So, as I sit here yet again, feeling the stirring of the Spirit of the living God rising up within me. Basking in His presence, realizing the insignificance of who I am, realizing He still is willing to use me and love me. What an amazing privilege.
Somewhere buried deep within me cries the naysayer, my doubting of all things God. How could I possibly really be hearing from the Holy Spirit anyway? What I am hearing from God sure doesn’t seem logical by any stretch of the imagination nor does it make any sense to me. Anything God does or says would be completely logical and make complete sense to my feeble little mind right?
I mean who would have the audacity to make someone walk around and entire city while staying quiet for six days in a row and then on the seventh day walk around seven more times and then be a little boisterous? I mean that would be a special kind of crazy to do something absurd like that, Right??
How about this for a bit of nonsensical behavior. Hey, you! Go wash yourself seven different times in the Jordan river!! That makes sense, right?? If you do that you will be healed of the most feared disease ever!!!
Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.”
From <http://biblehub.com/2_kings/5-10.htm>
Ok, so now you see my slight little bit of sarcasm, Right? Well it’s as plain as this. When the Holy Spirit tells you to do something, you do it!! It seems that the only way we can truly please God is the following:
Hebrews 11:6New American Standard Bible (NASB)
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
From<https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+11%3A6&version=NASB>
So, if we don’t have faith then we can’t please God!! It seems to me that faith is kinda important. I also believe that trust is the evidence of faith. So now the really big question rises up! What is Faith, really? Hebrews 11:1 gives us a clue.
Hebrews 11:1New American Standard Bible (NASB)
11 Now faith is the [a]assurance of things [b]hoped for, the [c]conviction of things not seen.
From<https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+11%3A1&version=NASB>
Honestly though, this still presents faith to me in an obscure way. I was really struggling with the concept of faith and how it should mold me and shape me. When questions such as these arise, I try to look into the original tongue. I considered the Greek concepts a bit and I got what I think is a better grasp of what this verse conceptually represents. So here it is, the way I understand this verse, in my own words after looking at the Greek words.
“Faith is the sure foundation of things waited for, the testing of deeds accomplished or the testing of the facts, truth. All of the preceding remains true while the facts are not understood, while you are not able to discern it mentally or observe it visually, not able to perceive through feelings or even discover it through contemplation or examination.”
So basically, it’s not going to be logical or make complete sense to us just yet.
1 Corinthians 13:12New American Standard Bible (NASB)
12 For now we see in a mirror [a]dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13%3A12&version=NASB>
It seems that scripture supports that we just don’t get it as mere human beings. God’s ways are so vast that it does seem absurd to think that His plans for our lives would fit comfortably in our tiny little minds. That we would understand and completely get what God is doing without Divine revelation.
New American Standard Bible
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
from <http://biblehub.com/isaiah/55-8.htm>
God seems to spell it out quite clear here. So, the bottom line is this, we really don’t get God or understand His amazing ways. We need to trust that what the Holy Spirit is sharing with us is truth even if it seems as crazy as walking around a walled city for a few days and expecting the city walls to come tumbling down.
Joshua 6New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The Conquest of Jericho
6 Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. 2 The LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. 3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. 4 Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down [a]flat, and the people will go up every man [b]straight ahead.”
6 So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD.” 7 Then [c]he said to the people, “Go forward, and march around the city, and let the armed men go on before the ark of the LORD.” 8 And it was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the LORD went forward and blew the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. 9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while they continued to blow the trumpets. 10 But Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout nor let your voice be heard nor let a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout!” 11 So he had the ark of the LORD[d]taken around the city, circling it once; then they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.
12 Now Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew the trumpets; and the armed men went before them and the rear guard came after the ark of the LORD, while they continued to blow the trumpets. 14 Thus the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp; they did so for six days.
15 Then on the seventh day they rose early at the dawning of the day and marched around the city in the same manner seven times; only on that day they marched around the city seven times. 16 At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city. 17 The city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the LORD; only Rahab the harlot [e]and all who are with her in the house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 18 But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, so that you do not [f]covet them and take some of the things under the ban, and make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it. 19 But all the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD.” 20 So the people shouted, and [g]priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down [h]flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight [i]ahead, and they took the city. 21 They [j]utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the harlot’s house and bring the woman and all she has out of there, as you have sworn to her.” 23 So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives and placed them outside the camp of Israel. 24 They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the [k]house of the LORD. 25 However, Rahab the harlot and her father’s household and all she had, Joshua [l]spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 Then Joshua made them take an oath at that time, saying, “Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho; with the loss of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates.” 27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.
