Listen To The Holy Spirit

"For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." 1 Corinthians 2:11,12

I read this verse this morning and it was definitely a wow moment. I must have read this verse a hundred times before, but this time I REALLY read it. You know how that is? All the sudden a verse in the Bible will just jump out at you and you'll see what it's talking about. I love that, and as it happens, that is the help of the Holy Spirit, helping you to see what the Bible has to say to you.

When we become Christians, when we make that step and decide to live for Jesus and ask him to be a part of our lives, He sends us a helper, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the helper who dwells in us- he becomes a part of us. The Holy Spirit is that guide who often acts as a conscience, and helps us to make right decisions. Because he dwells in us, the Holy Spirit knows us. He knows us well, he knows our thoughts before we even think them. We are not mind-readers, but the Holy Spirit is, and he knows each and every thought that crosses our mind- good or bad. That's what the first part of this verse is saying- it's saying that there is no man who can know our thoughts, but the Holy Spirit can and does.

At the same time- and this is the really cool part- the Holy Spirit comes from God! The Holy Spirit is also a part of God, and the Spirit knows the thoughts of God. So think about that for a second. Think about the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, knowing our thoughts and helping us from day to day, and then think that this exact same Spirit is dwelling in God! Oh my! And as He knows the thoughts of God, he can help us to reconcile our thoughts with what God may be thinking. That's not only really cool, but that's pretty crazy to think about! The one and the same Holy Spirit is our direct link to God at all times.

So those times where we are unsure what to do, and we lean towards one choice, but feel that uneasiness and sense of warning in the back of our minds, that could very well be the Holy Spirit prompting us- sharing with us what God's thoughts are about a particular situation. That's fantastic to think, that not only do we have the Holy Spirit with us at all times to help us, but that he is also with God at all times. So those times when we are reading our Bible and something really jumps out and grabs us, we can know that it's the Holy Spirit giving us a nudge and saying "Hey, this is what God is thinking about for you today." There have been times, where I am thinking that I'll get my Bible reading over quickly that day, and I open it up willy-nilly, hopeful that one lone verse will jump out and grab me. Of course, that doesn't always happen. Lately, when I open my Bible, my method is to read until something grabs me. Yet, when I have the mentality of "let's just get this over with" I find that the sense of humor of God comes through as I read 6, 7, 12 chapters before something really grabs me. But it's always the right something. Whether it be a word of encouragement, or a revelation applicable to my life. The Holy Spirit knows exactly what God is thinking, and he also knows where my heart and mind is that day, and He knows exactly what I need to read.

The end of this verse today is just as meaningful and a delight to read. We can rest secure in our knowledge that the spirit that dwells in us is not of this world. It is a Heavenly Spirit- a part of God, sent to us to help us to understand our God better. The spirit of our world is often one of sadness, depression, oppression and that sense of being lost. We can take heart and hope in knowing that the Holy Spirit does not want those things for us. When we feel those things (and many other not so desirable feelings) that's the world pressing in. And that's when we take some time to recharge our batteries. We spend some time focusing on God and asking the Holy Spirit to help us, and he will fill us with what we need to muster through. What God has freely given us is His Love. His Love will always, always see us through. The Holy Spirit will sometimes help us to see that love when it seems hidden to us, but it's always there. We have a God who loves us so much, His son died for us. We have a God who loves us so much, he truly wants to spend eternity with us. And he sends his Holy Spirit to dwell in us to help us get there. So let's listen when He speaks or prompts us. I like the idea of following what God is thinking.