All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV
That means it is written by people, but God is the source of what is written, through his Holy Spirit.
David Guzik is a commentator I found through the Blue Letter Bible. Here is David’s commentary on 2 Timothy 3
The Holy Spirit agrees with himself
“The Holy Spirit still speaks today” Is something that could very well freak you out. Does it?
In my own experience, when an idea or a thought comes to me, I examine it! It must agree with what God has already said in his word. Look into it! < that link will take you to The Blue Letter Bible’s website, and is a good start.
Another excellent resource is “How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth”
In our day and age we are surrounded by, and arguably buried up to our eyeballs in media bombarding us with information… insidious even!
Whether its a thought about to be put into action, or into a word spoken to another person to edify them. Edify is a bible jargon word meaning to build up (encourage or exhort) exhort might be a strange word, its a fancy way of saying admonish LOL… to exhort, example: A person running a race with sopping wet, baggy sweat pants, and army boots needs to be exhorted to strip down to running shoes and shorts!
Before I go on, let me give you a wonderful example to start you off. Stay calm.
The other day I was sitting in my car, listening to some tunes, waiting for my wife to finish shopping. I happened to think of a friend of mine that I had not seen for a while, nor spoken to, so the thought, “Give Andrew a call” came to mind. I dialed his number, he answered:
- Andrew: Hello?
- Laurence: Hey, Andrew, is this a good time to chat?
- Andrew: Yeah, sure, what’s on your mind?
- Laurence: Just thinking about you so I thought I’d give you a call
- etc… but as we talked he asked me what I knew about the Transit strike that was pending in our area. As I explained to him the various details - I know quite a bit about it due to having once worked for that same company, and had been following the story closely in the news media – I realized that he had a particular need to know. I’d met this fellow through that exact context. He was a passenger of mine, and I was his driver from time to time. We’d kept in touch. He still uses the bus exclusively, and was planning out strategies for getting to work. And, right on topic that had been going through my mind he said:
- Andrew: Well, I guess I’ll be catching a cab to work Tuesday…
- Laurence I then chatted back and forth with him, figured out that I was not busy for that same time period, and would he like a ride, etc… and so I ended up being there for him in this way.
From the outcome of this I look back and see the hand of God. I recognize how God works! There’s some jargon for you. Which reminds me of a verse LOL
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Philippians 2:12-13 NIV
The question arises for me> Is this God working within me to fulfill his good purpose? I know that Andrew has been placed in my life, through evidence just like I’ve already given you an example of. He is a fellow believer, and we have been mutually beneficial to one another ever since the first day we met. Go take a look at Romans 1:11-12 NIV. Another way to look at all of this is to simply see that I am examining the outcome of a thought, that led to an action. Galatians 5 talks about Freedom in Christ. As you read through that chapter you’ll see that there’s only the two mentioned. The deeds of the flesh, and the fruit of the Spirit. When the thought to call Andrew came to mind, its a quick decision, because of the history we have. But if it were the first time, I’d have the two sets of examination criteria:
- The acts of the flesh are obvious:
sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. - But the Fruit of the spirit is:
love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
So this can be done before acting on a thought or an idea. Even if the thought and idea comes out of the mouth of another person, or from within my own heart.
Knowing that at times ideas/thoughts come to my mind that fit into the obvious deeds of the flesh category, it is evidence of the enemy. Its no secret that we are tempted. That’s a whole topic in itself. I find myself in a whole rabbit hole of details here, but here’s another scripture to consider:
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV
Another instance of the Holy Spirit speaking to me is when he desires to speak through me. This is an exciting part of the Christian life as well. This is one of my spiritual gifts that I have fanned into flame as Paul puts it. Meaning that I have practiced my gift. I have practiced listening, and being obedient. The two cannot be broken off from one another. If someone hears what you are telling them, how do you know? There is an action that is directly resulting from that “hearing” right?
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 5:11-14 NIV
Here’s the same scripture again, from a different translation:
About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 5:11-14 ESV
That’s why I simply call this “listening obedience” Its like honing a knife blade. The way to sharpen a knife is known, and very precise. One knows that they have done the sharpening procedure correctly by taking that blade and cutting into something, like a piece of leather, or wood… it quickly becomes evident. In the case of listening obedience, the dynamic is seen most precisely in that last part of verse 14. Constant practice, of listening, and obeying.
As in my example above, I’m always listening. I’ve written about another aspect of this, and that’s the overall THING that I do. dilige et quod vis fac < click on that for the full explanation. I also point you towards Hebrews 11:6 NIV which is a further proof of dilige et quod vis fac… diligently seeking God, to know him. I realize that we are going very deep here. But a little deeper it goes, because as we practice these things we actually enter into, and we actually become part of God, and he becomes apart of us. Does that sound shocking or heretical to you? Take a look at John 15:
The Vine and the Branches
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.
John 15:1-17 NIV
You might have heard this through other translations, for example the New King James Version calls uses the word “abide” rather than “remain”. But look at how J B Phillips put it!
You must go on growing in me and I will grow in you. For just as the branch cannot bear any fruit unless it shares the life of the vine, so you can produce nothing unless you go on growing in me. I am the vine itself, you are the branches. It is the man who shares my life and whose life I share who proves fruitful.
John 15:1-17 J B Phillips
Venture further? Take a look at, ponder and meditate on Philippians 3:7-14
So, I hope its obvious. But just in case its not. We cannot pick and choose, we cannot turn the Holy Spirit on and off. We would then be “in charge” rather than yielded to him, and his will. Its all or nothing! By that I mean that yes, of course, your flesh is going to get in the way. Your passions and desires, your lusts and favourite sins (or as the writer of Hebrews puts it, the sin that so easily ensnares us) But we are always in the process, constantly practicing, every waking minute of the day! There is no idle moment. NO break from this. Its working out our salvation with fear and trembling! We are running a race. The guy that’s on the track… look at him? What would you think about the person that has a camping chair strapped to his back, and a flask of coffee, and as soon as the firing gun goes off, he sits himself for a cuppa Jo? We’d be yelling things at him pretty quick, expressing our wonder as to what he’s doing!
WAIT! Keep in mind that analogies and comparisons have to be kept in context. When Jesus was weary, he rested. Look at John 4. There is no REST from doing good. Paul exhorts us to “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” click on the that for full context.
When giving a word (speaking to another person, as I mentioned at the top of the page there) it can be called a prophecy when it is to a whole group of people. If you hear someone claiming to be prophesying, we’re told not to be hostile to it, but to test everything hold on to the good, get rid of the bad 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22
Running Down Vimy 