Here's my approach to walking in the Spirit.
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10:5–6)
We censor every impure thought or imagination. And change the channel in our thinking on any thought that does not conform to obedience to Christ. But we let the valuable and biblically sound thoughts through.
I often have scripture and biblical concepts running through my head, in my voice. Especially at night when shallow sleeping. Knowing God is speaking to me through them. And much of it ends up on paper to share with others.
Dave, Most of the time God starts with John 15:7 (not the numbers but the words) and then what I am to pray about. I pray with the knowledge that I am abiding in Jesus, and do hear his voice and ask for what God tells me to ask for. It is answered immediately time and time again. That is not me. That is not coincidence. It is not vain imaginations. It is supernatural and straight from God.
Other times after I've looked for my cat for 45 min with no sign of her and its getting late, God interrupts my yelling for her, with a still small voice, "I know where she is." Then I hit my head, and say, "I could have had a V-8!" LOL I then, just say, of course You do! Can you please send her home. Then I just walk back to the house just in time to reopen the door for her to come in.
I walk with a cane and one day I mislaid it. I looked everywhere. It was missing for three days, and then God spoke and said, "I know where it is." And I say, of course you do, could you direct me to it. I then looked down without even one step, and there it was. If it were a snake it would have bit me!
That happens with my keys a lot to, but He always speaks to me first before I pray, and I find them. Same thing happens with my Bible.
Here is a chapter from the book I'm writing that has to do with one of the most memorable times God spoke to me after the tremendous 8 sentences He spoke the night I was baptized in the Spirit. This is 2 years later.
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I’ll never forget one of my first lessons in prayer. It was 1979 and I had only been saved and baptized with the Spirit for a couple years, and was still just a baby Christian when it came to living and walking in the Spirit.
I had heard many prayers during my life as a Christian. Some beautiful, long and melodic, with many addresses to the Father interjected into every sentence. Others were booming, forceful and authoritative, with countless scriptures flawlessly quoted. I remember my reaction to these prayers. I was intimidated. So much so, I hated to pray my modest prayers in public. I was certain my very simple prayers were not being heard. I was equally certain that the authoritative prayers of veteran Christians, and even my friend’s beautiful prayers were skyrocketing their way to heaven and bombarding the throne room of God, cutting through to the head of the line, leaving mine on the ceiling where they hovered like ghosts.
I was working for a company selling integrated circuits via the telephone. Five other girls and I were crammed into a small room with wall-to-wall desks. We would call companies like Xerox and ask what part numbers they were short of on their production lines. One little part, if missing, could shut down a whole production line, causing the loss of thousands of dollars in man-hours. Some orders were for as much as 10,000 pieces. Scarce parts that would normally cost 80 cents per part could be sold for $12.95 a piece! Companies agreed to pay these prices rather than see their production lines go down. If you received the orders, your monthly commissions could be in the thousands.
However, one of the girls, Lorraine, was very depressed, shy and quiet. She spoke to no one at work. Each month she would make her $1,000 draw and seldom more. Her depression showed in her face and voice, thus, affecting her sales. It became a vicious cycle. To top it all off, she and her husband were going to have a baby. Instead of a joyous occasion to be looking forward to, it seemed to be just another financial pressure.
One day after work as I was pulling out of the parking lot, I saw Lorraine leaving the building. She was walking slowly as a defeated warrior in the battle of life, with her head down and her shoulders slumped. My heart suddenly swelled up with the love of Christ as I watched her, seeing her as if for the very first time.
Quietly, almost tearfully, I whispered this long theological prayer . . . “Oh Lord, bless her.”
That night I got distracted and thought no more about it (spiritual pious giant that I was). Nor did I think of her the next morning as I got ready for work. But as I was pulling out of my driveway, I heard God’s voice within me interrupt my thoughts.
“Lorraine will have the biggest sale she has ever had today.”
Surprised by the voice (as I always am to this day when He speaks to me) I exclaimed, “Oh my . . . thank you, Lord!”
I couldn’t wait to get to work to tell Lorraine. It would be the first time I had ever spoken to her, I’m ashamed to say.
I found her in the coffee room before our work day began. “Lorraine, today you are going to have the biggest sale you have ever had!”
She just grunted.
During the morning, periodically, I would ask her if she got her big sale yet.
“No,” she would quietly reply as she dialed another phone number.
“Well, don’t worry, I know you will,” I said.
As the day drew on I started getting busy, and I forgot about Lorraine. Four o’clock came and it was time to get ready to leave. Then I saw Lorraine leaving, and I remembered the promise.
“Lorraine, well, did you get it?”
“Uh huh,” Lorraine replied with as much enthusiasm as a wet noodle.
“Lorraine! Why didn’t you tell me?” I excitedly questioned.
She just shrugged her shoulders. Lorraine had gotten a $30,000 sale, by far the largest sale she ever had before or since. At 2% of the gross, she made $600 on that one sale.
One young Jewish woman in the last desk behind us who had heard my conversations with Lorraine during the day just had to ask, “Linda, how did you know?”
I told her the truth. “God told me this morning, and when He tells you something, you can believe it.”
Looking back, I seemed to be the only one really affected by the prophecy. My trust in God and His unbiased love grew that day. Also increased was my ability to determine His “voice.” It is not external, audible and heard with my ears. Rather it is internal, bubbling up from within the depths of me, and heard with my spirit. After all, the Holy Spirit lives within those filled with His Spirit.
I hope that Lorraine will someday look back and realize God loves her and had favor on her that day, but while I knew her, Lorraine’s personality and demeanor never changed, and the Jewish young woman, ironically, only scoffed at the mention of God. She is one of millions who believe you can talk to God, but if He answers you, you must be nuts.
Some go so far as to say, a miraculous answer to prayer is the devil’s work! Why? Pathetically, because those people, who are Christians, themselves, erroneously believe we can pray to God, but the only way He answers us in through the Bible. It is as if, once the books of the Bible were compiled, God’s work was done and He took off to Bermuda!
The Bible is not, itself, an idol to be worshiped, but His breathing Word, a powerful tool to help us know about, and have an interactive relationship with the living God, Himself! It is not just a history book of an unrefined early church, which somehow does not apply to the very same church today, no matter how sophisticated we think we have become.
As for my simple prayer, I learned that God is not swayed by anything other than the true sincerity of our hearts. He’s not interested in chants, formulas, or our “many words.” Only a tender heart that longs to, and, more importantly, does, abide with Him.
I have walked with the Lord for many years now. By trial and error I have learned His will, and have become more and more determined to accept His will over my own. I have shed many tears. Tears of joy, as well as sorrow. So, in my case, I have found that my prayers are usually spoken to express my tears, not impress my peers.
