Spirit Witnesses Guidance within Us
Romans 8:16 “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
So just how does the Holy Spirit lead us in the affairs of life? The apostle Paul gave us a bit of insight into this method when we quoted him earlier (Acts 27:10). In that instance Paul said that he “perceived” what was going to happen. Remember that the Holy Spirit resides in our spirits. So what Paul was saying is that he perceived in his spirit, what the Holy Spirit was showing him. The Holy Spirit hadn’t spoken to Paul on this occasion. All that Paul had was a “perception” in his spirit, of what would happen. In other words he knew on the inside of him, what the Holy Spirit was revealing to him.
1 John 5:10 “He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself.”
The above quoted passage of scripture gives us a bit more insight as to how the Holy Spirit witnesses with our spirits. When we are born-again, nothing changes on the outside. But on the inside we know that we have changed, for we have a strong “knowing” on the inside (our spirit) that we have been saved. It’s a good feeling. The Holy Spirit is the one who gives life to our spirits when we are born-again, and it is He who witnesses with our spirits that we are now a child of God. And so we see that one of the reasons that we know that we are saved is because we have the witness in our spirits.
Romans 2:15 “who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.”
As we grow older in the Lord that witness grows stronger, to the point that if one were to try convincing you that you weren’t saved you would laugh at him. The reason you would laugh, is because you have the witness in yourself (spirit) that you are God’s child and nothing can change that. So what causes that witness to grow stronger? It’s because our spirits grow stronger as we spend time if the word of God and prayer. And so we see that just as we learn to trust the witness in ourselves that we are sons of God, so we need to learn to trust the witness in ourselves regarding the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all the affairs of our lives. That witness will always be in our spirits, and that witness guides us with either a comfortable feeling or an uncomfortable feeling, regarding the course of action we are planning to take. In the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit teaches us that when as believers we do what is right, then our conscience and our spirits will excuse us. In other words they will be in agreement with what we are doing, and we will have no conflict in our hearts. We will be comfortable on the inside. On the other hand, the same scripture teaches us that if we do that which is not right, then our conscience and our spirits will accuse us. In other words they will not be in agreement with what we are doing and we will have conflict in our hearts. We will no longer be comfortable on the inside.
Proverbs 3:13-17 “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; ... (17) her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.”
This same principle ties in with what the Holy Spirit teaches us regarding one who follows after the Lord’s wisdom. For in the above quoted passage of scripture He teaches us that one who walks in the Lord’s wisdom experiences peace. The peace that He is referring to is the peace that one experiences on the inside of them. In other words they have no conflict in their hearts when they are walking in the wisdom or counsel of the Lord.
Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
I have already mentioned that as our spirits grow stronger that the witness that we are saved also grows stronger. There is a duel outworking in allowing our spirits to grow stronger however, for we know that our spirits grow strong through spending time in God’s word and prayer (specifically praying with our spirit in other tongues). The duel outworking is that our minds are also renewed in that same process. The above quoted passage of scripture plainly reveals to us that we will only be able to know the perfect will of God for our lives, when we allow our minds to be renewed to His word.
Romans 8:7 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.”
I want you to notice in the previous passage that it is only through the renewing of our minds that we are able to know God’s perfect will. The reason for that is simple. A mind that has not been renewed to God’s word is what scripture calls a “carnal mind”. All baby Christians have carnal minds when they come into the kingdom of God. The apostle Paul referred to the church at Corinth as being baby Christians, whose thinking was still carnal (1 Corinthians 3:1). It takes time to renew our minds to God’s word, but that process must take place. For until we allow our minds to be renewed, our carnal minds will always rebel against God’s word. That truth is revealed to us in the above quoted passage of scripture.
1 Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
And so just as the carnal mind rebels against God’s word, so that same carnal mind will rebel against the leading of the Holy Spirit, for the leading of the Spirit will always be in line with God’s word. The carnal mind is one and the same as one who is referred to in scripture, as a natural man. In the above quoted passage of scripture it is revealed to us that the natural man will not follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, because His leading is foolishness to the natural man.
Michael E.B. Maher
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