While we see (and will in the near future continue to see) many Charismatic ministries exposed for gross sin, never forget that there are faithful Charismatic leaders who have not strayed. This is a Church-wide problem, not exclusively a Charismatic problem.
Voices are already being raised, saying, “Do you see the fruit of these so-called spiritual gifts? We want nothing to do with prophecy, words of knowledge, tongues, or any other supernatural manifestation. It’s all fake.”
No, it’s not. And heading from one extreme of the spectrum to the other is not helpful to anyone.
The Holy Spirit still says, “Desire spiritual gifts” (1 Corinthians 14:1). His gifts are dear to His heart and should never be despised just because some have misused them. He also says, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophesying. [Instead] prove (test; examine; discern) all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21).
The reasons vary for why people wish to throw out any supernatural manifestation of God’s Spirit. Some have been disappointed by shysters who wreaked havoc on them or their loved ones through false gifts. Some are grieved by leaders who did not discern falsity, or who chose to let it go on when they knew it was fake. Many do not wish to make the effort to discern for themselves whether something is “off.”
There is no excuse for laziness in discerning, by the way. God expects it of each of us individually. In fact, as we draw closer to the end of time, every believer must learn to examine what is said and done for whether it aligns with the Bible. Each of us is required to be sensitive to the whisper of the Holy Spirit, so we are not led astray.
The Lord highlighted these two verses to me recently:
Numbers 11:25 — “And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spoke to [Moses], and took of the Spirit which was upon him, and gave it to the seventy elders. And it came to pass, that when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied without ceasing.” What struck me in this verse was that the Holy Spirit loves to manifest His presence through prophecy. Prophecy is part of the essence of Who He is.
Numbers 11:29 — “And Moses said to him, ‘Do you envy them for my sake? Would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!'” It has always been God’s heart to put His Spirit upon people (and since Jesus ascended, to place His Spirit within us).
Consider how He has further made His desire clear to us in Joel 2:28, 29: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also upon the servants and the handmaidens, in those days, I will pour out My Spirit.” Peter confirmed the beginning of that endowment of the Spirit on Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2. While Joel said, “in those days,” Peter said, “in the last days” this would happen (Acts 2:17). We are still living in those last days, and God is still pouring out His Spirit on all people.
Do not allow the failures of some — or even many — Charismatic leaders to intimidate you into denying or despising the spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. Contrary to what some are saying, the Lord has never yet rescinded His gifts from His Church. They are still much needed today, perhaps more than ever. We should value whatever gifts the Lord offers us. To scorn or refuse them grieves and insults Him. _____________________________
We have a growing problem in the modern Church. It is emerging through ministry leaders, such as those mentioned in Ephesians 4:11: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Not all of them are equipping/perfecting the saints as intended by the Lord. Instead of helping the saints grow into maturity, some are claiming “new revelation” which cannot be supported by the Bible (or even worse, contradicts the Bible). Some of the very people who have been called to protect God’s beloved children from being “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14) are infected with those errant ideas themselves — and teaching them to others.
I don’t believe the majority of them are intending to promote wrong things. They enthusiastically believe the deceptions they are popularizing. Often, it is a result of these leaders listening to one another or reading each other’s works without questioning or discerning what is being said, and then passing it on because it sounds convincing. They have too quickly swallowed someone else’s “revelation” without checking it against the Bible. After a while, even more extreme teaching arises, built on the faulty foundation of previous dubious ideas. Error breeds greater error.
We should keep this in perspective. There are indeed many faithful leaders who are doing their best to stay true to God’s Word. They are not basing what they teach on Bible verses lifted out of context or on a supernatural experience alone. They take their job of feeding God’s flock very seriously. But, with social media at everyone’s fingertips, new opportunities have arisen for unreliable teachers and prophets to gain vast followings, especially through YouTube.
