Framing the Conditions for Hearing from the Holy Spirit
by R.A. Weigel
Matthew 7:11 (ESV) – If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Logic would tell you that the Lord God who loves you like a father loves his children would want you to know anything and everything that HE deems as important for you to know. A father who loves his children is always explaining, supporting, encouraging, guiding, and giving direction toward the things that their child needs in order to be healthy, wealthy, and wise. And like a father, God will tell you what you need to know based on your ability to understand and apply what you’re being told. God is a good, good father.
The Bible is filled with information that God wants you to know and there is no logical reason why the God who wants you to know Him, wouldn’t want to be engaged in your efforts to live a godly life and to help you when you want to write something that brings glory to his name. Great and godly writing is also great and godly worship.
John 4:23 (NLT) – But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.
There is no logical reason that the Lord God wouldn’t want you to hear from the Holy Spirit when Jesus clearly said, (John 14:26), But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Of course, all that begins with the reality that the natural mind, the mind of the unbeliever, cannot understand the things from the spirit of God. If you have trouble understanding that simple truth, then you’ll have trouble listening to the Holy Spirit. When a person is born-again by believing in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and that individual is made right with God through that faith, that’s when the helper, the Holy Spirit, is created within them to help them in all the ways that align with God’s truth.
1 Corinthians 2:14 (NLT) – But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them, and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit
I’m never going to say that I know much about listening to the Holy Spirit. Spiritual guidance, understanding, and abilities are all tied together in the faith that you have that God is there for you and you’re willing to align your heart and mind putting God first, above the things of the world. When you consider that the Holy Spirit can help you to say what the Lord feels needs to be said, you might consider Acts 1:8a saying, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere.” To be a witness to others you have to either say something or write something. When you were born again you received power from the Holy Spirit to be a witness, a writer who can tell people about God in a way that only you can say it. That’s exciting when you take the time to think about it.
Psalm 19:14 (ESV) – Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Ephesians 4:29b (NLT) – Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
Conditions
Like so many things that God has laid clear in the Bible, there are conditions for getting what God has said is available. For example, in the verse below, the word “Then” means there is a condition. It doesn’t say that God is going to give you the desires of your heart simply because you want them. God sets the condition of being delighted in Him first and then, after that condition is met, the desires of your heart will happen.
Psalm 37:4 (TLB) – Be delighted with the Lord. Then he will give you all your heart’s desires.
Another example is your ability to resist the devil. It’s certainly something you need and want, but God set the condition that you must first be humble before him. Resisting the devil from arrogance or wishful thinking isn’t going to make it happen. You must first be humble before God and then you’ll get the results you want.
James 4:7 (NLT) – So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
How about planning? Nearly everyone writes their “to do” list and plans their day, week, month, or more. In general, everyone wants their “plans” to succeed. But God set a condition that planning without first committing your actions to the Lord does not give any guarantee of success. Success is the byproduct of fully committing your actions to God. Planning without committing your actions to the Lord becomes an exercise in futility.
Proverbs 16:3 (NLT) – Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.
You can’t have a divided loyalty, putting the things of the world before God, and expect that you’re going to get what you want and need from him. You have to make up your mind about your purpose, your “why”, before you’re going to get the things that the Lord has for you. That includes your writing. Why are you writing? When you ask the Lord to help you with your writing, you’re going to have to be fully loyal to God. Are you writing for the world’s applause, or for God’s glory? It’s a choice. It’s “the” choice.
James 1:6-8 (NLT) – But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
You want the Holy Spirit to give you words to help you with your writing, but God’s Word says you’re the one who has to give first. It’s give and it will be given to you… not given to you and then you can give. How is your writing designed to give?
Luke 6:38 (NIV) – Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
It should also be clear to you by now that the measure, (portion), you use is the measure, (portion), that will be coming back to you. As a writer, you might ask yourself, “what’s my measure?” Think about it. How much of your writing brings glory to God? How much of your writing is designed to help other people know more about Him? What’s your purpose for writing? How much time are you devoting in your writing to dig into the scriptures and make them your own? How much do you use scripture to illustrate what is true and what is not?
Luke 6:38 (NIV) – Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Anointing
Ceremonial anointing in the Old Testament was a physical act of rubbing or pouring of sacred oil on someone’s head, (or on an object), as an outward symbol that God had chosen and set apart that person, (or object), for a specific holy purpose. The Bible declares that YOU have been anointed, just as Jesus was anointed. Then, (by condition), there is power, (Dunamis), that comes from that anointing.
