Spirit listener

"Follow me."  The Lord Jesus to His disciples Following the Spirit is every believers calling, no matter what.  No matter where you are in life, you have one thing to do:  follow the Spirit.  This is our very salvation, which is our calling, the essential meaning of being called.  This is our full time ministry.  To be saved, to be a believer, is to be called by God. Jesus' simple command to follow Him was the call and salvation of his first followers, and of His followers even today. This means a lot to me because I always wanted to be called to do "full time ministry," meaning to get paid to follow the Spirit.  But I didn't realize that  by simply working as a believer I am getting paid to follow the Spirit, though I'm not part of an institutionalized ministry.  Whatever I do, I am to work with all of my heart as towards God and not man, as Paul said.  It's God whom I serve.  I've always been a full time minister, and if ...

Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.~The Lord Jesus How can you find out God's will and know it?  First, you have to reject your Imaginary God, like we talked about last time.  This is the god who likes everything you like, loves everything you love, always agrees with your common sense.  The true God is more like this. Say you're thinking about taking a new job.  You like it, it makes sense, it's everything you're looking for salary wise.  Yet something isn't "right."  You feel a faint uneasiness, something (or Someone?) suggesting that you wait and keep looking for jobs.   "But why wait?" you reason.  "How could the God (of your imagination) have a problem with you taking this job?  It's a good job, meaning you actually would be doing good in the world.  Doesn't the Bible say that you should do good?" Assuming you really care wha...

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. The Lord gives wisdom, out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. ~King Solomon What is "common sense?"  It's the "sense" that humans have "in common!"  But what is it's origin?  God. God is the Creator of creation and the origin of the principles that govern our lives--the origin of common sense.  Wouldn't it be common for creation and creatures to follow the Creator?  What is more intelligent for a creature than to trust their all knowing Creator, the one who made them and defines the purpose of their lives? So if by "common sense" we mean we trust in the principles God placed in life and the universe, then our definition of "common sense" is a good one.  It would mean we are ultimately trusting in God and not ourselves.  But if we think we can figure it out on our own, "it" meaning anything, w...

Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.~The Apostle John If God just so happens to agree with almost everything you want to do, you're worshipping an idol.  This is what God says, "My ways are not your ways, and my thoughts are not your thoughts.  As high as the heavens are above the earth, so are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts."  King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, second only to Jesus in wisdom, also said, "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart.  Lean not to your own understanding.  In all of your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths."   Most of the time what we think is best won't match what God thinks is best.  Why would it be?  Do we see all ends or know every situation fully? We think we do. We think we're so logical, so full of common sense and experience, that we can handle almost anything and anyone in any situation.  We think we are as smart as God.  Bu...