Feel, see, hear…and respond
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Romans 8:14
I thank God that He has a variety of ways by which He can get our attention. For the person who prioritizes Bible time, the ability to pick up on cues from the Holy Spirit will become somewhat easier over time. That’s because God’s Word is a Discerner (see Hebrews 4:12), and He uses it to enlighten us (see John 1:9). The Holy Spirit does not move outside of the parameters of the Word of God, and at the same time, Word of God is indwelt by the Holy Spirit—the two flow together. It makes sense, therefore, that one of the names for the Bible is the Sword of the Spirit.
In 1997 I “felt” the sensation of sharp impact to my left temple as I drove home from church, prompting me to pray. On the other side of town, my friends John and Janet were about to have a head-on collision in which Janet would strike the windshield with her left temple. She and John survived, and Janet suffered nothing in her body but a broken wrist and a bald spot on her left temple the size of a quarter. No scratches, bruises, or welts could be found on that side of her head—she definitely got the better end of the deal between herself and the windshield she shattered! The Holy Spirit had given me a sensation of impact to the left temple; I prayed until the feeling lifted; and Janet and John are alive and well to this day (see “Is it just me or the Holy Ghost?”).
I have learned over the years that when I get some type of unexplainable “sensation” to take some time to pray about it. I’m well aware that some of the time I may have prayed about things that simply popped up in my imagination, but I know that in John and Janet’s case, my prayer hit the very real target.
Years before the situation with John and Janet, I had a similar “feeling”—along with a quick “picture”—that flashed in my mind. I was taking my customary daily walk in my peaceful neighborhood. I passed by a beautiful home on the right hand side of the street and saw a young teen standing on the porch drinking a Mountain Dew. Instantly, I saw an image in my mind of the soda can flying out of the boy’s hand and I “felt” its impact on the back of my head. I said under my breath, “I bind that, in the name of Jesus!”
No sooner had I bound the scenario I had just “seen” and “felt” when in the street behind me I heard a crash. I turned to look—and the boy had indeed hurled the nearly full can of soda my way, missing me by a foot or so.
All too often, we think that the random oddball thoughts, pictures, or feelings that arise are “just me”, but my goal is to encourage you to take the time to pray about those things before your mind jumps on to a new thought and you miss an opportunity to be led by God’s Spirit.
I moved to a new town as a young Christian, and I was just learning how to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. I was looking for an apartment move into. As I drove to one I had seen advertised, I felt a nudge to take an earlier exit off the highway. I obeyed and traveled on that road for a couple of miles, and seeing nothing, decided to turn around.
I pulled off and was about to go back to my original destination when I heard a quiet voice within me say, “Pursue those houses.” I did, and soon saw a large sign advertising an apartment complex. Following other signs along the way, I found the complex, fell in love with it, and signed the lease for quite a bit less per month than I would have paid at the place I was originally considering. As it turned out, the complex to which I was led was also much closer to the place of employment where I would eventually be hired.
I also needed a bed frame. I had a twin mattress and box springs, but no frame, so one Saturday morning as I drove around the community where I was temporarily staying, I saw a garage sale. I heard that same quiet voice direct me to enquire about the bed frame. I parked, walked up the driveway, scanned all the objects on display, but saw no bed frame. I believed, however, that the Holy Spirit had told me I would find a bed frame there, so I approached the lady of the house.
“I’m looking for a twin-sized bed frame,” I stated.
Her eyes widened as she wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing. “Well, I’ll be! We debated about lugging that thing up from the basement and thought better of it—we didn’t think anyone would want it! Sure you can have it!”
She called her husband over and he and their son went in to retrieve a dusty, spider-webby twin bed frame—in perfect condition! I paid five dollars for it, took it home, and cleaned it up to look like new.
I’ve bought all kinds of things over the years—cars, furniture, clothes and accessories, appliances, technology, a house—but that old bed frame remains unique to me among my earthly treasures, both past and present. When the Holy Spirit gets in on the action, He can make a dusty old, spider-webby, five-dollar purchase glitter like fine gold in your memory.
Abide in the Word, and the Discerner will be a reliable Guide for you.
Dorothy
“Take my instruction and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choicest gold.
For wisdom is better than jewels;
And all desirable things cannot compare with her.” Proverbs 8:10-11
Is it just me or the Holy Ghost?
And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always]. Colossians 3:15, Amplified Bible
Typically, the main way the Holy Spirit leads His people is via the inward witness—that sense of peace or lack thereof concerning a decision they are making. Some people describe it as a “green light/red light” that they pay attention to inside of themselves. Others call it a “hunch”; some call it a “red flag” or a “check” when the guidance leads them away from an event or decision. You probably have followed these subtle signals, yourself, likely giving it little thought. For folks who spend time in the Word of God, this form of direction is generally very reliable.
Prioritize the Word of God in your life, and the Discerner will direct you by His Spirit.
However, people who insist on receiving more dramatic guidance from God place themselves in a vulnerable and potentially deceivable position, in my opinion. That’s because the Bible is “a more sure word of prophecy” (see 2 Peter 1:19, KJV), “to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts” (ibid, NASB). Prioritize the Word of God in your life, and the Discerner will direct you by His Spirit.