How do we escape being bamboozled in the midst of it all? Let’s look at some spiritual and common sense guidelines to help us:
Avoid “new revelation” not mentioned in the Bible. If Jesus or the first apostles didn’t teach it, or if it wasn’t known to the New Testament Church, that’s an obvious red flag. If believers over the entire last 2,000 years had no knowledge of it, it isn’t genuine. Yes, sometimes teachers in our time rediscover truths that were lost or watered down over the centuries. God will use people to resurrect what has always been in Scripture, but that is not the same as coming up with totally new stuff.
Beware of teaching which is based solely on a verse here or there. These are usually verses lifted out of context, most often from the Old Testament. They are frequently obscure verses, but people wanting to come up with a new angle will build massive teachings around them. It’s been going on since the Church began, but we haven’t learned our lesson, yet, have we? Consider the new teaching in light of the whole Bible. Scripture can always be relied upon to interpret other Scripture.
Does the teaching measure up against the “many witnesses” principle which Paul taught? Paul charged Timothy, “And the things which you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit those same things to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also”(2 Timothy 2:2).
Paul repeatedly warned Timothy to avoid and shut down “other doctrines,”“fables and endless genealogies which minister questions, rather than godly edifying,”“profane and old wives’ tales,” and “vain babbling and oppositions of what is falsely called science” (1 Timothy 1:3, 4; 4:7; 6:20). He warns that these teachings will only lead to more ungodliness and eat away at their listeners like gangrene (2 Timothy 2:16, 17), leading people to err from the faith (1 Timothy 6:21).
Does the supposed new truth take you into any kind of legalism or self-help? Measure the “revelation” against Paul’s letter to the Galatians. If the thrust of the teaching is methodology you must follow exactly in order to please God or to receive what you desire, it is off-base. While truthful instruction can still give us practical ways to move forward with Jesus, it will always point toward dependence on Him, not toward what we must ritualistically do to succeed.
Does the teaching follow legalistic patterns which provide your magic prayer bullet for getting answers? Immerse yourself in Jesus’ extensive instruction on prayer in the gospels. How does the new teaching stack up against what He said? What did the apostles in the New Testament say about intercession and receiving answers? How did the Old Testament saints succeed in prayer? Find out by reading their words — without a running commentary from someone trying to expand upon it or take away from it.
God does not put us through difficult hoops before He is willing to grant our requests. He does not disqualify our petitions on minor technicalities. Anytime someone tells you that eureka! they have discovered a brand new or long-hidden way to pray which will give you answers every time (if you do it exactly, infinitesimally right), just run. They are deceived and are lying to you.
Does the teacher major on supernatural manifestations above all else? Take note if the person rarely talks about Jesus, His atonement for us at the cross, and core scriptural truths. Is the focus on supernatural encounters and signs, rather than on the Lord? Signs and wonders follow believers who focus on the gospel. Let’s not get that turned around to where we are chasing the signs and wonders.
An alarming trend right now is prophetic people claiming to interact with deceased saints — and they want to teach you how to do it too! This is a dangerous deception. Beware of the fixation with the “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews12:1), which, in the Bible, is a reference to the people of faith listed in Hebrews 11, along with others like them. But currently, all sorts of silly teaching about how to interact with the cloud of witnesses is being spewed upon gullible Christians. 1 Timothy 4:1 warns that “in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.”
If a Bible teacher puts a new spin on the meaning of a verse, don’t take their word for it. Check how that verse reads in several translations. Read the before-and-after verses to see if what the teacher is saying fits. When they tell you a word or phrase within a verse actually means such-and-such in the original Greek or Hebrew, look it up in a concordance or two to see if they’re correct — especially if you’ve never heard it presented like that before.
What does the Holy Spirit say to you about it? If the teaching is something new to you, listen to whether the peace of God is ruling or not ruling in your heart about it, as Colossians 3:15 instructs. Does it set right, or does it make you uneasy? Ask God to speak to you about it through Bible verses. He will. Just give Him time. John 14:26 promises, “But the Comforter, Who is the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you.”
