“..Whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come” (John 16:13)
- He guides us into all truth. (John 16:13)
- He shall not speak of Himself. (John 16:13)
- Whatever He hears the Father say, He repeats to us. (John 16:13)
- He will show us things to come. (John 16:13)
- He will glorify Jesus. (John 16:14)
I appreciate the way the Amplified Bible expounds on John 16:14: “He will honor and glorify Me (Jesus), because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.”
The Holy Spirit is a person. He knows what the Father is thinking about us. He is a master communicator and wants us to accurately know what the Father is saying to us.
One of the most important things I have learned about the ministry of the Holy Spirit is that I must get quiet in order to hear what He is saying. We also must wait upon Him to move. Psalm 106 gives an account of the children of Israel coming out of Egypt. It tells us that they believed God’s words, but they waited NOT for his counsel. (Ps. 106:12-13). In other words, they did not wait for His plans to develop concerning them. Their impatience caused them to lose so much.
Impatience, not waiting for His counsel, is also a great danger in our lives. Impatience has shipwrecked many ministries, marriages, and financial opportunities.
For those of you who seek the Hebrew understanding, the word “counsel” (etsah) consists of the (ayin-tsade-he). Written in Hebrew it looks like this from right to left: עֵצָה
There is a “hidden” word within the Hebrew word. When you combine the (ayin and the tsade) you form the word (ets) עֵץ meaning a “tree.” The enemy works to distract us from the tree of life (instruction) and tempts us to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Receiving counsel from God requires the deliberate and concentrated energies of obedience to achieve the goals God desires us to have.
We must prepare ourselves to hear the voice of the LORD, especially as we are entering into times of rapid and sometimes radical changes. This preparation requires the investment of our time and our energy. No one can do for us what is necessary for success; there are no shortcuts. More than perhaps anyone else, spiritual leaders need adequate, set-apart time to understand what the Lord is saying.
DISTRACTIONS KEEP US FROM HIS VOICE
Of the utmost importance in hearing The Spirit’s voice clearly is learning how to bind the voice of the enemy. In many and usually subtle ways, he distracts us from the Word of God. We must constantly tune our ears and our eyes to the things of God. Our sight will affect our desires. Whatever we have our sights on, we will eventually pursue. As Jeremiah said in the Book of Lamentations: “Mine eye affects my heart” (Lam. 3:51).
As we continue to consistently pursue God through His Word and what the Holy Spirit is saying through it, we will hear the voice of the LORD and SEE what to do.