That said, at times the Holy Spirit may use more “tangible” methods to direct you. He may show you something; He may speak words to your heart; He may even direct you by giving you a “feeling” of something. If you receive His direction via any of these methods, it doesn’t mean you’re a more “spiritual” or “sanctified” person; it simply means that the Holy Spirit has information He wants you to pray about or act upon. The more willing you are to follow through with His leading—whether subtle promptings or more spectacular guidance—the more sensitive you become to His guidance.
I haven’t heard about a lot of people who have been directed by “feelings” or “sensations”, possibly because it can get confused with normal human imagination or emotions and written off as “just me”. Let me share an experience that happened to me to illustrate what I mean.
In 1997 as I was driving home one night after a meeting at church, I experienced an unnerving sense of impact to my left temple as if I was about to be struck by gunfire. I found the nearest semi-truck and drove right next to it for cover from flying bullets! Thankfully, as I precariously hugged that truck, I realized that it was the Lord giving me an intercessory assignment for someone. I entered into prayer as I pulled back from the semi, entreating God for safety for myself, my relatives, my friends, my colleagues, and anyone else in danger of impact. The sense lingered, so I continued praying both in the Holy Spirit and with my understanding until it lifted.
When I arrived home I called my friends from a neighboring church, John and Janet, who had joined us for the service earlier that evening. No one answered, so I left a message.
The next day John called and told me that he and Janet were involved in a head-on collision on their way home from the meeting. He was fine and Janet would be released from the hospital that day. John explained that upon impact, Janet, who was not wearing a seatbelt, flew over him and shattered the windshield with the left side of her head! She fractured her wrist upon impact in an attempt to protect herself, but her head was unharmed. In fact, for the next few days as she combed her hair, she pulled out clumps of it, along with fragments of windshield, leaving an unscratched, quarter-sized bald spot on her left temple! Eighteen years later, she and John are alive and well and ministering in the Arctic Circle.
The interesting thing about this leading of the Holy Spirit was that I almost blew it off as “just me”! But I took the risk of praying about nothing on the chance that it really was something vitally important—life and death important.
Have I ever prayed about nothing when I’ve experienced odd feelings? Probably. But ask Janet and John if it was worth it for me to risk praying about “nothing” that night!
I want to encourage you—if you have those odd, random feelings, just pray. Maybe it will be nothing; but maybe your prayer will be the fuel God uses to bring help and deliverance to someone else.
Dorothy
Read MoreBeing led by the Spirit requires putting God’s Word first
Sometimes the Holy Ghost seems to “tackle” you to get you to take a 180 in your life. This has only happened to me twice, once in 1986 just before my mom died, and then nearly thirty years later—just a week and a half ago—as I was preparing for an elective surgery. On both occasions, He used this method to stop me from proceeding with plans that would have ended up harming me in some way (see Double up on the Discerner and Being a prima donna vs. being led by the Spirit).
In fact, after the situation in 1986, I was doubtful I would ever experience the overwhelming oppressive-like feeling again as a guidance technique from the Holy Spirit—and that was just fine with me! I think He only does this sort of thing in extreme cases. Hopefully, I will never need to experience it a third time!
In both of those instances, however, I knew it was important to keep my Bible handy. Hebrews 4:12 states, “ For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” When you are overwhelmed in a decision, whether it’s the rare “Holy Ghost tackle” or the more common human difficulty with determining the best course, you can count on God’s Word to operate as the Discerner. In fact, to neglect the Bible in pursuit of a more personal or “now word” or leading will place you in a vulnerable, easily-deceivable place.
You are called—as a child of God—to be led by His Spirit; but you are also charged to abide in His Word. Counterfeit voices abound; many paths lead to divergent destinies; but only the Word of God will endure forever, and it declares that Jesus alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life—and He commands you to abide in His Word. As you prioritize that Word over every other spiritual voice, you will grow in discerning the often subtle promptings of the Spirit of God. If a counterfeit arises to deceive you, you will be able to pick it out of the “lineup”—and have it arrested and incarcerated—because you’ve been abiding in the Discerner.
For the next few entries, I will be sharing various situations in which the Holy Spirit has led me. You’ll see that His guidance may differ in the way it plays out, but it is never coercive, manipulative, vainly flattering, or contrary to the Word of God.
Until then,
Dorothy
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1
If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed… John 8:31b
I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. John 8:12b
Read MoreBeing a prima donna vs. being led by the Spirit
Sometimes the leading of the Holy Spirit is strong. But sometimes your own desires, tastes, and preferences are equally as strong. If you tend lump your personal tastes and quirks into the same basket with the leading of the Holy Spirit and go after all of it with the same intensity, you can confuse your own spirit and end up missing out on God’s guidance.
I was preparing to have surgery this summer. As the office coordinator set up the date and time, I learned that I was scheduled for 1:00 in the afternoon. That didn’t sit well with me, to say the least. Controlling my disgust as best I could, I talked to the nurse on the other end of the line and requested a timeslot for earlier in the day. Knowing that an afternoon surgery meant a longer period of fasting food and water, I was adamant: There was no way I’d be going without water all morning! I wanted it changed, and I wanted it changed now!
