God the Holy Spirit, Mentor's Guide, MG14

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G O D T H E H O L Y S P I R I T

The Role of the Holy Spirit in Spiritual Guidance (continued)

c. If God is silent it usually means that we are either free to choose among the good choices he has placed at our disposal, or alternatively, that we are operating under a preexisting command. (1) If God wants us to do something, he will make it clear to the listening heart. (2) When God has a already communicated his will through the Scriptures, the question will not be hearing but obeying.

d. The importance of a listening heart.

The foundational ground rule: We cannot be ignoring God or running away from obedience and then claim that God is not saying anything.

(1) God’s Church as the natural environment for listening.

(a) The family analogy holds true. My children came home after school everyday, ate at my table, lived in my house, and participated in our family life. Because that was true, they could be confident that they were hearing what I wanted from them. We must do the same in our spiritual walk. (b) If we ignore our relationship with the family of God and do not spend time in his presence, and hearing his Word, he will speak, but we will likely not attend to his voice. On the other hand, active participation in family life is an important part of listening (c) In my own experience God often speaks to me at church. Sometimes through the sermon and sometimes along a line completely different from the sermon or worship emphasis. The point is that I am at his family table. He can speak through the preacher or he can simply capture my attention and speak directly to my heart but I must participate in the family to have a reasonable expectation of receiving direction. If we run away from time with God’s