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Writer's picturePastor Jonathan

Day 20 - Hearing Declarations

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:4b-15 ESV)

Jesus informs his disciples that his time with them is ending. He continues to tell them that it's a good thing he departs from them. In fact, he says, the Holy Spirit will direct them going forward in their lives. But this is now the question: how can we hear what the Holy Spirit is saying?


First, we have to acknowledge that he is speaking to us. Have you acknowledged that God is indeed speaking to you?


Second, we have to understand how the Holy Spirit declares God’s truths through encouragement, affirmation, and guidance through a variety of mediums. It can be through an idea, a reading of Scripture, through people, situations, dreams, etc.


Third, when we hear what he is saying, we have to act on what the Holy Spirit says by prioritizing his words in our lives. This is the hardest part to execute because prioritizing his declarations to us requires that we believe what he is saying to us.


Theologian Keith Warrington says regarding the Holy Spirit speaking to us, “he who operates with better than a photographic memory and can remind us of what we once knew also, on occasion, offers new revelations that will help in our spiritual development.” What he is telling us is that the Holy Spirit not only reaffirms what the Bible teaches in terms of transforming us through the written word of God, but also he allows us to apply contextually-appropriate spiritual guidance (that’s the “new revelations”) when we face circumstances and cultures that the Bible doesn’t directly address. I want you to notice that in both situations, the Holy Spirit doesn’t disagree with the written Word, after all, he inspired all of it.


When we acknowledge the Holy Spirit is speaking directly to us; and when we recognize his medium of communication, and then apply what he says to us, we will be able to find God being glorified as we live empowered by God.


Pray that you would be able to hear the Holy Spirit declaring the glory of God to you and that you would be able to live in obedience to those declarations.

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