His voice within.

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Where does your faith reside? In your mind? In your spirit? In your body? Is everything only an intellectual exercise when it comes to your connection with God? Where does the Holy Spirit reside in you? How intimate is your relationship with the Holy Spirit … really? Be honest with yourself.

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Does the Holy Spirit only reside in your mind? If He resides in your body – where exactly is that? Is He mute within you? Or does He have a voice that you can hear? What does He say and talk about with you? How important do you regard that relationship with the Holy Spirit? Or is your ‘faith’ based on ritual and ‘one way’ prayers’? Do you read scriptures because you are ‘supposed’ to or because the Holy Spirit brings life to you through them? Does the Holy Spirit teach you through the scriptures? Does He answer your questions you ask Him? Does the Holy Spirit give you advice on your daily choices? Do you even consider asking Him? How small is too small of a choice? How intimate do you think He wants to be in your life? How small of a detail would He like to be involved? Do you have a running two-way conversation with Him throughout your day? Or do you dismiss Him when you go to work?

Is your ‘religion’ just ritual? Attend a service, maybe think about one or two things the speaker said, leave and then go about your week. Maybe pray a ritualistic prayer before a meal. Maybe shoot God a few prayer ‘wants’ every now and again, like He is your personal genie. How real is your relationship with Him? Are you confident that He would say that you really ‘know’ one another, and that He KNOWS you?

On judgment day many will say to Me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you.’ Matthew 7:22-23

What does it really mean to be ‘born of the Spirit’?

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. John 3:5-6

What is your evidence that you know beyond any shadow of doubt of the Holy Spirit’s work within you in giving you birth to a spiritual life? Religious rituals? Sunday morning attendance to a Church service / entertainment hour? Me sitting in a garage will NOT make me a car. What fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) has the Holy Spirit been tending about and teaching you about in your life? What lessons / trials / and challenges is He having you go through so that you will gain a James 1:2-4 life?

How vital is the Holy Spirit to your spiritual life? How vital is He to your relationship to Jesus? How well do you know Him? This current earthly status – is getting tougher to navigate. How much are you relying on Him? How much is He advising you about the current warfare surrounding your life? Is He teaching you how to navigate your daily battlefield?

Don’t dismiss the Holy Spirit in your life. Press into Him with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. Learn to hear Him within you. Learn His voice within you.