Knowing Truth

I’ve an online app for Selwyn Hughes’ wonderful devotionals called “Every Day with Jesus.” Today’s reading blessed me using verses about the guidance of the Holy Spirit. His focus was on Jesus words:

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (John 16:13)

Hughes adds that obviously this means spiritual truth, but suggests all truth means truth about everything. His words reminded me of a couple of personal experiences. A few years ago, I thought I’d like a book of prayers that were different from the way I usually pray, mostly to prompt me to pray in a new way. I never told anyone.

However, a family member who is a believer gave me two prayer books, exactly what I was looking for. I told him this was an answer to prayer. He said he saw them in a department store, read a few pages to make sure they had good entries, and thought I would like them. The odd part is that he isn’t going to church or doing much praying that I know of, but the Holy Spirit used him anyway.

The other story was a visit to a family member who also once made a profession of faith but is not in church either. However, she drove by a church and thought it was the one we would like and told us that was where we should go. We did, and it was the right place for us to be the two Sundays we were able to attend. How did she know? All truth given from the Holy Spirit, even to a prodigal?

Hughes pointed me to several passages:

These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:10–16)

In Galatians, Paul said he did not receive the gospel from anyone but through a revelation of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:11–12) These days, many people in the Middle East are being saved by this same thing. They have no Bibles or churches but the Holy Spirit is revealing Jesus to them in dreams and visions. Can He not also direct people to buy the right books or select the right church? How about the right food to eat or the best store to find the coat they need? Or where to travel? Or what house to buy?

When  Paul was headed for Jerusalem, “constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.”  This was not a problem for him as he did not consider his life of any value nor precious to himself. He also knew that those with him would not see him again. (Acts 20:17–25) How was this possible unless the Spirit revealed it!

So many people look for guidance each day. Sadly, many look in the wrong place. For millions it is horoscopes in the nation’s newspapers that people often governed by ‘science’ in the rest of life can believe that the planets’ positions affect what might happen to them that day. For Christians, such things are not only forbidden, they are totally unnecessary; for God himself has promised to guide us.

This reading blesses me. God can use anyone, even backsliders who are His yet not walking the way Christians should walk are still guided by Him anyway. As for the two I mentioned, I see God’s Spirit at work in their actions and concerns for justice and truth.

PRAY: Lord, You are Lord. Your Spirit is guiding those who You want to guide, whether they realize it or not. You do this for me, but how delightful that Your guidance has no limits. Thank You.

God’s assurance

When trouble comes and the danger is real, I want my first thought to be that this problem is not too difficult for God. He can solve it. His solutions will surprise me, but He is powerful and not limited by the enormity of the situation.

Tozer writes that one meaning of the word “power” is “ability to do.” This week, I’ve become more aware that part of that to-do list is helping me KNOW that He is going to do something.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:13)

I’ve been praying continually regarding a dire situation that I’ve been asked not to share. I’ve tried to worry and the Holy Spirit will not let me! He keeps guiding me to this: “I am in control and taking care of this situation. Nothing is too hard for me.”

This is a wonder — not just that God can do whatever is needed, but that he makes His will vivid to my heart and mind. He is not shouting, but His thoughts are clear, almost piercing and certainly beyond the limits of my intellect. He uses Scripture that pops into my head, and He brings to my recall past incidents that affirm where He is going with this.

This incredible communication with God begins with another experience, that of being made new, given new life, given His life. It is a mysterious event but nonetheless real. For me, it was even dramatic. It matches up to what Jesus told a Pharisee in His day:

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5–8)

What the Spirit does is not an imaginary or ethereal work. It is real. He does not give people a ‘zap’ but a new life that changes everything — from the attitudes of the heart to the actions of life. He changes the motivations and desires that are basic to humanity so they line up with the will of God. For some, this takes a while. For others, it is noticed immediately.

For me, learning how to hear the affirmation of the Holy Spirit began with total assurance that I belong to God and have eternal life . . .

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” (1 John 5:13–15)

 Confidence in answered prayer has taken longer, partly because I’ve been slow to listen to His voice and too quick to turn to my own thoughts and ideas. However, the Christian experience is as Tozer describes, “The Holy Spirit creates in us a new life and a new set of spiritual senses altogether, through which we discern, understand, and enter into the life of God and the spiritual realm.” This reality sustains my faith and gives me peace and assurance, needed this week more than ever.

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Jesus, I thank You for a heightened sense of Your presence and for making clear to me that You are in control and hearing my prayers. You have given me that ‘peace that passes understanding’ even though the end of this crisis is not yet in sight. To God be the glory.

The work of the Holy Spirit

The initial role of the Holy Spirit in the life of every person is to convince them of their need to believe in Jesus Christ and accept His offer of righteousness, and to realize that the devil himself has been judged and condemned . . .

“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 go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” (John 16:7–11)

These verses are one reason that I believe in Jesus Christ and in the Word of God; these things happened to me. The Spirit of God showed me that my biggest problem was an internal and eternal issue; I did not believe in Jesus Christ and stood before God as a sinner, but the Holy Spirit did not stop at that:

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:13)

He also guided me to the truth, and that truth is a Person. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Others talked to me about Jesus but I don’t remember any of their words making sense. I read the Bible daily for many years but don’t remember understanding any of it. Then one day the Holy Spirit opened my mind. Because of His grace, I immediately knew that Jesus is God the Son, and that I needed Him. I didn’t need to invite Him in because He was already there, flooding my life with light.

Since that day, the Holy Spirit continues to guide me. This morning I asked Him to show me what to do about something I’ve learned about another person. It seems obvious that He is convicting her of sin, but do I clarify that? Do I say anything in response? Or do I keep my mouth shut?

