SENSITIVITY OF THE SPIRIT
By: Dr. Mike Jones
How many of YOU can recall the last time the Lord spoke directly to YOUR spirit? Do YOU remember what He said to you? Did you take the necessary steps to follow through on what He prompted you to do?
Trust ME when I say, I’m not trying to make YOU feel guilty, if you missed his unction, nor am I trying to put you on the spot by asking those questions. I sometimes asking myself the same questions: I simply want us to grow as sensitive as we possibly can to hear from the Spirit of the Most High God, because he truly is speaking to His people in these last days!
Saints, sometimes God speaks to us in the form of an “IMPRESSION”, and even in this form YOU have to be sensitive enough to know whether or not it’s God speaking. That’s why 1 John 4 says, “Beloved, believe NOT every spirit, but yet, try the spirit to see if it’s of God.
One well know Bible Scholar tells of an incident whereby he had a simply ‘impression’ down in his spirit, and it felt reasonable. ”Recently, early one morning on my way to the office, I stopped for gas at a service station. Standing there at the pump, I glanced over my shoulder and saw that someone was walking toward me. And the thought that ran through my head weren’t pleasant thoughts. Suddenly, a sickly, malnourished woman stepped beside the pump I was using and asked: “Clean your windshield for a dollar, mister?” [He smiled, and said, “No thank YOU”, and handed her a dollar. She thanked him and walked away. He kept pumping his gas and watching her as she walked towards a fast food restaurant – knowing she was gonna need more than a dollar for breakfast
He went on to say, as he watched her nearing the restaurant, he said, as crystal clear as he was looking, these words came to my mind: “Give her some more money.”
He finished pumping his gas and drove over to where she was about to enter the restaurant. “Excuse me, ma’am,” I was supposed to give you some more money.” He handed her a large bill. She looked at him with a cute smile on her face and said, “You were listening to the Spirit, weren’t you?” He stared at her for a moment, then said, “YEAH”!
Let me put a disclaimer on this story, and say, each one of us is not to run out looking for someone whom we think the Lord wants us to give money to: Each one of our stories will be different in the coming months. The moral of the story is that we need to be sensitive to and led by the Spirit, in a more sure way, in these last days.
What the story does is forces us to ask ourselves, how many other times had I been too busy or distracted to hear that still, small voice I had just heard? [I too remembered driving home one evening after work, and noticed, my gas needle was low. I felt an unction to pull into the service station to get some gas, yet, I wanted to get home more: The unction grew stronger, and I obeyed. As soon as I turned into the station, out from the adjacent side street came a vehicle traveling in excessive speed, with law enforcement in pursuit. And I immediately calculated, that, if I hadn’t stopped, my timing would have put ME right smack in the middle of the intersection and would have been plowed into by the boys in the stolen vehicle. Nevertheless, the vehicle struck another heavier car that was moving through the intersection. Everyone was OK, except for the damaged done to the vehicles. I glorified and praised God for being obedient to His unction, as I pumped gas!]
Conclusion: Even worse, how many times have YOU brushed off those subtle promptings, dismissing them outright as silly thought?
As we grow sensitive to the leading of the Spirit, it is feasible to live and walk in a level of moment-to-moment guidance by the Spirit. This occurs when there’s faith and obedient living in His presence.
Until the next issue: remember, This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.. Galatians 5:16
(Adapted from my Teaching Hearing The voice of God; all Scripture references are taken from the KJV unless otherwise noted.)