The best protection against new revelation deception is to prayerfully read the Bible — all of it — over and over. It will keep you “girded about with truth” (Ephesians 6:14), so that you won’t get off in weird places. ____________________________
In the next two posts, I will be sharing two dreams I received which are of a prophetic nature, concerning the body of Christ. I am eager to share them with you!
But for now, I have a few things to say about dreams in general. While I do interpret people’s dreams at times, my main goal is to teach others how to interpret their own dreams.
In these last-of-the-last days, God is pouring out His Spirit in ever greater measure — indeed, “upon all flesh,” according to Joel 2:28, 29 and Acts 2:17-19. Part of the way that manifests is, “Your sons and daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. And on My servants and My handmaidens I will pour out in those days of My Spirit: and they shall prophesy” (Acts 2:18, 19).
Whether you are young or old, you can receive visions and dreams from the Lord. These dreams might prophetically speak of the future. Very often, they are a call to engage in serious prayer. Whether you remember a lot of your dreams or are aware of only a few, it is important that you pay attention to them. Even when they seem silly on the surface, they are often profound messages from the Lord. We need to spend time asking God what they mean.
Besides ignoring their dreams, a mistake people who are new at this often make is looking up key symbols from their dreams in a dream dictionary someone else has put together and then assuming that’s what those symbols stand for in their own dreams. More often than not, depending heavily on dream dictionaries is not the answer for knowing what your dreams mean. Going directly to God for the answers is.
Consider what Proverbs 20:5 says: “Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.” The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of counsel and understanding (see Isaiah 11:2). He lives inside of you, and wants to help you “draw out” the deep things God speaks about in your dreams, visions, and through other means. But you need to sit with Him and ask (and keep asking) questions until you receive the understanding. It doesn’t just happen.
Getting the understanding directly from the Lord is better than any dream dictionary. Dictionaries are helpful if you are still learning basic symbolism God uses, such as with numbers and colors. Use them as a textbook and as an occasional reference.
Hearing for yourself is also much better than depending on someone else to interpret your dreams for you. Although those of us who interpret dreams can sometimes be helpful, it will bless your spirit way more when you get the goods directly from the Holy Spirit. He is the only One Who knows every aspect of your life inside and out. Firsthand revelation from Him is a lot sweeter than secondhand hearing from another person, just like hearing “I love you,” is way better from your spouse than it is from a third party who tells you, “Your husband told me he loves you.”
I truly encourage you to diligently step into the adventure of hearing God for yourself in dreams and visions. The same basic principles apply to both. You may need some teaching tools to get you started, and you will find those in my book, The Dream Book: A Practical Guide to Christian Dream Interpretation. (And yes, there is a Bible symbol dream dictionary at the end of it.) But be assured that God really does want to speak to you directly in this way. Pursue Him for dream understanding, trusting that He will enlighten you.
I hope you will stay tuned for the next post, where I will share what God recently spoken to me through a dream.
Revelation 19:10 tells us “… The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” This verse gives us a measuring stick by which to discern prophetic words (and we desperately need to discern them in our day):
The ultimate focal point of prophecy must be Jesus. If it glorifies man or any other being, or if it feeds fleshly desires, it is not the testimony of Jesus.
Let’s look at Revelation 19:10 in its entirety: “And I [John] fell at his [the angel’s] feet to worship him. And he said to me, ‘See that you do not do it. I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.'”
Fulfilling “the testimony of Jesus” requirement doesn’t mean that prophecy cannot have a broad scope of what is revealed. The Bible speaks of specific reasons the Holy Spirit speaks through prophecy:
It is meant to uplift, spur on, and encourage individuals and the corporate church. I Corinthians 14:3 explains this: “But he who prophesies speaks to men to edification, exhortation, and comfort.”