As I read this verse, He verified that I understand her situation rightly. The Spirit is doing what Jesus said He would do. Then I kept reading and came to verse 13 (quoted above). It says that the Spirit of truth will guide her into all truth. For me that means He will do it. It might be through her thoughts, or through the words of someone else, but He will do it. I need only to keep listening because He will guide me also if it is me that must do the talking.

In the meantime, I will continue to pray and to listen. The Holy Spirit is a marvel, the Helper from God that Jesus promised and the One who has authority to speak truth from God, truth about my life and needs, and even truth about things to come. I just need to remain in listen/obey mode so I can experience Him at work!

Going beyond mere reading . . .

Apparently there are some who have memorized the entire Bible, others parts of the Bible, yet they make no claim to have a relationship with its Author. This attitude may have been true in Jesus’ day also. He rebuked those who claimed to be religious, but they were not happy to call Him their Messiah. Jesus pointing out that these people read the Scriptures with entirely the wrong attitude.

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:39–40)

The Bible was written to reveal God to those who seek Him. If compared to the cloud that went before the Israelites, it is dark and hard to understand by those who resist His Spirit, something like the Egyptians who saw His amazing deeds but refused to believe. Yet for those who did believe, that same cloud appeared bright and glorious, and led them on their escape from bondage.

This must be true concerning the Bible. God is spirit and communicates Himself in a spiritual manner. If we know the Spirit of God, then the Word of God is opened to our minds by Him.

Christians are given the Holy Spirit, yet I know I can be filled with myself and my concerns. When I come to the Bible each day, I must ask God to fill me with His Spirit, confessing anything that might stand in the way of His communication to my heart and life.

This means that before I read the Bible, I must pray and ask that God sends His Spirit to direct my understanding lest His Word of God merely flies over my head and I miss whatever He wants to say to me.

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (John 16:13)

This is such an amazing reality. Each day God speaks to me from His Word. Sometimes I am not listening very well, but when I do, what He says is always helpful and practical because it is startlingly related to my circumstances. When I finish reading, my heart is filled with awe at His grace and how He uses His Word to feed my Spirit.

Reading daily and diligently is important, but more important is knowing how to read. Paul wrote, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

For this, the Holy Spirit is helpful, but it is also helpful to consult with other Christians. This can be done in Bible study groups, hearing sound preaching, and reading books and commentaries that refer to what I am reading. I must pay attention to how the church has traditionally understood various teachings and passages. While the church and traditions are not the final authority (God’s Word holds that place), no one person has a corner on all truth. God reveals it to His people as a Body, and He is consistent. That is, Christians all over the world generally have the same understanding of His Word. We may not use the same language, but our Interpreter is the same Spirit. He does not contradict Himself.

The most important requirement for Bible study is never an academic goal, or merely to know it. Memorizing the entire Bible is useless unless I also do what it says.

Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge. (Proverbs 23:12)

God does not reveal Himself to those who will ignore Him and walk on. He intends an intimate relationship built on an intimate knowledge of Him. He knows me deeply and personally and wants me to know Him like that. The Bible contains the deep things of God and cannot be understood or be of any benefit to me if I am reading it carelessly or superficially. Instead, God wants an industrious intimacy, a meek humble heart, willing to hear what He says and put it into practice in my life.

Making Plans, Receiving Guidance

About this time every year, I start thinking about plans for the year to come, but I’m not as ambitious as usual. Perhaps it is the fatigue that comes with “too many birthdays” as my father used to say. However, it might be that I’m finally learning that I do not have to make so many plans. Instead, I just need to follow Jesus.

Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

The Bible speaks much about the guidance of God. He begins by teaching His people the truth about spiritual realities, truth that can only be seen by those who have His Spirit and are reborn through saving faith. We rely on Him, praying as the psalmist prayed . . .

Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. (Psalm 25:5)

The promise of God’s guidance is more than a dry list of rules and directions for life. With His direction, life is an adventure that takes me places I’d never otherwise go, yet always produces satisfaction and vitality.

The LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. (Isaiah 58:11)

Not only that, the Holy Spirit is reliable and specific. He could bombard me with information that would overwhelm me with a terrible sense of my need and inadequacy, but this does not happen. Instead, He listens to the Father and tells me only that God wants me to know.

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (John 16:13)

That is, when I read the Word of God each day, the Spirit of God speaks to my specific situation, giving me the truth I need for it. There is even a Greek word for this; it is “rhema” which is translated “word” yet means “a word spoken to meet the need of the moment.” This is why daily devotions are so vital. I put myself in a place where God can speak to me according to what I need to hear.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)

Teaching, reproof, correction and training are the ways that God guides me. He shows me each day what will help me. Being guided into all truth is an enormous privilege. Without this, I would not know how faith in God applies to the daily situations and problems of life. I would not know how to respond to others who challenge my faith, or hurt me, or ask me questions. I would not know when I sin and need to confess my sin, or even when I’m in need of His help and guidance.

As God guides, He also indicates what is to come. I know that one day I will move from this life on earth to my eternal dwelling place with Him. For that, God makes another promise that uses the image of springs of water and His guidance.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7:16–17)

As I read this and try to imagine what it will be like, I can see how the guidance of God now is a mere taste of His eternal guidance — and someday I will experience the fullness of His refreshing.

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Jesus, You are the Living Word, the Water of life. Out of You flows all that I need for life here and for life eternal. I can make plans for today, and for the year ahead because  Your word says so. But it also tells me that I ought to keep in mind, “If the Lord wills, I will live and do this or that.” (James 4:15)

I’m grateful for Your will — it is perfect — and for Your guidance which is also perfect. Keep my feet on the right path, and help me to always remember that Proverbs 16:9 says I can plan my way, but You establish my steps!