The “Spirit” said what!?

“Repentance begins with the sacrifice of control—and that can be frightening.”

— Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age by Rod Dreher

Philip Yancey is one of my favorite authors, he makes me think.

In his book, Reaching for the Invisible God: What Can We Expect to Find, he asks an important question: If a person or group claims, “The Bible says,” you can look for yourself. If they claim, “The Spirit told me,” where can you look?

I believe I have the answer…

First, you do the same thing you do when someone says, “The Bible says…” You compare what they said the Holy Spirit said with what the Bible says. Rest assured, the Holy Spirit never contradict himself and it turns out that He wrote the Bible (2 Peter 1:21).

But you also “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1-3). You look very, very closely at the one purporting speak for God. Don’t be distracted by the sound and fury, the emotions and drama, the smoke and mirrors, or their garb and charm – no, you examine their life.

Are they “salty”?

Is the clear light of Jesus Christ shining in their lives? (Matthew 5:13-16).

What is the fruit of their lives? (Matthew 7:16-20).

And have you observed this up close and for a long time? Yes, all that glitters is not gold, but gold does stand the test of time and so do genuine Spirit-filled Christians.

And there’s one more thing: You have the humility to look very, very closely at your own life.

For sure, one reason people often don’t get the “signal” from the Holy Spirit is due to a faulty transmitter, but it can also because they – the receiver – are not working properly too.

The Holy Spirit is active in the world today—Jesus promised that He would be. So don’t be surprised if He chooses to speak to you. Why wouldn’t He?

Of course there will be “knock offs” – counterfeit spirits at work as well. The wise Christian practices a little sanctified cynicism (discernment) before swallowing a “word from the Lord”, but if the word rings true, they are also so hungry for more of God and more of his living word that they gladly swallow the gracious word that comes from the Spirit through His servants.

Whatever you do, don’t let anyone muzzle the Holy Spirit. Not only is Jesus not in the tomb, the Holy Spirit is not stuck in time back in the Upper Room.