There are times that we can go through the entire list in the last lesson and still not hear from the Lord. Here are some things that we can do to further fine tune our hearts to God.
(19)Therefore, brethern, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, (20) by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, (21) and [having] a High Priest over the house of God, (22) let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
1. We enter into God’s presence by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, not on the basis of anything that we have done.
2. We must come to God in faith, believing that He will speak to us.
3. Is there any sin in our lives that is unconfused or that our conscience with God has not been settled?
4. “… and our bodies washed with pure water.” Can refer to two different things. (1) Have we been obedient to the command of God to follow Jesus in water baptism? (2) Is our fleshly nature being washes clean by the water of the Word? (i.e. am I renewing my mind to and obeying the Word of God.)
b. Have we done the last thing that God has told us? God will not share other things with us until we are obedient to do what He has already told us. He will not take us to step 2 until we have taken step 1.
II. Testing Spiritual Experiences
We have found in these studies that as we try to hear from the Lord that our cognitive processes can get in the way. After we hear something that we believe is from God, God fully intends for us to use our minds to test that word. Thus our spirit and soul are working together. One to hear and one to test.
a. We know that our spirit is in union with the Holy Spirit, but there are other things that can affect our spirit man.
1. Circumstances of life
2. Physical, bodily circumstances
3. Satan
4. Man (i.e. our own desires and passions)
b. As our mind begins to sort through and test the Rhema, we should:
1. Look for evidence of influence other than the Spirit of God.
2. Ask “What is the essence of the Rhema?” Does it match God’s character.
3. Discern whether you were totally under the control of God as you received the Rhema. Here are some Questions that can help:
(a) Had you presented your life as a living sacrifice?
(b) Were you washed by your obedience to His Word (Logos)?
(c) Were you enlightened by His illumination?
(d) Were you totally committed to His will?
(e) Were you centered down through your offering of praise?
(f) Were you waiting quietly and expectantly before Him?
c. Testing
Whether a Thought is From Self, Satan or God
1. Find
its Origin (Test the Spirit)
Self - Born in mind. A Painting of a picture.
Satan - A flashing image. Was mind empty, idle? Does image seem obstructive?
God - A living flow of pictures coming from the innermost being. Was your inner being quietly focused on Jesus?
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2. Examining
Its Content (Test the Ideas)
Self - A painting of things I have learned.
Satan - Negative, destructive, pushy, fearful, accusative, violates nature of God. Violates Word of God. Image is afraid to be tested. Ego appeal.
God - Instructive, upbuilding, comforting. Image accepts testing.
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3.
Seeing Its Fruit (Test the Fruit)
Self - Variable
Satan - Fear, compulsion, bondage, anxiety, confusion. Inflated Ego.
God - Quickens faith, powerful, peace, good fruit, enlightenment, knowledge. Produces humility.
d. Knowing
the Word
The Bible is our absolute, infallible, unchanging standard of truth. All Rhema MUST be tested by the Word of God. Therefore, we must know the Word of God. We MUST become a Biblical People!
e. Commitment
to a body
Eph. 5:21 tells us to “Submit yourselves one to another.” And Prov. 11:14 “In the multitude of counselors there is safety.” We must be committed to a local body of believers. We need one another. Here is God’s structure for submission:
Children are to submit to Parents (Ex. 20:12; Col 3:20)
Wives are to submit to Husbands (Eph. 5:22-24)
Husbands are to submit to Elders (I Pet. 5:1-5; I Tim. 5:17; Heb. 13:17)
Elders are to submit to Each other and Christ (Acts 14:23; Eph. 5:21,23-24)
Employees are to submit to Employers (Eph 6:5-8; I Pet 2:18-23)
Employers are to submit to God (Eph. 6:9)
Citizens are to submit to Government (Rom 13:1-7; I Pet 2:13-15)
Governments are to submit to God (Dan. 2:20-21; Pro. 21:1)
III. Understanding the Principles of Authority
To properly relate to and respect authority in your life, you must realize several things:
1. God is responsible for placing the authority over you.
2. God is bigger than the authority. Therefore, develop a confidence in God’s working through the authority.
3. You should look for the reason God has placed the authority over you.
4. The hand-to-get-along-with characteristics of the authority over you represent an underlying purpose of God in your life.
5. Pray for God to work through the authority. Our prayers determine the kind of a authority under which we work.
6. Realize that through prayer you will have authority over all authority in your life (Eph. 1:20-22; 2:6).Therefore, pray for God to direct his heart, and obey any other commands of Scripture concerning the situation. Then, cheerfully accept the authority as from God.
7. The only exception to obeying the authority over you is if he commands you to do that which is contrary to a direct command (not some fuzzy interpretation) of God in Scripture.
8. Success comes from realizing that God works through the authority He has placed over your life, and that to resist that authority is to resist God (Rom 13:2)
One who is going to operate successfully in Rhema must
know to who he is submitted, and lay down all major decisions before him. One
who refuses to do that and walks off in the arrogance and pride of “God and I
can do it alone” will inevitably fall and reap destruction.
IV. Steps of Action When
You Disagree with Authority
If you come to a point of disagreement with your spiritual authority, you are not to respond like a mindless, spiritless robot. There is specific action you can take.
1. Make sure your attitudes are all purified with tender love. Do not allow condemning, resistant, impure spirit into your heart. (Dan. 1:9)
2. Make sure your conscience is clear, that you have corrected your offending attitudes, and that you have sought forgiveness and made restitution as far as possible (Dan 9:20) Lay aside your own wishes for the wishes of the one over you.
3. Discern the basic intention of the one over you. Is he looking out for your well-being? What is his frame of reference? (Dan. 1:10)
4. Then, with that information, design a creative alternative that satisfies both him and you (Dan. 1:8).
5. Without condemning him, present that alternative to him as an appeal, emphasizing how it will meet his goals. Leave the final decision with him.
6. Give God time to change his mind. Know that God will be putting pressure on him, that he, therefore, will probably put pressure on you; and, that God can use that pressure to build Godly character in your life. Make sure you constantly respond in love and righteousness.
7. Finally, at times, you may have to suffer even though you have done nothing wrong. God will be your strength.
1. Hebrews 10:19-22 gives us four things that we can do when we come into God’s presence. What are they?
2. Give and illustration of praying something with the wrong motives.
3. Will God share everything with us? Why or Why not.
4. What four things, other then the Spirit of God, can influence our spirit man?
5. Why is becoming a “Biblical Person” so important when we are trying to hear from God?
6. Explain the importance of submitting to Spiritual Authority.
7. What should we do if we do not agree with the authority over us about a Rhema from the Lord?
Mark and Patti Virkler have granted permission to draw this information from
their book, “Communion With God Study Guide”.
You can get more information at their website www.cwgministries.org