Acts 1:8 (NLT) – But you will receive power (Dunamis) when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
It’s clear that Jesus was anointed. That’s something you want to understand because it’s a condition that has multiple implications. When Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me, that’s very clear and cannot be argued. That’s also when Jesus began his earthly ministry. I’ve often used that verse to help people understand the concept of “Vision” because what Jesus said may be one of the best visionary statements that have ever been written.
Luke 4:18-19 (NLT) – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.
It was the anointing of the Holy Spirit that empowered Jesus to do all that he said he was going to do. The anointed Jesus was set apart to do what God needed him to do. Jesus clarified for those in attendance that he would follow through to do what he knew needed to be done. Well… YOU have been anointed too, (set apart), by the Holy Spirit. You’ve met God’s condition and there are things you’re supposed to do. Jesus knew what he was called to do, and his vision statement made it very clear. If you feel you’re called, urged, or encouraged to write, then shouldn’t you be writing? And… just as the Holy Spirit gave Jesus the insights of how to bring good news to the poor, proclaim the captives to be released, that the blind would see, that the oppressed would be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor had come, what is it that you’re to do in the short time of your life that you have left? Are you getting some clarity on that point?
1 John 2:27 (NIV) – As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.
So… what’s keeping you from believing that the Holy Spirit will teach you – just like it taught Jesus? What’s keeping you from following through with your writing if you feel in your heart you’ve been called to write? Let’s begin with a few basics about hearing from the Holy Spirit. Do you have:
- The Desire – do you earnestly desire to hear from the Holy Spirit?
- An Expectation – do you expect to hear from the Holy Spirit?
- The Motivation – are you motivated to hear from the Holy Spirit?
- The Right Attitude – have you an attitude of gratefulness to hear from the Holy Spirit?
- An Aligned Purpose – do you have a legitimate and godly inspired reason to hear from the Holy Spirit?
- Humbleness – do you have a humble heart allowing the Holy Spirit to supersede to give you ideas and inspiration?
- A Heart of Readiness – have you prepared your heart and mind to hear from the Holy Spirit.
Romans 5:5 (NLT) – And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
God has given you his Holy Spirit to fill your heart with his love. It’s a gift that keeps on giving. But… you have to do something with that gift in order to gain the worth of it. That requires you to know a little about the difference between the Greek words “Dunamis” and “Exousia.”
Dunamis – Strong’s Greek: 1411. δύναμις
The word Dunamis is a word for power, and it’s used in the Bible 120 times in the New Testament. Dunamis refers to “strength, power, or ability.” It is the root word of our English words dynamite, dynamo and dynamic. Think of it as inherent power. When you were born again you were given inherent power as a child of God. It’s like having money in the bank. However, your money just sits there and does nothing unless you take it out of the bank and do something with it. Dunamis is power that’s within you to do what needs to be done but it’s not yet been put into believing action.
- Luke 5:17 (NIV) – “One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power, (dunamis), of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.”
- Acts 1:8 (NLT) – But you will receive power, (dunamis), when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Exousia: Strong’s Greek: 1849. ἐξουσία
The word Exousia is a word for power, and it’s used in the Bible 102 times in the New Testament. It’s most often translated as “authority”. Exousia can also be thought of in terms of jurisdiction or dominion over a certain realm, right, privilege, or ability. Exousia is exercised power. It is taking your money out of the bank and using it.
Matthew 28:18 (NIV) – Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority (exousia) in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Matthew 10:1 (NLT) – Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority (exousia) to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.
Using exousia, using the power that you’ve been given, requires faith and a personal decision. It requires confidence that the Word of God says what it means and means what it says. It’s an unwavering faith that God wants to work with you to do the things He wants done and that includes your writing.
John 14:12-14 (NLT) – I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
Exousia is the right and authority to live in victory over sin, sickness, and death. It’s the authority Jesus gave to his disciples to cast out evil spirits and heal every kind of disease and illness. It’s the power of God to overcome the enemy and to walk in the fullness of God’s plans and purposes for our lives. Now… it’s your right! You have the power to write in a way that brings great things to pass, glory to God, and change the world. The only question that remains is… Will you exercise that power or leave it dormant?
2 Corinthians 10:8 (NLT) – I may seem to be boasting too much about the authority (exousia) given to us by the Lord. But our authority builds you up; it doesn’t tear you down. So I will not be ashamed of using my authority.
