Growing up in religion I was instructed that I should always be led by the Holy Spirit. However, no one explained exactly what that looked like. How de we know the difference between our emotions and a prompting of the Holy Spirit? How can we tell the difference between our own will and the will of God?
This was always a gray area for me and numerous others in my religious circles. For some reason it was almost like we unconsciously left our brain at the church door on the way out of the sanctuary and constantly looking for signs as to what Gods will was for my life. . These signs could be found on bumper stickers, road signage, or always desiring for someone to prophesize over me. As a teenager and young adult I was always at the alter praying for Gods will for my life. It wasn’t until my mid-thirties that I started learning how the Kingdom of God operated differently than the religious mindset I had formed my entire life.
One day, my personal mentor, Dr Myles Munroe explained a scripture that knocked me off my feet. Proverbs 12:5 states “The thoughts of the righteous are right.” In other words, if your heart is right then your thoughts are right. God speaks to you through your thoughts. WOW! How amazing is that? It had confirmed what I was experiencing at the time. Therefore, if your heart (in Hebrew is the mind) are right, then naturally the thoughts that I was continually thinking were God speaking to me
The Holy Spirits job is to reveal all truth to you. But understand, He will only reveal what you want to know. Seek and you shall find. You must initiate the search, then it is the Holy Spirits job to reveal truth to you. Sometimes it comes to you through information you discover or your thoughts. It may be found in a book that’s been sitting on your shelf, in the scriptures, or through someone speaking. And when you hear it, it will hit you like a ton of bricks. I came to the realization that the repetitive thoughts that keep coming to me, are Gods thoughts and His desires. As are the ideas that I get, regarding the vision, business or family matters. They seem so natural, however it is the Holy Spirit thinking through me. Many times God will bring someone into your life that is a Divine connection or connects you with what is needed.
The beauty of discovering (hearing) the truth, is that your spirit recognizes truth when it hears it, for the human spirit is from God, and when it is heard there is a deep resonance that occurs immediately. People may choose not to accept it, but there is a knowing in their spirit, and it is up to the mind to adapt to it or not.
My mother taught me a very valuable lesson when I was young. Colossians 3:15 states “Let the peace of God be the umpire in your life and actions.” The Amplified version puts it this way “Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise.” You are to make decisions based on whether you have a peace or sandpaper feeling. Many times you won’t understand why you don’t have a peace about it, but you must go with that. Never go against that ‘sandpaper’ feeling in your gut – it never turns out well.
Jesus did not bring a school of emotions, instead it was a school of thought. This school of thought is the Kingdom of God. It has more to do with psychology than anything else. It deals with your mind, your thinking, rather than your spirit. For your mind is more dangerous than your spirit. Jesus was working on their mindsets.
He stated “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has arrived.” Repent is a word from psychology. Change your mind, change your thoughts, change your ideas, change your mentality, therefore changing your behavior, for God’s eternal government has returned. This change in mentality takes a lot of work, but its worth it, as it changes your life in amazing ways with tangible results.
My biggest surprise was that the Kingdom of God is so practical! It takes the guess work out of floating around wondering what the will of God is and finally knowing the direction He has for you, if you so choose. You may not know the exact steps, but you know the ultimate direction. Thats where the benefit of faith kicks in as you are guided along each step of the way of your vision. This is why is why its so important to document your vision. For when doing so, you will find that “In their hearts (mind) humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Prov. 16:9 (NIV) Therefore, it is your responsibility to make a plan for your life, based on your purpose, passion, gifting and desires to accomplish for humanity and ultimately for the glory of the Kingdom of God.
The 2 most important organs in our body are the heart and the brain. You cannot function without either of them. Since having children, I have been studying the brain a bit. The brain is so complicated it takes over 20 + years to develop. If God created something so important and fascinating why do we as religious people choose to ignore this organ? I’ve seen some well-intentioned religious people make the craziest, emotional decisions all in the name of God.
The difference is day and night for me since I renewed my mindset from a religious one to understanding the government of God. Now its crystal clear what God’s will for my life and therefore life has never been more intentional, productive and fulfilling. Now it is up to you to discover His will. This can be found by pinpointing your purpose and fleshing out your vision on paper. It’s a process that takes a bit of time, but then you are on your way to true successes and bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God.
The School of Influence for Agents of Change is an e-course is available for anyone looking to pinpoint their purpose and document their life vision. Decide to live an intentional, fulfilling life by serve your gift to your generation.
Amazing blog post, Trista! 😁 I really liked how you clarified how one can know if they are hearing from God. If our mind is right, and our thoughts are right, that is God. ⭐️ How simple!
Thanks Daija ! It is simple – its us humans that complicate things 😉
Thank you for sharing this. It is very insightful
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