It warns of things to come, so that believers can prepare/take action.“And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there would be great dearth throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren who dwelt in Judea” (Acts 11:28, 29).
It leads people to repentance and belief in God.“But if all prophesy, and there comes in one who does not believe, … he is convinced of all, he is judged of all, and the secrets of his heart are thus made manifest. So, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly in you”(I Corinthians 14:24, 25).
It gives specific direction. “Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel…. And he said, ‘Listen, all Judah, inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. The LORD says to you, “Do not be afraid or dismayed by this great multitude. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, go down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz, and you shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Set yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you…. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD will be with you'” (II Chronicles 20: 14-17).
It leads us to worship. In the passage we’ve just read, the next verse (v. 18) notes the people’s response to the prophecy, “And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground. And all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.” (Also see I Corinthians 14:25 again.)
It can announce or impart God’s purposes for a church or individual.“Do not neglect the gift which is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands…” (I Timothy 4:14).
It can be a tool for intercession and spiritual warfare to accomplish the revealed purpose. “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on you, that by them you might war a good warfare” (I Timothy 1:18).
There are other purposes of prophecy mentioned in the Bible, but these are a good start on our way to receiving and using prophecy correctly.
Bottom line once again: If it glorifies Jesus and fulfills His purposes, it is true prophecy. If it glorifies man, it is not the testimony of Jesus. If it panders to fleshly ambition, it is not the testimony of Jesus. ______________________________________________
I feel I have a current word for the Church in general, but some of you will find it is also for you about a specific matter.
I heard the word, “Proceed.” As I waited, I felt the Lord expounded on it further.
In God’s dealings with His people, there is a time to camp and stay still, and there is a time when He says to move forward. When Israel left Egypt and had come as far as the Red Sea, they became afraid when they realized the Egyptians were pursuing them. Moses comforted them and assured them that God would fight their battle for them. He said to the people, “Fear not. Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will show you today. For the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall not see again forever. The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:13, 14). This was all true. He did fight for them and save them with the miraculous parting of the Red Sea for Israel and the drowning in it of the Egyptians.
However, it was not the sum total of God’s counsel. More needed to happen. God responded to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Speak to the children of Israel that they go forward” (Exodus 14:15). It was in the going forward that He saved them.
While Israel was in the wilderness, there were God-ordained times of resting in one place, even for months at a time. At other times, He directed them to move forward. When they were to rest and stay put, the cloud of His presence remained stationary over the tabernacle by day and His pillar of fire did the same by night. But when the cloud or the pillar of fire moved, the Israelites did, too.
The Church is called to be a people of rest as well as a people on the move. Sometimes one aspect is more prominent than the other for a while. Sometimes we completely rest in intimacy with Him on the inside, while outwardly we are expending unusual amounts of energy on action. “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7) is balanced against “Go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to [you]” (Deuteronomy 1:8).
For some of you in particular, the Lord says, “I have given you a mandate. You have prepared for it and prayed into it. Now it is time to set forward, to proceed.”
With this, He reminded me of Revelation 3:8:“I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut it: for you have a little strength, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”
Follow the cloud; follow the fire. Take courage in Him, and let Him lead you in moving forward.
________________________________
Books and audio by Lee Ann (click link for full list):
The wind blows wherever it wills, and you hear its sound, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.— John 3:8
I’ve probably mentioned numerous times through the years that I am a hearer more than a seer. The Lord speaks to me more in the inner voice than He does through visions.
But lately, something has shifted. I have been receiving more from the Lord through seeing than hearing. This has been somewhat of a surprise to me. And it got me thinking —
We can’t get stuck in a rut when it comes to how we interact with the Lord.
We should always be open to Him communicating with us in ways which are new to us. We can even take the initiative by asking Him to come to us in ways which are unfamiliar to us.
