Blessed (happy and to be envied) rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey and practice it! Luke 11:28 (AMP)
In discussing how we can train ourselves to hear from Holy Spirit, we have so far covered two ways:
- Meditating on God’s Word and asking Holy Spirit to give instruction.
- Spend time with Holy Spirit.
Today we will discuss a third way:
- Obey the Word and Holy Spirit instantly.
The key to training is consistency. If you discipline a child for walking on the coffee table and then laugh the next time they do it, you end up with a confused child. If you obey the Word only sometimes, you confuse yourself. On the other hand, if you consistently obey, you train your spirit to listen to Holy Spirit. Your decisions become quick and easy.
The more you obey Holy Spirit, the more He leads you. It’s a matter of trust. Why would He send someone to do a job if He can’t trust them to do it?
Keep in mind, however, that He loves you no matter what. You don’t obey Him to gain His love. You obey Him BECAUSE of His love… and because you love Him.
As James said, don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says (James 1:22, NLT). Obedience is key when it comes to hearing from Holy Spirit, and when you obey, you will find delight and affirmation in the action (vs. 25, MSG).