Daily Bread

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world. Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

This week, in our Members' Chat we had a discussion about the Holy Spirit and how we are 'one' with the Spirit. I hope you don't mind me regurgitating some of my thoughts here!

When we become filled with the Holy Spirit I think we can, at times, feel God’s presence with us in a tangible way, but also, when the Holy Spirit fills us we become 'one' with God. This oneness means exactly that — that we are both distinct and one — and in that oneness we cannot separate out the Spirit and say, "This bit is the Holy Spirit" or "That bit is the Holy Spirit" because we are one with the Spirit.

Using some analogies from science fiction, the Holy Spirit doesn't dwell in us like some sort of parasitic alien to whom we need to listen and obey, nor does the Holy Spirit take us over like a 'bodysnatcher'. I suppose being filled with the Holy Spirit is more like being the Borg from Star Trek. We become assimilated (but in a good way)!

Sometimes we are imbued with power — discovering that we can say or do things that before being filled with the Spirit we previously could not, such as speak in tongues, have spiritual insight with Words of Knowledge, be able to prophesy, and so on. But again, it's not that we hear the Spirit and then repeat what we hear, it's a joint effort between us — our senses — and the Spirit.

When we speak, we speak through the Spirit; when we think, we think through the Spirit; when we imagine, we imagine through the Spirit; and when we see, we see through the Spirit. Therefore, when it comes to the transforming power of the Spirit, it’s a case of the proof of the pudding is in the tasting. We know the Spirit’s power because we are becoming more gentle, patient, peaceful, generous, faithful, kind, and self-controlled.

In today's passage we are encouraged to 'test' the spirits. In other words, when someone speaks, is what they are saying in line with God's love? Do they confess that Jesus Christ came in person from God? We need to have our wits about us and be discerning, yet at the same time, courageous enough to allow the Spirit to speak through our own voices and through our own senses.

Holy God
Help me to trust
that when I asked
for your Holy Spirit,
you came and made
your home in my heart.
May I be bold
in trusting that
when I speak
I do so with your voice,
and in the world around me
help me to discern
what is from you
and hear your voice.