscience.
- The Holy Spirit does not convict us of sin. It is OUR SPIRIT that convicts us of sin in our lives.
1 John 3:20-21 GNB If our conscience condemns us, we know that God is greater than our conscience and that he knows everything. (21) And so, my dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have courage in God’s presence.
- The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin.
John 16:7-9 NKJV Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. (8) And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (9) of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
- It is very important that we remain tenderhearted, especially in the things of God.
1 Timothy 4:1-2 AMP BUT THE [Holy] Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach, (2) Through the hypocrisy and pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared (cauterized),
Unless you keep a tender conscience, spiritual things will become indistinct to you.
Your conscience is the voice of your spirit and it is your conscience that will relate to your mind what the Spirit of God is saying to you in your heart.
- The fourth way that God will lead you is by the voice of the Holy Spirit.
This way is the more authoritative voice of the Holy Spirit versus the still small voice of your spirit.
Acts 10:19-21 NKJV While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. (20) Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.” (21) Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”
This can almost seem like it is audible, but it is not. It is the Holy Spirit in your spirit speaking to you.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 AMP (21) But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.
Always remember that the Bible teaches that the Spirit of God and the Word of God agree. Anytime that the Spirit of God speaks to you, it will always be in line with the Word.
1 John 5:7 NKJV For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
We are not to seek voices. We should not follow voices. WE SHOULD FOLLOW THE WORD OF GOD.
How Do We Become More Spiritually Sensitive?
- Give the Word of God first place.
This means that the Word has final authority in your life over what you see, feel, or hear.
God gave us our five physical senses and they are great if they don’t contradict the Word of God. The moment that they do contradict the Word, you must choose to go with the Word instead of what they say to you.
Isaiah 55:6-11 NKJV Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. (7) Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. (8) “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. (9) “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. (10) “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, (11) So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, (17) so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Hebrews 4:12 NIV For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Don’t let the Word of God be an afterthought or the LAST RESORT!
Make it the first thing you go to.
- Meditate in the Word of God.
Joshua 1:8 AMP This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.
The Word of God shall not depart out of your mouth… To meditate means to mutter or speak to yourself.
If you ever want to do anything great in life, if you ever want to amount to anything in life, take time to meditate in the Word of God.
Psalms 1:1-3 NKJV Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; (2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. (3) He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
- Practice the Word of God
We have many “talkers of the Word,” and even “rejoicers about the Word,” but there aren’t very many “Doers of the Word.”
James 1:22-25 NKJV But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (23) For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; (24) for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. (25) But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
Begin the practice being a doer of the Word by doing in all circumstances what the Word tells you to do.
Matthew 7:24-27 NKJV “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: (25) and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. (26) “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: (27) and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
Here is a New Testament Example:
Philippians 4:6 NLT Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.
Philippians 4:6 AMP Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
God does not ask us to do something that He does not give us the ability to do.
Philippians 4:7 NLT Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
We want verse 7 results without first doing what verse 6 says.
If you do verse 6, you will get verse 7.
- Instantly obey the voice of your spirit (your conscience).
The human spirit has a voice. We call this our conscience. Sometimes we call it an intuition or an inner voice. The world calls it a hunch.
As you give your newborn spirit the privilege of meditating on the Word of God, the Word becomes its source of information. Your spirit will become strong and the inward voice of your conscience, educated and fed by the Word will become a true guide.
We always put the Word first and therefore our spirit becomes an authoritative guide.
This is a process that takes time to learn.
- Spend time praying in other tongues.
1 Corinthians 14:14-15 TPT For if I am praying in a tongue, my spirit is engaged in prayer but I have no clear understanding of what is being said. (15) So here’s what I’ve concluded. I will pray in the Spirit, but I will also pray with my mind engaged. I will sing rapturous praises in the Spirit, but I will also sing with my mind engaged.
1 Corinthians 14:2 TPT When someone speaks in tongues, no one understands a word he says, because he’s not speaking to people, but to God—he is speaking intimate mysteries in the Spirit.
- When you pray in other tongues, you are speaking directly to God – the Father of spirits.
Praying in other tongues causes us to become more spirit-conscious.
When you pray in other tongues, your mind grows quiet – because you are not praying out of your mind.
- When you are spending time praying in other tongues, you are speaking forth divine secrets and mysteries.
1 Corinthians 14:2 AMPC For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things [not obvious to the understanding].
Romans 8:26-27 NKJV Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (27) Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
- When you spend time praying in other tongues, you are praying the perfect will of God for your life.
Jude 1:20 TPT But you, my delightfully loved friends, constantly and progressively build yourselves up on the foundation of your most holy faith by praying every moment in the Spirit.
- When you spend time praying in other tongues, you are building yourself up spiritually.