Read: John 14:15-17 & John 16:12-15
We know God’s will for our lives by saturating ourselves in His word and listening to the Holy Spirit. But how do I saturate myself in God’s Word? And how do I know that I’m hearing correctly what the Holy Spirit is speaking? By meditating on God’s word, praying and listening.
Prayer and meditation are foundational habits we must practice in order to hear the Holy Spirit. Meditation is a practice many only associate with eastern religions or New Age beliefs. But meditation is not just for people of other faiths; it is something for the Christian believer. Meditating on God’s word includes memorizing scripture, focusing attention on specific concepts and phrases, speaking God’s Word aloud to ourselves, and praying it over life’s situations. As we read and meditate on the Bible, our minds are transformed by learning the character of God, who He is and what He wants. When we are full of His Word, we discern more clearly God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will (Romans 12:2) and pray according to that will. When we quiet our spirits and minds and listen for the Holy Spirit, we recognize His voice because He speaks according to God’s perfect will, taking what is Jesus’ and declaring it to us (John 16:14).
Our God never changes, and His Word is true for all time. He has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us in our lives and to show us the way to walk and live moment by moment. It is through the Holy Spirit’s power that we are enabled to live Christian lives. Jesus’ blood paid the price and opened the way. The Holy Spirit fills us to accomplish God’s will.
