“It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath
heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.”
John 6:45 One example "... that this word came unto Jeremiah from the Lord,
saying," Jere 36:1-4 Today, "Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." Matt 13:9
The assumption that is being made here is that what is heard is always spoken. But God communicates to us through His written word all that we need to know to live "godly in Christ Jesus." In a sense, He has spoken to us - and is still speaking - in the pages of the Bible. Are we listening? The apostle James uses "hearing" to refer what has been read:
James 1:23-25
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
The "perfect law of liberty" is that law of God communicated to us
in Scripture. This is why James writes of he who
looks into the law of liberty. Immediately, though, James speaks of the same man
hearing the word and doing it. James, then, is using the term "hearer" to mean someone who has
read the law of God written in the Scriptures. A "hearer" therefore is not
always someone who has literally heard a voice audibly or in the mind.
In the instance of the verse you cited from Jeremiah, he who is urged to hear is not being urged to listen to an
inner voice, but to the actual
spoken words of God's prophet, Jeremiah.
Our thought life can be affected by the enemy and definitely Yahweh.
I agree. And I mentioned the psychic in an earlier post in illustration of this fact.
Sometimes it's our choice whether we hear Him or not "Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice," Heb 3:7, 15; 4:7
Of course. I agree completely with you here. But is the "hearing" that we do of a voice in our head? In the case of the Israelites referred to in Hebrews 3 and 4, they heard from God, not through an inner voice, but through Moses. The writer of Hebrews speaking of the Holy Spirit in
Hebrews 3:7 is referring to
Psalms 95:7-11 which the writer of Hebrews quotes in verses 7-11 of chapter 3. These are words written by King David under the inspiration of the Spirit.
Hebrews 3:7, then, is not telling us to expect to hear from the Spirit ourselves directly as a voice in our head, but is confirming the divine inspiration of King David's words and warning us not to doubt God and become hard in our hearts toward Him.
Here’s a contrast of voices - Yahweh convicts while the enemy condemns. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
John 3;17 ““ And he, when he comes, will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:”
John 16:8
“But I am afraid, however, that just as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your
minds may be led astray from the simplicity and purity that is in Christ.” II Cor 11:3
Sometimes this contrast you mention above is obvious. At other times, Satan comes as an "angel of light," not with condemnation, but with subtle deceptions that appeal to our pride, our self-centeredness, and our sensual nature. These deceptions don't seem in the least condemning, but rather self-affirming and very spiritual. Looking to see if one feels condemned, then, is not always (or even often) the way one can determine what is of God and what is of the devil.
Seems there's amazement of a psychic whose “remarkable, supernatural knowledge“ from the devil but unbelief is expressed when a believer posted how information was given to them by Yahweh and then used to touch someone’s life.
I'm not at all amazed at the occult knowledge of a psychic. I know exactly from where it is derived. My point in sharing the story about the psychic was to show that secret knowledge is not necessarily
always from God. The devil can impart such knowledge, too, and so merely having secret knowledge is not a good basis upon which to judge whether or not God is acting in a particular situation. The fellow who posted about knowing (or sensing) a woman's abusive sexual past simply
assumed his knowledge was from God. But why should he do so? As I said, Satan could have given him this information, too, in an attempt to get him to believe without question that every time he obtains such knowledge it must be from God. A masterful sort of deception, I think.
In the OT, Yahweh used prophets more than non-prophets (II Pet 1:21). Regarding us, guess you’ll need to ask Yahweh why He wants to use us including for the manifestations of the gifts of The Spirit. He could do all these things – spread the gospel, charitable acts, etc. - without us.
But, you see, I don't think God
is using you to manifest His Spirit in the ways you're saying He does. That's been my fundamental point all through my comments. If He is using you, more than "I just know" is necessary to proving that He is truly doing so. Satan is an incredible counterfeiter of godly things and so we need to know how to clearly and definitively distinguish between what is of God and what are sneaky counterfeits of the devil. "I just know" and assumptions aren't nearly a sufficient basis upon which to do so.
I don't doubt you're completely sincere in your belief in the use and source of the gifts of the Spirit today. So far, though, you have not offered anything like a solid scriptural basis for believing God can - and frequently does - speak to you directly and privately in your mind. This ought to seriously concern you. It does me.
God's blessings on you, sister.