Some of these things come and go in waves. For a while, God may speak via dreams or visions. If we normally interact with God by seeing pictures in our mind’s eye, He may decide to get our attention through actual words He speaks. Still at other times, we may receive from Him mostly by sensing, without defined words or pictures. Perhaps He’ll direct us for a period of time mostly through an inner peace or the lack of it. Or, we’ll notice verses in the Bible popping out at us and touching our heart deeply during our regular course of reading. This may happen far more frequently than we’ve experienced in the past, even though God seems to be silent in other ways.
Whatever mode He uses to speak, we should cherish it and eagerly look forward to Him expanding our capacity to know Him through a wide range of means. God loves variety, as is evident in nature, where no two things are exactly alike, and climates and geographical features are so vastly different around the globe.
It’s a little like how our prayer lives shift and change over time. For a while we may be in militant spiritual warfare mode. At other times we may be more conversational with the Lord, or focus on deliberately listening for Him. Worship may be the dominant feature for a season, or petitioning intercession, or extended time praying in tongues, or repenting for ourselves, our nation, state, and city.
Whether it’s how we receive revelation from the Lord, or how we proceed in prayer, we need not become distressed or feel like there is something wrong with us if we notice our usual patterns are changing. Instead, we can be confident it is the Holy Spirit leading us.
He may even take us into an extended time when He doesn’t communicate at all. This is often a season when He zeroes in on strengthening our character, teaching us to trust Him and to be faithful in pursuing Him when we can’t sense His nearness. We haven’t done anything wrong, and He’s still with us. But He chooses to be silent while He revises attitudes in our inner man.
So, when the method God chooses to make Himself known changes, relax and allow yourself to flow with wherever and however the Spirit decides to commune with you. Anticipate it as a new adventure He is leading you into, for He says, “See, I am doing a new thing!Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?…” (Isaiah 43:19, NIV).
___________________________________________
Did you know there’s an Out of the Fire podcast? It’s different than what you see at the blog, too!
And it’s short (I like short, don’t you?) Episodes average about seven minutes.
Just look for “Lee Ann Rubsam Out of the Fire” at your favorite podcast platform, or start here.
When prophetic people speak of supernatural experiences they’ve had, sometimes it can be confusing or intimidating. How do you argue with, “I was caught up into heaven and saw ________.” Or, “Jesus came to me and told me this, word for word”? Or, “Gabriel appeared to me with this revelation”? Our inclination is to think, “Well, it must be so, if she saw or heard it, especially because she has a bazillion online followers, and they all think it’s the coolest revelation ever!”
Maybe, maybe not. The Lord explained it to me this way: “Seers can see wrong, just like hearers can hear wrong.” Even well known prophets can be fooled by their imaginations or by lying spirits posing as Jesus or God’s angels. Yes, that makes me uncomfortable, too, but we have to face it. Didn’t the Lord warn us, “…Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14)? Prophetic seers can also misunderstand something they really saw, and then almost turn it into a doctrine for the rest of us.
We shouldn’t have to say this again, but it seems we do:
Any prophetic revelation which goes against something in the Bible isn’t true, no matter who is giving it.
It doesn’t matter how convincing it sounds or how sincere the person telling it is. It’s not so.
I think we should also be cautious with revelation which doesn’t directly oppose Scripture, but isn’t supported there either. We may not have to reject it completely, but maybe it should go in the “I don’t know, so I’m not going there” box in our minds.
Some questions to consider:
In visions which go beyond what Scripture tells us, was the person seeing something literal, or was it a parable-like explanation of how God works?
For instance, one lady described a vision of little spirits nestled in the heart of the Father. She said this means we preexist as spirits in heaven before we are physically conceived here on earth. It’s a commonly accepted belief in Charismatic circles, but did you know there is no biblical basis for it?
So, what could seeing spirits in the heart of the Father be about? They aren’t literally dwelling there as already-created beings. It might simply mean we’ve always been on God’s mind and in His plans. He loves us before we even exist — because He is outside of time, bringing His purposes down into time.
