In the church where I grew up, although there was a big emphasis on the Holy Spirit, mainly people came for the teaching of the Bible. It was in-depth, and, if you could listen and follow it long enough, grounding and life-changing.
I don’t know if my pastor, a pretty intellectual guy, was responding in part to the trend of over-emotional Spirit-filled churches. To be sure, though, we learned that God works through our knowledge of the Word.
Neil’s closing hit home for me: Have the courage to acknowledge that something is wrong when your spirit is troubled. Share what you are sensing with others, and ask the Lord for wisdom.
Discernment doesn’t come from my head, but from my spirit. I spend lots more time building up the muscles that come from reading God’s word than from listening to the Holy Spirit. The more we listen, though, the more He speaks to us. Now, for some practice…
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