Unveiling the Spirit of Truth

The sincere student of Scripture is first and foremost a person of prayer. As prayer, intersects with spiritual resolve, the Holy Spirit plants thoughts and ideas that spark questions and godly curiosity. True revelation originates with heavenly inspiration leading to spiritual investigation. Therefore, normal human inquisitiveness falls short unable to supply a suitable environment and cannot muster the disciplined structure required to prospect Scriptural truth! In fact, it can be downright frustrating because without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who affords the hungry soul the grace to do the study, human curiosity is nothing but good intentions mixed with dead works. The spiritual climate for reaping the fruits of study requires several elements, some of which we’ve already considered. Therefore, once you have to the  best of your ability, relinquished your unhealthy filters, and determined to interpret what you read from His perspective as best as possible, you must acknowledge that you need God’s help to  grow in the the truths of the kingdom. This requires the empowerment of the Holy Spirit for study.

GOD GRANTS ABILITY TO STUDY TO THOSE WHO ASK HIM AND WHO ARE WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE IT REQUIRES

To those who have ears to hear, consider this. Everything you do must be for His glory, cooperating with His Spirit and obeying His word because His grace has enabled you to do it. Only God can open the eyes of your understanding. Nonetheless, human effort feebly endeavors to uncover hidden treasure troves of truth and fails miserably because it doesn’t understand that revelation is not realized simply because it’s desired. Truth is a manifestation of the work of the Spirit of Truth within you.  

Luke 24:32   And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

Luke 24:45   Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

The heartbroken disciples walked on the road to Emmaeus unaware that the man who joined their journey was Jesus. The discussions of that trek were understandably fixated on the grievous and confusing events surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection. Unaware of who the stranger was, the two disciples listened as he took them on a walk through Old Testament scriptures, revealing all the prophets had foretold concerning what the promised Messiah would endure. His words began to penetrate their grief-darkened hearts, and yet even then, they were still blinded by their sorrow and couldn’t comprehend the meaning of the familiar Old Testament passages. Everything changed, however, when he broke the bread of the evening meal and their eyes were suddenly opened. Only then did they recognize him for who he really was. Alas, to their great disappointment, he then disappeared. Reflecting on the remarkable event, and the day’s conversation, they related that if felt like their hearts had burned within them, while he walked and talked with them about the ancient passages. Please take note of this. God single-handedly initiated the revelation in response to the earnest cry of their confused hearts. Why would He not do the same for us today if we would seek Him?

Thankfully, God opens the heart of hungry seekers in a manner that could be compared to impregnation. In saying so, I do not want to seem to cheapen the interaction  by using terminology that seems fleshly and lower. But the principle is nearly identical. In His sovereign timing, God Almighty, the God of Truth, reaches into the depths of that part of a yearning soul where understanding and a desire for learning waits to be awaken. Some people call this an epiphany. Others define it as revelation. Nonetheless, He is the one who opens the eyes, ears and mind, causing whatever has been closed to be open to new idea, vision and possibility. 

Prov. 20:12 The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.

Proverbs 20:12 reveals that the hearing ear and the seeing eye are made by God. Therefore, your prayer should be, “Lord open my eyes and ears, open my heart, the seat where learning waits to discover truth!” But this prayer is not without price.  Like the five foolish virgins described in Matthew 25:1-10 illumination representing revelation is necessary and costly. If you aren’t willing to pay your personal price, whatever it may be for your particular station and calling in life, you will not be able to see the depths of what God desires to reveal to you. Furthermore, just as the five foolish girls had not bought enough of the expensive “green oil” to burn in their lamps, and wanted to borrow oil from the wise virgins who had paid the price and prepared, you cannot expect to siphon off the oil, or the revelation you want from another person’s life. You must take responsibility for yourself and your desired illuminating revelation.

Olive oil, throughout the Scriptures and in ancient times, was always directly associated with the concept of spiritual things and the “anointing”. What’s more there were many definitions and aspects pertaining to that subject unbeknownst to the modern believer that apply toward the operation and manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, let me ask you this question. Could it be, if the olive oil was also symbolic of the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit is said to indwell the believer as the “anointing within”, that there is then also an “anointing of revelation” that God desires for us to possess? If so, the process of acquiring that “oil” as comparatively illustrated in the parable of the ten virgins was not without pressure and cost. You must, therefore, determine in your own heart whether you’re willing to pay that price. Additionally, in the fear of the Lord, you must seek God to open the eyes and ears of your heart. He wants to do so because the Spirit is significantly named the Spirit of Truth.

Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, KJV

John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. KJV
John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: KJV
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. KJV
1 John 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. KJV
1 John 5:6  This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. KJV
 

For whatever reason, and I may be presumptuous in speaking this, I’ve observed that academically controlling arguments, seeming to originate out of spiritually dull hearts, endeavor to perform mental gymnastics whereby stripping the Word and God of all power.  As a result, many Christians, therefore, have come to believe that God no longer speaks. I suppose you can tell I don’t have much room for intellectualism when it overrules a spiritually-minded life and ignores the Canonical view of the Bible. Sadly, these same believers have been duped to believe that God only communicates through the Bible, while at the same time, they naively ignore the different angles truth is manifested throughout the Scriptures in His Kingdom. If God only speaks through the written Word, then a great majority of the human population of Christian believers are up a river without a paddle and stranded in life. They then have no hope for God to speak to and lead them. Wake up sisters and brothers! I’m not denying God uses the Bible for those who have one. I love the Scriptures. But let us not be so narrow to miss that His Spirit is also a communicator of truth according to the promises of Jesus. I realize the “various” risks entailed and will progressively address those in blogs to come. But this is a subject that can no longer be dismissed as insignificant. We need the Spirit of Truth to speak to us on a daily basis in the means God has revealed in the Word, and in accordance with what aligns with all other aspects of the Kingdom’s Truths. We can sadly become so “heady” that we entirely miss the divine interaction God desires with us by His Spirit and Ways. Therefore, I will attempt to explain and define how the Spirit of Truth works to bring us truth along with some basic understanding of the wondrous person of the Holy Spirit. So buckle your seat belts this will be fun.