While at TC I learned more about the Holy Spirit and how to listen better to him. Our guest speaker also taught us how to test a thought to see if it’s really from the Holy Spirit. There is a story I remember that our guest speaker told us about a guy who went on a missions trip and while walking around a town telling people about God, the guy told his friends that the Holy Spirit had given him a thought that would help save more people. There was a truck coming down the road, the thought was if he jumped in front of this truck. He would be hit by the truck bounce off the truck, and die. His friends would then pray for him, he would come back to life and everyone around would see that miracles me they would come to Christ. The guys’ friends thought it was a bad idea but before anyone could stop him, he jumped in front of the truck, he got hit by the truck and he bounced off it. However he didn’t die, he had a serve head injuries, and he was sent to the hospital. The people didn’t see a miracle and no one got saved.
The point of this story is before acting on what you think might be the Holy Spirit telling you something. Test it. To test a thought out ask these five questions.
1. Does it exalt Christ? John 16:14
“He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”
2. Is it biblical? Proverbs 30:5-6
5 “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.”
3. Can believers confirm it? Proverbs 15:22
“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
4. Does it produce good fruit? John 15:1-16
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”
5. Will it come to pass? Isaiah 55:10-11
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
If you can say yes to all of these then you know it’s a true thought from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can show it self in many forms. You just have to stop and hear the whispers.
Until Next Time.
