Spirit listener

"There are dozens of  views about everything until you know the answer.  Then there's never more than one."  C.S. Lewis, from "That Hideous Strength." One of two things will happen to you and me: 1. We will die. 2. We will see Jesus in the sky. Whichever one happens first, on that day, and in that moment, we will have the answer to our most important question. But what is the most important question? Some would say, "Doesn't it depend on your perception, on how you define life and reality?" So many views on this issue, but only one answer:  the answer we will each receive, when we die, or when we see Jesus in the sky. But do we have to wait until then? Or do we really lack the answer to the question? No, we don't. We don't have to wait until the very end of our lives, which could be right after we read this blog, or before we finish it. You're reading me.  Why?  What drew you to me, and me to you? The Ques...

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight to the blind,  to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."  The Lord Jesus, quoting the Prophet Isaiah. When President Donald Trump called the countries of my native continent "shithole countries," he changed my life as an African-American Christian.  (I praise God, who causes all things to work together for good for His beloved and called children.)  I have a renewed sense of purpose, a new revelation of why my ancestors came here, and why I am here now, thanks to President Trump's words.  I'm writing to share this purpose with my brothers and sisters in Christ, who also share in this purpose, because the Spirit of the Lord is upon us, just as the Spirit was upon the Lord Jesus.  We share in the Lord's anointing in proclaiming His good news.  And...

"People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which is as close as any of us can come to being happy."  Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi We make ourselves laugh and cry by sheer imagination.  By thinking about an irritating person, we can make ourselves feel genuinely angry.  Happiness, sadness, and anger, all conjured from our own minds.  You can do it now.  You can think of a funny or sad or unjust scene in a movie, and feel happy or sad or angry.  And it could happen quickly.  Perhaps instantly. You can create your own emotions, your emotional state, from moment to moment, by choosing an emotion, and then imagining a situation that brings that emotion.  Actors do it all of the time, and we believe them.  We feel what they imagine they are feeling, their pretend emotions based on pretend situations. None of this is new to you, I'm sure.  You've probably heard it all before: Mind o...

"Who is this that darkens My counsel with words that lack knowledge?  Gird yourself like a man that I might question you." ~God, speaking to Job from a whirlwind A conversation between God and Satan took place in heaven. a conversation about Job.  But Job didn't know this.  Neither did Job's wife, nor Job's friends.  So whatever Job, or his wife, or his friends said in Job's story should be measured by the conversation between God and Satan in heaven.  Sometimes Job's friend's seemed wise and their words seemed right.  At other times they were obviously wrong about Job.  And sometimes Job's words seemed wise and right.  At other times Job is obviously wrong about what is going on.  Both Job and his friends needed a revelation from heaven, a revelation about the conversation between God and Satan. No matter how logical, or right, or wise, or in line with how things typically are, no matter what Job and his friends thought, without revel...

The LORD gives wisdom, out of His Mouth comes knowledge and understanding. ~King Solomon The LORD is with you, while you are with Him; if you seek Him, He will allow you to find Him, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. ~Azariah the Prophet to King Asa God speaks and is speaking.  But are we listening?  Do we want to listen? Most of us feel no need to listen to God.  After all, we have "common sense," right? We think we can make decisions without God.  And we think God's voice isn't worth our time or attention; He's not as real to us as our boyfriends or girlfriends. But you know how it feels talk to someone who completely zones out.  You know when people are really listening to you, and when they're not focused on your words at all.  You know who is open to you and who isn't.  And you know how it feels when someone asks your advice with no intention of actually taking it; they just want you to tell them they're right. The same is ...

"For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world:  to bear witness to the truth.  All who are of the truth hear My voice."  The Lord Jesus. "When He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth."  The Lord Jesus "The Spirit is truth."  The Apostle John One way to hear and speak the very words of God is to have an unwavering uncompromising unconditional commitment to the truth.   Hear only the truth. Speak only the truth. Now by truth, I mean the word of God as affirmed by the Lord Jesus Christ, who Himself is "The way, The Truth, and the Life."  I don't mean simply being "brutally honest."  Nor do I mean "just the facts."  I mean "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God." I mean the one and only truth, by which everything and everyone else is wrong if he or she disagrees. How can we know and speak this truth? ...

This is what the Spirit is saying to the spiritually desperate: "If life is knowing Me, then death is My silence.  I am life, says the Spirit.  Live.  Trust me.  And I'll show you who I am.  Jesus is Lord.  Amen." *** Without the Spirit, two things are desperately lacking in our lives: 1. The truest most trustworthy friendship. 2. The truest most trustworthy guidance. THE SPIRIT IS OUR ONLY TRUE FRIEND Think about genuine connections in your life.  How many are there?  Even with your very best friend on earth, there are times of separation or disconnection.  These are even necessary.  But with the Spirit, you are indwelled by the very best friend you will ever have.  God is love.  The Spirit is God, therefore, the Spirit is love.  You are indwelled by Love, and as it is written, Love never fails.  The Spirit alone is our truest and most trustworthy friend.  And being the most trustworthy, He is our on...

"On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, 'Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.'  By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified."   John 7:37-39 About 20 years ago, I came to a point of desperation in my life, a point where I desperately needed to hear from God.  I used to listen without question to my pastor, but during this time something happened that changed everything. I began to hear the voice of God for myself,  and what my pastor was telling me didn't match what God was saying. I felt devastated. Though it seems obvious, at that time I never considered that my pastor may not being hearing from God on a given occasion, especially an occasion that directly invo...

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you received from God?"  The Apostle Paul What is more important than God in us?  Who is more important?  Is there anything else more worthy of our thoughts, focus, and purpose? If you believe in Jesus-- The Holy Spirit is in you. The Holy Spirit is God. Therefore, God is in you. If we really believed that, how could our lives ever be the same? We often think of how awesome it would be to have Jesus Himself with us like the apostles did.  I'm sure you've heard this before or read it before.  But it's worth repeating, hearing again, and reading again.  Jesus Himself said it was better for Him to leave so He could send us the Holy Spirit.  How could that be better to men who had been with Jesus Himself, in the flesh, for 3 whole years?  The only way it could be better is if the Spirit of Jesus Himself, the same Jesus they were with for 3 years, was not...

So what Spirit are we listening to?  Who is He?  And how do we know Him? Before we look at who He is, let's first look at who He is not: He is not the Universe, or you, or me, or creation, or everything, or nothing, or the all, or whatever we think He is. He is God, The One Who is Who He is, The Creator of everything and everyone.  The Spirit of God the Father, The Spirit of God the Son, the Spirit of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. This is the Spirit I am listening to, and I am seeking to listen with you, if you are listening to the Spirit of the Only True God. How do I know?  And how can we know together? 1. The Spirit always acknowledges and honors the Lord Jesus:  honoring who He is--the Son of the Living God, and what He did--Jesus died for our sins, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. 2. The Spirit gives Jesus' followers power to bear witness to who Jesus is--convicting unbelievers and carnal believers of sin, and encouraging...