Or, how about the body parts room in heaven seen by many? It could be literal, but perhaps it’s just a vehicle to explain that God can create new parts in us if we need them. It doesn’t necessarily mean a room with a catalogued inventory of parts exists.
In the Bible, sometimes God comes down to our level by using pictures and words we can understand to get His message across. An example is the phraseology in Genesis 18:21, concerning Sodom and Gomorrah: “I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which has come to Me, and if not, I will know.” One would think in a surface reading of those words that God was clueless about what was happening until He left heaven to see it with His own eyes. But we know from other Bible verses that He knows everything from beginning to end (Examples: Isaiah 46:10 and 1 John 3:20). In this instance, He just chose language to convey an idea on our level of thinking.
If God sometimes uses language in this way in His Word, He might do it in visions too. His Word also teaches concepts through parables, so we should realize many visions are parabolic in nature as well.
Does God reveal new mysteries about Himself today?
If it is really about Him and His ways, it is somewhere in the Bible already. Sometimes He brings revelation to the forefront which has been forgotten or neglected by His people for a long time, but it has still been there in His Word all along. We’re just rediscovering it.
Where is that in the Bible?
In Charismatic circles, we’ve accumulated a few generally accepted beliefs which are actually contrary to Scripture. They are often based on visions from celebrated prophets which have been told and retold, until after a while, no one seems to question them anymore. It’s sort of like Ben Franklin’s maxim, “God helps those who help themselves.” Many people think it is in the Bible, just because they have heard it so often. We’ve got to start measuring long-held beliefs by whether they are actually in the Bible or not, and whether those ideas hold true all the way from Genesis through Revelation.
There is no viable reason why Spirit-filled people cannot equally be people of the Word. It isn’t one or the other. What the Holy Spirit has laid down in the Bible, He will not contradict or supersede through a vision. He does not play, “that was then, this is now” in how He speaks today. He is eternally consistent.
Let’s not be bamboozled into swallowing every vision and “Jesus told me” thing that comes along. Measure everything by God’s Word. Inquire of Him whether it is true or not. If we do that, we won’t get off into weird places.
Today we have a guest post from my husband Paul. Paul leads our home fellowship gathering, where he has been teaching on God’s nature for several months. We’re currently studying the Holy Spirit, and this is what he will be sharing on Pentecost Sunday.
Pentecost, or the Feast of Ingathering, was fifty days after Passover. It was the time when Israel harvested their winter wheat crop, giving the first portion reaped to the Lord as an offering. For Christians, Pentecost now has a deeper meaning.
Those of us who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit know that receiving His infilling does not mean we’ve arrived at the top of the spiritual ladder. We have an ongoing deep need for the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The gifts of the Spirit give us a sense of His presence. They bring relief to those in need of a touch from the Lord. But we know He wants to take us deeper in the work of the Holy Spirit. We have a hunger to experience all the Lord has for us.
The prophet Joel foretold about eight hundred years before Jesus’ appearing, “And it shall come to pass afterward, I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit” (Joel 2:28, 29). Peter said of the Spirit’s outpouring on Pentecost, “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.”
We see the effects and evidence of the outpouring: prophecy, dreams and visions. As shown in Ezekiel 37’s vision of the dry bones, when the Holy Spirit shows up, it isn’t a sterile or lifeless meeting. The supernatural breaks out. Where the breath of God comes, it brings life and activity. No longer is there death and dormancy; an army arises from a valley of dry bones.
The Holy Spirit is mentioned right from the beginning of the New Testament. In Luke 1, Gabriel spoke to Zechariah about his son, who would be known as John the Baptist: “For he shall be great in the Lord’s sight … and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15).
