July 7, Greater Wisdom

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

I Corinthians 2:10

Author and Pastor Mark Batterson describes the vast wisdom of the Holy Spirit in a unique way:

The total number of servers Google employs is a well-kept secret, but one recent estimate puts the total at 2,376,640. Using a search algorithm called PageRank, Google crawls 20 billion websites every day and performs over 100 billion searches per month. Those of us who grew up with the card catalogue system harbor a little resentment toward those who never had to search by subject, author, or title. We also marvel at the internet's capacity to put knowledge at our fingertips. It's one click away!   Yet as remarkable as that is, it doesn't hold a candle to the Holy Spirit's search engine. After all, there is nothing he doesn't know. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. The number of hairs on your head. Every subconscious memory and subliminal desire. He is searching all things, all the time.  (Mark Batterson, If: Trading Your If Only Regrets for God's What If Possibilities (Baker, 2015), page 170)

The Holy Spirit of God, who dwells within the redeemed, searches the deep truths of God so that the lives of His children are instructed and guided as He desires.  John Wesley once defined those “deep things of God” as the deep truths of both “God’s nature and God’s Kingdom.”   

Matthew Henry explained of I Corinthians 2:10, 

“No one can know the things of God but by His Holy Spirit, who is One with the Father and the Son, and who makes known Divine mysteries to His church. The apostles were not guided by worldly principles. They had the revelation of these things from the Spirit of God, and the saving impression of them from the same Spirit.” (Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary, Vol. 8, (Baker,1983), page 17) 

 How dependent are we upon the Holy Spirit? How much do we realize our great and desperate necessity of relying upon the Holy Spirit for wisdom and understanding? For guidance and direction?  This truth most certainly causes us to pause in so quickly relying upon our own impulses, gut reactions, and common sense.  Do we truly desire to be guided by God’s wisdom, and if so, how clearly can we hear the voice of the Holy Spirit? 

Consider the following 4 ways to better recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit in your life.

First, the Holy Spirit always aligns with the Scriptures (John 15:26). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth who opens the heart of man to the Word of God.  We must regularly avail ourselves to the truth of God within the Scriptures.  We must truly walk in God’s Word daily so that through His precepts the Holy Spirit guides our thoughts and understandings. The deeper your walk in the Word the clearer His voice.  

Second, the Holy Spirit always opposes the things of the flesh (Romans 8:9). The Spirit and the flesh are in constant friction.  There is no commonality. Therefore, whatever is of the fallen ways of man even in the slightest degree is in no way from the Spirit.  The voice of the Holy Spirit is more clearly recognized when constantly denying the impulses of the flesh.  

Third, the Spirit will always lead you to surrender to the ways of Jesus (John 14:26). I love how clearly Jesus instructed His disciples to depend upon the Spirit for more deeply understanding and applying all that He taught.  The more we depend upon Jesus and His teachings the more we are under His rule and reign. The Holy Spirit constantly leads us in agreement with the truth of the life of Christ.  You recognize the voice of the Spirit more readily under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  

Fourth, the Spirit speaks with authority (John 16:12-13).  The Spirit speaks of God’s heart into our heart.  This indeed resounds the divine authority of God, and such authority will be distinct, especially over our own impulses.  

Today, recognize the vastness of the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.  Realize His role in directing your life in the wisdom of God.  And, daily become more dependent upon His voice.  Listen for Him as He speaks.  He is closer and speaks more clearly than you could ever imagine.  

Blessings.

READ

Read I Corinthians 2:6-16 and grow more dependent upon the Holy Spirit within you.