[Faith-talk] FW: [thefamilyoffaith] Charles Stanley - God ’ s Voice

[Eric Calhoun]

Original Message: 
From: "TONY_at_FloridaHealth" <FloridaHealth21 at verizon.net>
To: <thefamilyoffaith at yahoogroups.com>, <CcHhEeSsTtEeRr at yahoogroups.com>,
<INTERCESSORS-ALLNATIONS at yahoogroups.com>, "Donna Mae"
<btlg1370 at gmail.com>, <walkwithchrist at tampabay.rr.com>,
<rhansen at reachone.com>
Subject: [thefamilyoffaith] Charles Stanley -  God's Voice
Date: 
Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:09:39 -0400




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Knowing God's Voice

How does the Holy Spirit guide us? How much does He control our actions?
Does He still speak to believers, or was personal communication only for
Biblical times?

God does not want us to be confused about this vital area. In talking to
His disciples about the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, (John 16:13) - "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." emphasis added).

Let's consider four key truths about the leadership of the Holy Spirit:
1.) The Holy Spirit will guide us.
Jesus doesn't promise that the Holy Spirit will control us. He says He
will guide us.
Granted, there are times when I wish the Holy Spirit would control me.
For instance, when I am tempted. Or when I become so task oriented that I
become insensitive. Or when it's a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I need
to study, but everything in me wants to grab my camera and head for the
mountains. Life would be much easier if the Holy Spirit would take control
of me.
But He is our guide, not our controller. We never lose our ability to
choose to follow His leading. As a result, we are always responsible for
our words and actions.

2.) The Holy Spirit is a trustworthy guide.
The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, helps believers discern between
what is true and what is not; what is wise and what is foolish; what is
best and what is simply OK. Each day is full of decisions. Most of our
decisions concern issues not clearly spelled out in the Scriptures, for
example, where to attend school, whether to hire a particular applicant,
how much to budget for vacation, on and on it goes.
As you are inundated with the details of everyday living, the Holy Spirit
will guide you. He will give you that extra on-the-spot sense of
discernment you need to make both big and small decisions. As you develop a
greater sensitivity to His guidance, you will worry much less about the
decisions you make. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is a trustworthy guide.

3.) The Holy Spirit is God's mouthpiece to believers.
The Holy Spirit does not speak on His own. Like Christ, this member of
the Trinity has willingly submitted to the authority of the Father.
Everything He communicates to us is directly from the Father: "He will not
speak on His own initiative." (John 16:13 NLT) -But when he, the Spirit of
truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his
own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to
come."

Our heavenly Father has chosen to communicate to His children through the
Holy Spirit. He is God's mouthpiece to believers. When the Father chooses
to speak directly to you, it will be through the Holy Spirit.

When you think about it, this really makes perfect sense. After all,
where does the Holy Spirit reside? In you! And in me! Therefore, He is the
perfect candidate for communicating God's will to Christians. Living inside
us, He has direct access to our minds, emotions, and consciences.

4.) The Holy Spirit speaks.
The question of whether God still speaks today is one that has spawned
numerous books, articles, and lectures. It is not my purpose to present a
tightly woven argument about why I believe He still speaks today. Suffice
it to say, I do believe God, through the Holy Spirit, communicates directly
with believers. No, I don't write these revelations in the back of my Bible
and call them inspired. Neither do I run around telling everybody what "God
told me."
My experience is that the Holy Spirit, at the prompting of the heavenly
Father, still communicates with believers today. How does He do that? The
Holy Spirit indwells me. He doesn't need my ears. What He needs is a
listening heart and a renewed mind.

The book of Acts records several occasions when the Holy Spirit spoke to
Paul and Peter: (Acts 11:12 NLT) - "The Spirit told me to have no
hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and
we entered the man's house."

(Acts13:2) - "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy
Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I
have called them."

(Acts16:6) - "Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of
Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the
word in the province of Asia." 

(Acts20:23) - "I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me
that prison and hardships are facing me." 

It can't be denied that those men had a special gift and call on their
lives. But the same Holy Spirit who indwelt those men indwells every
believer. Just as they needed divine direction at critical times in their
lives, we need it today.
In his letters to the Christians in Rome and Galatia, the Apostle Paul
refers to believers as "led by the Spirit" (Rom. 8:14) - "because those who
are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." 

(Gal. 5:18) - "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law."
If we are going to be led by the Holy Spirit, we can only assume that He is
willing (and able) to communicate with us.

How does God communicate with us today? The Lord speaks through the voice
of His Spirit, who resides within us. We may have to seek His face for a
season; other times, we can sense His direction immediately. No matter
what, the Holy Spirit is a trustworthy guide.
Dr. Charles Stanley