The Holy Spirit – The Voice of God!

The Holy Spirit – The Voice of God!

God speaks to everyone, especially to His children, through the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. Make no mistake – some people attribute everything they say is “God spoken.” Most of what they say is what they have perceived, some of which may be from God, but mainly, other things are their own.

But, without question, God speaks in various ways to His children. His voice is a voice of correction, calling, guidance, speaking, and warning.

A Voice – Calling!

“Also, I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me’” (Isaiah 6:8).

Isaiah heard the voice of God calling him and sending him to share His message to his nation, Israel. Please know if God calls you into His service, YOU WILL HEAR HIS VOICE, not from someone else but from Him, directly.

I heard from God directly on three occasions.

·        God’s calling pursued me, with my mother confirming that she had a vision before my birth of my calling. On the night before I was rushed to the hospital with a severe loss of blood, I saw my spirit hovering over my bed and ending up in this very special place filled with illumination, with no light fixtures. While my heart never wanted to leave that place of peace and filled with saints from around the world, I heard a voice from behind: “My servant, I have not called you here yet. Go back to be My witness.” I was back in my body 20 minutes after I left it. The next day, I was miraculously healed of bleeding ulcers with a touch of Jesus on my body. My life has never been the same.

·        When I was 25 years old, I was praying for a few minutes alone when I saw a vision of swimming in a vast ocean. I heard the voice of the Lord: “This is the ocean of My love for you, My son!” That incredible experience changed me forever. I am still in that ocean of God’s love until this day!

·        I was 40 years old when Hema and I attended a Wednesday night service at a local church, and at the end of the service, I fell into a trance without anyone touching me. I heard the voice of the Lord, which I had only heard a couple of times before: “Son, I need you in My service!” Amazingly, Hema also heard the same words, “Child, I need you in My service!” The following year, I resigned from my faculty job to step into the ministry.

All three occasions of hearing the voice of God were accompanied by scenes of continuous images, like a movie.  The other thing is the proof of God’s speaking, which occurred over five decades ago, the second instance happening close to five decades ago, and the calling coming in more than three decades ago. By the grace of God, in all my problems, and especially with my experience in the emergency care at Quito, Ecuador, on October 21, 2023, God has been with me. I am still experiencing the love of God as a mighty ocean to this day. God has sustained our ministries for over 35 years!

The Spirit of God Gives Direction!

The experience of Prophet Elijah running away from Jezebel, but at the end of 40 days, he heard the voice of God: “Then (God) said, ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice (a delicate whispering voice). So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ And he said, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.’ Then the Lord said to him: ‘Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. Also, you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha, the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah, you shall anoint as prophet in your place. It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him’” (I Kings 19:11-18).

“We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world” ― C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

God can and will speak to give us direction when we trust in the Lord and lean not on our understanding. At the end of the ministry in Huntingdon, PA, in October of 1983, and after a powerful demonstration of the Holy Spirit at the altar, something wonderful happened. In that ballroom of the hotel, after ministering to over a few hundred people, I was exhausted. The ministry team from the church that invited me did something wonderful. They said to me, “Brother John, you have poured yourself out to us. We thank you, and now we want to minister to you. Please allow us to pray for you.” I was so grateful that they could pray for me and my precious family. Our firstborn child, Elizabeth, was but 8 months old. As the host of people surrounded us, they started praying over us. The prayer was powerful. In the middle of the prayer, the associate pastor Carl spoke words of the Holy Spirit: “God will move you down south and plant you there and from that place, He will take you to the nations as His servant to minister to the multitudes. As a sign that this is the inspiration of the Lord, the very first words out of the mouth of this baby (Elizabeth) will be for God’s glory!”

Our daughter spoke her first words in December 1983 when she was 10 months old: “A-va-voo-yah; A-va-voo-yah, A-va-voo-yah!” The following summer, I was invited to appear for the interview for a faculty position I did not apply but got the job in Daytona Beach, the southernmost place (in comparison to State College, PA), as the Spirit of God spoke through Pastor Carl. To God be all the glory!

The Holy Spirit Guides!