They weren’t budging. I was about to launch an all-out assault of bossiness, pushiness, and insistence when the Holy Spirit spoke very directly. “There’s a difference between being a prima donna and being led by the Spirit.”
Stopped in my tracks by His words, I was jolted back into reality. It dawned on me that I was using all my intensity for what? To spare me a few hours of thirst? Asking God for forgiveness, I prayed the prayer of dedication. I committed to cease striving in the flesh and to trust Him to orchestrate this thing. If Moses could go 40 days without water, I could go a few extra hours. And if God wanted to change the timing, He could do so without my help.
Two weeks later, I received a call from my doctor’s office. The surgery had been postponed by three weeks…and was scheduled for 7:00 in the morning.
Happy as a clam and grateful to God, I went my way, preparing my home to be more easily navigated after surgery and setting up friends to help until I could get around on my own.
And then, only after I had released the whole thing to God, did I start to receive a series of three cautions within a week’s time about the procedure. I prayed about each one, listened for any new promptings from the Holy Spirit within me, and set up an appointment to speak with my doctor about the specific method she intended to use in the operation.
She assured me as to the safety of this procedure and promised me that I could request a more traditional approach if I changed my mind—just give her a few days lead time. Nonetheless, I felt I should ask to meet with my pastor for prayer about it before he left town on a ministry engagement.
In the meantime, I became increasingly uneasy about the entire operation. It felt similar to the uneasiness I had experienced years ago, prompting me at the time to cancel vacation plans—unaware as I was doing so that my mom was going to pass away soon after I would have left for the trip—unreachable, before the time of cell phones. I had “doubled up on the Discerner” (God’s Word) back then until clarity came; I would double up on the Discerner again and leave it to God to reveal what was up (see “Double up on the Discerner”).
Finally, the day before I was scheduled to pray with my pastor and one week before surgery, the uneasiness was only growing heavier. I said in exasperation to the Lord, “I think I’ll just cancel this whole thing and talk to Dr. B (a different doctor) about doing the surgery.”
Instantly, uneasiness lifted. Peace came.
Friday night after the service, I waited to meet with my pastor and his wife. I felt kind of stupid—here I am meeting with them to pray for my surgery next week…but what will I tell them? I’m cancelling?! They’ll think I’m flaky!
They finished their conversations with various other church members and then ushered me into the small sitting room behind the platform. Before I could open my mouth, my pastor’s wife blurted, “I don’t think you should have that surgery next week.” Confirmation!
We were on the same page, hearing the same thing about this particular procedure. Once again, I had been “tackled” by the Holy Spirit, thwarting me from stepping out into something that would not have been good for me.
On top of that, when I mentioned to my pastors the name of the doctor I thought about going to for a second opinion, they both agreed heartily, affirming their respect for his expertise.
Who knows what I was spared by not following through with this procedure? I will not speculate, but I am a firm believer in being led by the Holy Spirit.
God is faithful and He will enable you to hear His leading…if you’re willing to double up on the Discerner and if you’re also willing to lay aside any “prima donna” demands that may muffle His leading.
It’s worth it!
Dorothy
Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. 1 Thessalonians 5:24
Read MoreDouble up on the Discerner
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12, NKJV
Ever feel as if you were being tackled by a dark cloud of oppression? I did in the summer of 1986. Try as I might, I could not lift it. Its intensity overwhelmed me at the exact same time as I was preparing to launch out on an extended dream vacation with a friend! It was different than fear; it was a dull, heavy foreboding that I simply could not shake.The uneasiness gripping me made me question everything. Should I cancel my trip, stay home, and absolutely shatter my friend’s expectations?
A pastor I talked to told me to “double up on the Discerner”, God’s Word, because it would enable me to discern between soul and spirit (see Hebrews 4:12) and shed light onto the right course for me to take. As I increased my Bible intake—not even on a particular topic—and sought God about the pressing decision I had to make, wisdom came.
I made the tough decision to cancel all plans, disappointing my friend, and obeyed what I believed to be the leading of the Holy Spirit. Days later, I knew why I had been “tackled” by the cloud of oppression. My mother had been scheduled for a routine operation on the day I was to leave, and she was doing great just out of surgery. But within 24 hours, my dad called. “Your mother’s dying. Come home.” I found out that due to surgical error, her intestines had been punctured and she was dying from the release of toxins into her body.
Doubling up on the Word gave me the discernment to stay in town—before the days of cell phones—instead of camping out for weeks in Georgia and up and down the beaches of Florida like I had planned. Had I ignored the pressure of the Holy Spirit or neglected to increase my Bible intake to receive the discernment I needed, I would have been unreachable when Mom was dying. On top of that, I would not have returned until long after she was buried.
I will be forever grateful for the coordinated working of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God in my life at that crucial time. Because of the Holy Spirit’s tackle-like leading and the increased discernment I received from the Word of God, I was able to quickly make it to my mother’s side when her life unexpectedly drew to a close.
I will be forever grateful to the Holy Spirit for His wonderful, intimate leading!
Dorothy
I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Psalm 32:8
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
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