John was a precursor of what was to come. Mankind would be indwelt by the Holy Spirit — not just certain ones, but all who believed on Jesus. A dramatic shift would take place. John eventually preached, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He Who comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire” (Matthew 3:11). The word baptize means to immerse. We can be immersed in the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20, the apostle tells us, “What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you, Whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” No longer do we need the tabernacle of Moses or Solomon’s temple. We have become the temple. We are holy because the One residing in us is holy.
After salvation, the promise of the Holy Spirit is the greatest promise from the Lord. Sometimes the baptism in the Spirit is referred to as a second work of grace. The Holy Spirit and salvation are vitally linked. We can only be born again by the Holy Spirit’s work in us. Jesus spoke of the promised Spirit numerous times. We don’t want to forget what He told His disciples.
On resurrection night, Jesus visited His disciples. “He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit'” (John 20:22). This may have been the moment of the new birth for the disciples. But the full immersion in the Spirit was still in the future. Jesus said in Luke 24:49,“Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in Jerusalem, until you are endued with power from on high.” The Father Himself wanted the Spirit sent to the believers, and Jesus would be the One Who sent Him.
In Mark’s gospel, Jesus spoke of the effects of the Holy Spirit working in and with the church. “And these signs shall follow those who believe: in My name they shall cast out demons. They shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17, 18).
In Acts, Jesus gave His final instructions concerning the Holy Spirit before His ascension into heaven: “And being assembled together with them, [He] commanded that they not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, He said, ‘You have heard of Me. For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. …But you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth'” (Acts 1, 5, 8).
On the day of Pentecost, Peter spoke of how the promised Spirit of God was for everyone: “For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:39). We see that the Holy Spirit outpouring wasn’t just for the early Church, but for all who would believe in Jesus in generations to come. Some have tried to say that signs and wonders were only meant to last until the canon of Scripture was finalized. But today we still need the power of the Holy Spirit to give testimony to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let’s not forget to give the Holy Spirit His rightful place in the Church and in our lives. We need Him desperately.
I am currently captivated by a particular episode in Moses’ life, which takes place shortly after the golden calf incident. Moses pleaded for Israel, and dissuaded God from wiping out the entire nation. (How is that for an example of the power of intercession?)
In Exodus 33:1-3, the Lord tells Moses that because of what Israel had done, He would from then on send an angel to lead them into the promised land, instead of going with them personally. “For I will not go up in the midst of you, for you are a stiff-necked people, lest I consume you in the way.”
The Israelites mourned when they heard God would no longer go personally among them, and a short time later, Moses and God had another conversation on the same subject:
“…You say to me, ‘Bring up these people,’ and You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’
“Now therefore I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You, that I may find grace in Your sight: and consider that this nation is Your people.”
And [God] said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.”
And [Moses] said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here. For how shall it be known here that I and Your people have found grace in Your sight? Is it not in that You go with us? So shall we be set apart, I and Your people, from all the people which are upon the face of the earth.”
And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do this thing also which you have spoken, for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”
And [Moses] said, “I beseech You, show me Your glory.” — Exodus 33:12-18
Moses and the Israelites received an offer from God to be escorted by an angel into their promised land. In many Charismatic circles today, we would probably hear people exclaim, “Cool! God is sending an angel among us!” Yet the offer did not delight Moses. He was grieved that the Lord Himself was not to be among them.
He went on to express his intense desire to know God, to understand His ways and His nature. He pleaded, “Show me Your glory.” His whole focus was on the Lord. God’s response was to agree to let Moses see a glimpse of Himself. He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you…” (Exodus 33:19).
Under the New Covenant we have in Christ, God has promised to be with us always, to never leave us. He has revealed Himself as “Emmanuel, God with us” (Matthew 1:23). What we have been given is a gift beyond comprehension — the Lord’s presence. Yet, time and again, many of us get more enthused about seeing visions of heaven or having encounters with angels than we do with experiencing the Lord of Glory. How this must grieve God’s heart! We are like the child who would rather have a shiny piece of colored glass than the gemstone it is meant to imitate.