Through this inquiry I was shown that the true concept of Hope is best expressed through the word, ready for this, cause I sure wasn’t, Waiting!!! Hope is waiting, faith isn’t really necessary if we don’t have to wait, is it? Waiting successfully can really show Abba how much faith and trust we have in Him.
I have thought this before, that if I have had to wait too long then I must not have heard the Holy Spirit properly. I wonder where that idea came from.
Now I have just learned that in order to please God we must have faith. This faith is all about waiting and enacting trust, regardless if it makes no sense to me or you. It will however make sense to God. Remember God is omniscient and omnipotent. I mean seriously, do we really have enough mental ability to legitimately question God?
One very important skill to be mastered here is our ability to recognize and hear God’s voice. I believe that we need to broaden our experiences in communicating with God. This will build our confidence in hearing what God is saying to us and help us to learn to expect replies back from God.
In any relationship continued communication grows a relationship. We need our relationship with God/Abba to grow and become more and more intimate.
Increasing our time spent with Abba will indeed boost our confidence in whether or not it is God’s voice we are hearing. Just as a bank teller must handle real money often to get a feel for the real money in order to identify the counterfeit quickly and easily. We must talk with Father often so we can recognize the counterfeit spirits quickly and easily.
To sum it up, we need to be vigilant about knowing our Father’s voice, listening to it and obeying it, no matter how incredibly weird or crazy it may seem.
A good measure to test if you are hearing from Abba is to look at the fruits of your life and your experiences with God. Are they Godly? Do you see the fruits of the spirit throughout it? Are people being healed, helped or blessed by your actions. Is the enemy obsessed with what you are doing? Do you have peace and joy?
Confusion is sent by the enemy; the spirit speaks with gentleness and in peace. Let’s say God has spoken with you and given you a directive. As a result you feel peace and you have confidence that it was from God. Suddenly, fear or confusion comes upon you and you begin to worry and question everything you had just had perfect peace about. Now is the time to bind up fear and confusion or even distortion. Then ask Father for clarification.
I always ask for at least three confirmations from Abba. Sometimes I’ll even ask for six or nine. I want to be certain. I do always get my confirmations. Then confusion tries to frighten me into doubt and faithlessness yet again. This can be an ongoing battle for me. I am now ready for this to stop hindering my faith and for me to rise up in power and confidence.
We must walk in the light by faith and expect to wait. Waiting is renewal to our strength. That is always a good thing. Without waiting there is no faith needed. Without waiting there is no real testimony to share. Without waiting and demonstrating faith and trust there is no pleasing God!!
All of this is only possible when we listen and obey!! We do not have to do much else. We choose to be obedient or not(which I think the Holy Spirit helps us with making the right choice too). The rest comes from the power of the Holy Spirit which enables and helps us to accomplish the plans of God. This then ushers in the reality of what our destiny is and helps us to rise up to it and walk in it. We only can do this through the power of God.
I also believe it is important to mention that along with Faith waiting, we do have faith actions that must come along with the waiting. It is extremely important to follow the Spirit every step of the way. Sometimes while waiting on the hand of God to work in our lives, we are given a secondary assignment to complete while we are in the waiting phase for something else. Our walks with the Lord are incredibly dynamic, multifaceted and complex. That is kinda why we need His direction. The path is unknown to us, but is completely illuminated to God.
I want to share a passage of scripture with you that helps with all that was mentioned here today.
2 Peter 1New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Growth in Christian Virtue
1 [a]Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith of the same [b]kind as ours, [c]by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us [d]by His own glory and [e]excellence. 4 [f]For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral [g]excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
Stay encouraged and remember that God is pleased with our Faith in Him, which manifests through waiting and trusting implicitly in Him! It’s not about us or our pleasure. It is all about our Father’s business and the Kingdom. Be blessed and stay courageous!! Show the world that you are a force to be reckoned with. You not only will take charge of your thoughts by taking them captive, but you will stand firm keeping your ground!
©2017 Jennifer Wallace