Challenges to Knowing and Hearing from God Part 1

We are challenged to accept no substitutes for the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit.

As you pursue the knowledge of the Lord, settle it for yourself that you will resist the temptation to minister out of your own temperament, skill, position or personal inheritance. Many ministers, for example, are such good speakers that they are able to convince their audience themselves rather than allow the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to convict them on His terms. Another example is in ministering in prophecy or words of wisdom. You may have noticed how general many prophetic words are. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the Lord is not speaking, but that there is a lot of interference, probably from the person delivering the word. We are all to discern the difference, and encourage one another to “hold out” for the actual flow of the Spirit through our spirit. Many also have a tendency to add their own emotion or power of persuasion—the force of their personality—to their ministry, and the recipient is left overwhelmed by the person to the point they may not be able to discern the truth. Likewise there is a tendency to attribute ministry responsibilities to second and third generations, that a ministry is somehow a birthright of a ministry family and can be passed down from generation to generation.

Take note that it is possible to duplicate some of the effects of the moving of the Spirit through our own efforts, especially since most people will go along with what is being said or done. But the true results of His moving—freedom, healing, assurance—can’t be faked. Either God moves or He doesn’t: If He’s not moving, don’t try to talk Him into it. Likewise, if He’s “rocking the boat,” don&