Hi all,
How do we live our lives flowing from revelation in our spirit outward into our busy lives?
First, Jesus’ example was to always do what we know to do in the natural. When He cleansed the lepers He told them to go and show themselves to the priest, as the Mosaic law prescribed. Before He turned water into wine He had them locate then fill the water pots. Before He fed the thousands He had them organized by sitting them down in groups of 50s and 100s.
Luke 17:14, John 2, Mark 6:40
Presumption is thinking God is going to do something when it is our responsibility. If it is within our power to use those resources, we are usually expected to do so. Often doing that involves pain, money, and we would much rather have God just wave His hand and heal us, give us money, forgive us without us having to go to the other person to apologize, and so on. But we do the right things in the natural first.
Once we do what we know to do, THEN He often speaks or leads us from there. Sometimes He will tell us not to do something in the natural, but more often than not, He expects us to do what is within our ability to do.
But how does that work? Let me start that answer by asking this:
Who is the only one of the godhead active in ministry on the earth right now? Answer: The Holy Spirit. He alone is the 1 of the godhead active on the earth today.
If Jesus visits anyone, He opens their eyes to His realm by the Spirit. Jesus is ‘in the Spirit’ and won’t physically be seen until His return to set up His kingdom. Until then He remains ‘in the Spirit’.
The Father is in heaven, seated on His throne as we can see in the whole of The Revelation 4.
Jesus ascended to heaven to oversee His body, as its Head. How does He administrate His body from heaven? The Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is in both heaven and earth at the same time.
“I have many more things to say to you but you cannot grasp them now. However, when He the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth because He won’t speak of Himself, but whatever He hears, that is what He will say and He will show you things to come.” John 16: 12-13
Jesus said He had many more things to say, but He had to wait until after His ascension to say them. This is why Jesus specifically called the Holy Spirit ‘the Spirit of truth’. Jesus wanted His disciples to know whatever Jesus said, the Holy Spirit would exactly communicate it to them, truthfully, without error, without alteration, but exactly true as He spoke it from heaven. The Spirit of Truth.
Acts 2: 33: “Therefore being exalted at the right hand of (Father) God, and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has given Him to us, which is what you see and hear.” (Pentecost)
“Eye has not seen nor has earth heard, nor has it entered into the imagination of man what God (Father) has prepared for those who love Him. But, God (Father) has revealed these things to us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God (Father)…We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit of God so that we man know the things which He has freely given to us…” I Corinthians 2: 9-12
The Holy Spirit is in heaven listening for Jesus to speak, searching the deep things of the Father’s heart for what He has prepared for us. He does this while also within us, communicating what He has heard and learned of the things Jesus wants to stay and the Father has prepared. He is ever-present in heaven and earth at the same time. There is no time-lag between what He hears and what He communicates to our spirit. We get it ‘live as it happens’, so to speak.
The Witness
Once we realize this, it becomes easier for us to shift our focus to what is in our spirit. We sense His presence in our spirit. We sense His peace. We know He is the faithful and true witness in heaven to what Jesus says and the Father has prepared, and communicates those things exactly to our spirit.
In Acts 5: 32, speaking of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension: “We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit, who God (Father) gives to those who obey Him.” (Believe in Jesus)
When the Father was teaching me about His Spirit, He emphasized what I just wrote above. My question to Him was: “Why was the Holy Spirit ‘hovering’ over the earth in Genesis 1:2?” He immediately responded: “As a witness to creation.” I asked; “Why?” and He replied: “Because Moses needed an eye-witness account of creation so he could write it down.”
An eye-witness to creation so Moses could write it down. An eye-witness account of Jesus’ life and passion. How did you know what your friend was telling you about Jesus was true before you were born again? Or that preacher, or that parent, or as you read scripture? How did you know it was true about Jesus? The Father by His Spirit was showing you, testifying to you, bearing witness to you, that it was true and you needed to do something about the Jesus question. Jesus said in John 6:45: “All who hear from the Father and learn of Him, come to me.”
It was your Father loving on you by His Spirit to your spirit, concerning Jesus. The Holy Spirit is a witness of the truth. That is why Paul wrote in Romans 8: 16 that the Holy Spirit ‘testifies’ or ‘bears witness’ to our spirit that we are the children of God. That is truth. He is in heaven to know from Jesus and the Father you are born again, citizen of heaven, child of the Father. He testifies that truth to one’s spirit man.
The way to live that out is to force your emotions and thoughts captive to obedience to the truth the Holy Spirit testifies to your spirit. That’s how we live from our spirit in all things. When we fear, we switch to what the Holy Spirit in us is testifying. When we go into a meeting thinking we will pour out the wrath of God on a person, but suddenly in our spirit we sense grace and love for them, we submit our emotions and thoughts to that which is in our spirit.
Our job is to follow that heavenly direction which was so perfectly put in our spirit. That’s why there are no prayers to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. His function is to listen for what Jesus and the Father are saying and revealing what is prepared for us. He will not speak of Himself.
“For we are God’s poems, created in Christ Jesus for good things which the Father prepared beforehand for us to walk out.” Ephesians 2: 10 (Greek)
How do we discover what the Father has prepared for us to walk out? By walking with the Father, talking with the Father, and letting His Spirit who knows the deep things of His heart, reveal to our heart what the Father has prepared.
Just talk with your Father conversationally, then stop, shift your attention to your spirit. Listen, sense, do you sense that presence, that peace? Go with that. Live from that. Develop that sensitivity to His presence in your spirit by shifting your attention many times during your day.
What I do, is first thing after waking up I find something to be thankful for. Sometimes it is just that I woke up, sometimes it is when I see the sunrise, or a pretty cloud, or an animal out the window – Thank you Father for letting me see that. Thank you Father for that timing. Thank you Father….
It is the discipline of the thoughts and emotions bringing them subject to what you sense in your spirit, that will enable you to live from your spirit, out your soul, to make your body obediently trained. You can start your day doing that by being thankful, then pause, shift attention to your spirit, and sense Him. Sense His presence, His peace – He is there. Develop that sensitivity. It isn’t a formula, it is a relationship.
This is the end of this series, but I will have some additional thoughts and more about what the Father told me when He was teaching me about Himself and His Spirit who is Holy.
Until then,
Blessings,
John Fenn
