Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
11 6 2024

Audit Version

Learning the language of the Holy Spirit  Part 1 of 2

Only those who are willing to fail will ever become proficient at understanding which impressions
come from God and which come out of our own souls. I took two years of Spanish and two years
of Latin when I was in middle school and high school. I spent time studying but really
didn’t have a group of people to practice with. I’ve learned that those who put themselves
in a position to talk with people and be open to making mistakes in front of them
learn conversational Spanish or Latin better than those they just studied. 

So, how do we learn how to hear God’s voice in new and effective ways?
We grow in using any new language through trial and error and it can often give the most humorous moments as well as some humiliating failures. And isn’t it true about our lives that oftentimes we learn more from our failures than we do from our successes?

Then, of course, I hear somebody saying it’s one thing to learn a language that way, but it’s a much more serious matter when you’re telling someone that God told you something. I very much agree. It’s very serious to tell people, “God said”.

But then, can I ask you… Don’t all Christians do that in one form or fashion? Every time we quote the Bible and interpret it or apply it to someone else we’re telling them that God said something. And the truth is our interpretation may not be what God said at all. It may be just our application and opinion. Or even if we are correct, our timing may be off. We may be too quick to speak when God would’ve preferred us to be quick to hear. (that is so true of all of us!)

I heard someone say that, despite our doctrinal positions and different faiths, it is often a temptation to use our faith to control or direct the lives of other people. There’s always the temptation to hear God for other people instead of hearing him for ourselves.

Proverbs 22:15 says, “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child.” Boy, as parents, do we know that truth so well! But that child’s fool heartedess can also have a positive effect when it comes to learning a language. Because of their foolishness, children are natural risk-takers. They will try anything because they’re not afraid to fail or to look foolish. I remember in high school, I was afraid to look foolish when I spoke Spanish or Latin, and so I avoided those conversations.  When the very thing I needed, was to learn conversational Spanish. 

The truth is, you can’t learn a natural language or the language of the Holy Spirit apart from trial and error. And unfortunately, errors make us look foolish. Even worse, they make us feel foolish. And no one likes to look silly. Yet 1 Corinthians 1;26 says, “ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him”.  Doesn’t it make complete sense that anyone who becomes skilled at hearing God’s voice will have paid the price of appearing and feeling foolish many times? 

Why is it so difficult to hear God’s voice?

Most people cannot hear the voice of the Lord because they truly don’t believe that God is speaking to them. Maybe they believe they lack the ability, maybe they have false theological barriers to hearing God’s voice, or maybe they just don’t think God would speak to them because they think they are unqualified.

What hinders you from hearing God’s voice?

Sometimes, people allow shame, condemnation, or a sense of unworthiness to make them feel as though they are separated from God—and therefore, unable to hear His voice (Romans 8:1-2). We need to remember that for Christians, the barrier of sin separating us from God has already been dealt with on the cross.

What sins stop you from hearing the Holy Spirit?

When we allow bitterness to poison our lives or we slander others, we are grieving the Holy Spirit. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice” (Ephesians 4:30–31 NKJV).

What does God’s voice feel like?

The voice of God may not be “calm,” but it will be peaceful. That “still small voice” will stand out in peaceful contrast to the anxiety, pressure, and clamor of the other voices in our heads. If necessary, turn down the noise of your life (sometimes literally), and attend to the voice of the One who is peace.

How do I know God is talking to me?

This can happen through prayer, contemplation, meditation, and/or time in the Bible. We begin to discern God’s voice over the noise of our world as we give time to these disciplines.
The Holy Spirit begins speaking to us. We begin to hear God through those around us, circumstances, and even our conscience.

You know God isn’t surprised when our minds go in 1000 directions,
especially when we would like to try and be quiet and hear his voice.  
He is our Dad…our creator…He knows everything about you!  
e need to back off our own judgment of ourselves and just MAKE some time to sit at his feet and ferment awhile…Hang with your Dad.  Just be yourself…talk to Him like the person He is. 
He is waiting to talk to you.  He gave you the most spectacular tool to answer your questions, your tensions, your fears….  Scripture.  So when those intruding thoughts come… and they will come… respond as Jesus did you, to Satan, in the desert…Even Jesus used Scripture…and God sent his angel to minister to him.  He will do that to you too.  I promise.

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 Please pray that God would give me wisdom in what to share. Blessings

Andy Grammer – “Don’t Give Up On Me”