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come” (John 16:13).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct (make smooth or straighten) your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Examples of God’s Guidance for a Few People in Acts:

1)     Saul’s Conversion: “As (Saul) journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’  And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So, he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do’” (Acts 9:3-6).

2)     Ananias’ Conversion to Pray for Saul: “Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ And he said, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ So, the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision, he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.’ Then Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm (bad things) he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake’” (Acts 9:10-16).

3)     Cornelius’ Direction for His Salvation: “There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms (charitable gifts) generously to the people, and prayed to God always. About the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, ‘Cornelius!’ And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, ‘What is it, lord?’ So, he said to him, ‘Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do’” (Acts 10:1-6).

4)     Convincing Peter to Help Cornelius: “And a voice came to him, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But Peter said, ‘Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.’ And a voice spoke to him again the second time, ‘What God has cleansed (declared clean) you must not call common.’ This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again” (Acts 10:13-16). 

5)     God’s Assurance to Paul at Corinth: “Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.’ And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them” (Acts 18:9-11).

6)     Warning to Paul to Stay Out of Jerusalem for Protection: “Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance and saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’  So, I said, ‘Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You. And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ Then He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles’” (Acts 22:17-21).

7)     Paul Heard Twice About God Sending Him to Rome: “But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Be of good cheer (Take courage), Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome’” (Acts 23:11). Second time in the middle of a shipwreck: “But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, ‘Men, you should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart (courage), for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore, take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me’” (Acts 27:21-25).

Warning - Do not settle for God speaking to you without seeking Him through His Word first. It begins with the desire to learn first what God says to you in His written Word. Then, read it, meditate on it, and the Word will speak to you.

The Holy Spirit Will Speak Through You!

“But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” (Matthew 10:20).

Peter, Stephen, Paul, and other leaders spoke in the direction of the Holy Spirit with the words supplied to them. The reason was that they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and their conscience was clear. God will supply our words by the Holy Spirit as we, too, are filled with the presence of God.

The Spirit of the Father Operates through a Believer:

·        Begins with being God’s child first!

·        Getting to know God through His Word next!

·        Develop conversations with God continuously!

·        Receive instructions and revelations from God!

·        Sooner or later, you begin to think like your Father, talk like your Father, and reveal the things of your Father!

·        The perfect example is that of Jesus: John 10:30: “I and My Father are ONE!”

Heed the Warning by The Holy Spirit!

“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore, I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’ So, I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest’” (Hebrews 3:7-11).

The behavior of the wanderers was described in Psalm 106: “Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; they did not remember the multitude of Your mercies but rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea” (Psalm 106:7). “They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul. When they envied Moses in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the Lord” (13-16). “Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His word, but complained in their tents, and did not heed the voice of the Lord” (24-25).

·        They did not understand the wonders of God!

·        They remembered not the mercies of God!

·        They forgot His works!

·        They did not heed His counsel!

·        They lusted exceedingly in the wilderness!

·        They tested God in the desert!

·        God sent leanness into their souls!

·        They envied Moses and Aaron!

·        They despised God’s promise of the Promised Land!

·        They did not believe His word!

·        They complained constantly in their tents!

·        They did not obey the voice of the Lord!

God speaks in a still, small voice!

God whispers in our pleasures!

God speaks in our conscience!

God shouts in our pain!

Let us not ignore Him or be insensitive to Him, to heed His voice.

Let us obey God instantly and follow Him continuously.

Let us do only what the Spirit of God leads us to do and stay away from other wanderings, wrong focuses, or distractions.

As we obey God, God will fill us with His Holy Spirit to lead us, guide us, and develop us in the image of His Beloved Son, Jesus!

Prayer

“Heavenly Father, I love You and adore You. I thank You, Lord, as You instruct me from Your Word, the Bible, speak to me in my conscience, and whisper through Your Holy Spirit my instructions, warning, guidance, and comforting assurance. I surrender to Your guidance, Lord. Please fill me with Your Spirit and cleanse me through Your power everlasting. I am Yours, and Yours alone, O Lord. In the Most Precious and Wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen! Amen!!”

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John Jeyaseelan

http://www.globalprayercenter.net