Colossians 2:18, 19 (NKJV) warns us, “Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head [Jesus]….”
I want to pursue God as Moses did, always hungering to know Him more, to understand how He thinks and acts, to hear His voice. I want Him to show me His glory. I want to interact with HIM.
Angelic encounters and heavenly visions are wonderful things, and we should be thankful for them, if and when they happen. But they were never meant to be a thrill to be chased after. Getting as close to the King of Glory as we possibly can should be the motivation of our hearts above all others.
I beseech You, show me Your glory, Lord.
____________________________________________
I offer a free e-book, Overcoming Spiritual Bondage, to new subscribers. But if you are already a WordPress member when you subscribe, WordPress doesn’t give me your e-mail address — and I need it to get your book out to you!
So, if you subscribed to (followed) Out of the Fire in the last few weeks and did not receive the free book by e-mail, please contact me at leeann@leeannrubsam.com and request it. I will gladly send it out to you.
In our last post, we talked about applying the love test to our prophetic words. God’s nature is love, so if our prophetic words fit the love criterion, we are doing well. Love by itself is not the whole picture, however.
Hearing God’s voice correctly also depends on becoming intimately acquainted with His nature in all its aspects — His holiness, justice, truth, mercy, faithfulness, and goodness, to name a few. He is our Redeemer, Healer, Restorer, Comforter, Deliverer, and Hope-Giver. While God is love, He is also our Judge and Purifier.
How do we come to the place of understanding God’s nature so that it will influence our hearing and releasing of prophetic words?
We familiarize ourselves with God’s names in the Bible.
He deliberately reveals His nature through His names. Why? Because they help us to know Him. Here are just a few:
Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11)
Emmanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23)
Refuge from the storm (Isaiah 25:4)
He Who is able to keep you from falling (Jude 24)
A high priest of good things to come (Hebrews 9:11)
God of hope (Romans 15:13)
My goodness (Psalm 144:2)
God of patience and consolation (Romans 15:5)
Study and meditate on His names to become better acquainted with His nature. I have a free list to help you get started and a book with even more names (and their Bible references) at my website.
We learn about His nature through His actions in the Bible.
His names often show up in the context of what was going on when He mentioned them. We see how He related to people back then, and it gives us confidence for what He will do in our day, too.
Absorb as much of the Bible as you possibly can. As you do, you will become more familiar with Who God is — how He thinks, acts, and speaks. I sometimes pray before reading my Bible, “Lord, put this living Word deep down inside of me, and let it birth Your life in me.”
Isaiah 55:8, 9 tells us, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” I’ve often heard this Scripture misused to say we cannot possibly understand or think the thoughts of God, so we might as well forget even trying.
But the truth is, although God’s thinking is indeed higher than our natural reasoning, we can tap into His thoughts, conform to them, and begin to increasingly think like He does! If it were not so, why did the apostle Paul say, “We have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16), and“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5)? Accurate prophecy requires that our thinking be pulled up higher, to come in line with His thinking.
We learn about His nature through His personal dealings with us.
As we gain experience of His faithfulness, we gain confidence that He can be trusted. I used to have a fear that God would tell me something good and then yank that promise away — sort of a bait and switch tactic. Looking back on it now, I see how foolish my mindset was. I have learned that the promises in His Word are true. I have seen Him bring me through dark times, when it looked like His promises had failed, into their fulfillment. The “failed” promises hadn’t failed at all. They were only delayed to a later date than my expectation dictated.
In our last post, I gave you four questions, revolving around our love motivation, for assessing whether a prophetic word is ready and appropriate to release to others.
Let’s add another question to the list: Is my prophetic word in harmony with God’s nature? If it can’t pass this test, something is off. It’s time to go back to the Lord for clarification.
Pursue understanding the Lord’s nature. As you grasp more fully Who He is and how He acts, what you hear (and how you release that word) will become a greater blessing to His people than ever before.
Out of the Fire 