Listen to the Spirit

Read:

John 16:13–15. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

What is it speaking to me today:

In these verses, Jesus is speaking to his disciples. The Son of God is telling them (and us!) that the Spirit has been sent as a guide to us, to speak to us, to reveal who the Father is to the disciples. He is a guide, a speaker, and a revealer.

Part of the point of reading a devotional is that we are not just reading the Word, considering a thought, and praying a prayer. It is about taking a moment or two to reflect on the Word and *listen* for what God may say to us.

Now I can't say that every time I have stopped to listen in my quiet times, that the Spirit has said something to me. Perhaps I just didn't hear it, or perhaps it just wasn't the time for Him to speak.

I CAN say that the more often I sit and listen, the more often I can hear what the Spirit is trying to say to me. It is like the new-millennium guru Michael Scott once wrote on a whiteboard (quoting Wayne Gretzky): "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

The more I listen, the more I hear the Spirit speak. If I am not hearing anything, maybe I need to ask myself the question: "Am I listening?"

The Spirit of God has been sent to me (to you) as a guide. A trail guide directs your steps, shows you where to look, how to walk, things to watch out for, and positive things to notice. He wants to make sure you have the best experience on the trail that you can have. It is not a question of whether a Christian has a good guide—He is the third person of the Trinity. The only real question is: are we listening?

What is it saying to you?

Are you listening?

When you pray, do you give time for the Spirit to answer?

What are we going to do about it?

When you finish reading this, be still. Ask the Spirit to speak to you. Wait a while and see what happens. If nothing, that is ok. Apply the Michael Scott principle, and keep trying as you go through your day. Take silent moments and see if He fills them.