Listen UP!

Are you familiar with Jesus’ teaching, “Ask, and it will be given to you,” Matthew 7:7? Ask means to call for, to request of someone. Jesus teaches us to request of the Father what we need. But Jesus not only teaches us to ask God for desired needs, but He also asks God for things. In John 14:16, Jesus told His disciples, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Paraclete), that He may be with you forever…”  Who is the Paraclete?  He’s the Holy Spirit (Helper) who is with us forever.

Studying the Greek definition of the word “Helper, Paraclete,” ummm – helps.  Consider the following definition of Paraclete:*

• Someone summoned, called to one’s side, especially called to one’s aid.
• One who pleads another’s cause before a judge, counsel for defense, an advocate.
• Of the Holy Spirit destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles (after His ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom.

It’s staggering when we think of the magnitude of God’s provisions for us. Our Heavenly Father not only took it upon Himself to send His Son to save us but also sent the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, to be an abiding divine presence within us. We never walk alone.

Heavenly Father, Son, and PARACLETE, the blessing of Your Presence is something we will only fully realize when we are in Heaven. Thank You, Lord!

Want to learn more about the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, and how to discern His voice? Listen HERE.

*https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G3875&t=NASB

Do you know all that God has prepared for you in eternity? The answer is “no, we don’t know.” First Corinthians 2:9 says, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”  Does that bless your heart?  Our earthly days may be rough, but God has prepared a future beyond our imagination.  The passage explains that no one knows God’s thoughts except God’s Spirit. 

“For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?

Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,” First Corinthians 2: 10-12 

Do these verses about the Spirit make you want to have a deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit and how you can walk by His promptings? If so, I encourage you to get  “Listen UP! When the Spirit Speaks.” The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to Christians. Know Him. Listen to Him. Love and adore Him, for He is the Spirit of Christ abiding in you.

Heavenly Father, Your gift to us of the SPIRIT who SEARCHES ALL THINGS, is the most amazing gift. Thank You! Help us faithfully walk by Your Spirit.

YES! Send me Listen UP! When the Spirit Speaks.  31 Points About the Holy Spirit Every Christian Should Know. 

Watch on YouTube.     LISTEN on Podbean.     LISTEN on Apple Podcasts

My husband, Keith, was recently teaching from the book of Daniel. Following along in my Bible, I read the king’s words to Daniel in 5:14, “Now I have heard about you that a spirit of the gods is in you.” In Daniel 6:3, the spirit of the gods is described as “extraordinary.” An extraordinary, not ordinary spirit, lived in Daniel and of course, also lives in us if we are a Christian. Do we hear the words of the Bible? Do we get it? Are we living by the extraordinary Spirit of the gods, of the God, the Lord Jesus Christ? If not, why not? Learn about the extraordinary Spirit who is in you and how to walk by His Spirit as Daniel did.  Listen UP: 31 Points About the Holy Spirit.

An AT&T commercial once asked a group of children, “Who thinks more is better than less?” A little girl quickly responded, “We want more. We want more.” We can identify with her plea for more when we’re going through a difficult time. We want more of God’s strength. We want more of His grace to get us through our day. The truth is, we already have it.  Second Corinthians 12:9 reassures us,

My grace is SUFFICIENT for you, for power is perfected in weakness.

What does it mean that God’s grace is  SUFFICIENT? Does it mean barely enough? No. Rather, the Biblical word means, “to be possessed of unfailing strength, to be strong, to be enough.”*  God’s strength is the answer to our cry when we are weak. Call on Him. Yield to Him. Ask Jesus to fill and empower you. He will.

Do you know all that God has prepared for you in eternity? The answer is “no, we don’t know.” First Corinthians 2:9 says, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”  Does that bless your heart?  Our earthly days may be rough, but God has prepared a future beyond our imagination.  The passage explains that no one knows God’s thoughts except God’s Spirit. 

“For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?

Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,” First Corinthians 2: 10-12 

Do these verses about the Spirit make you want to have a deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit and how you can walk by His promptings? If so, I encourage you to get  “Listen UP! When the Spirit Speaks.” The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to Christians. Know Him. Listen to Him. Love and adore Him, for He is the Spirit of Christ abiding in you.

Heavenly Father, Your gift to us of the SPIRIT who SEARCHES ALL THINGS, is the most amazing gift. Thank You! Help us faithfully walk by Your Spirit.

YES! Send me Listen UP! When the Spirit Speaks.  31 Points About the Holy Spirit Every Christian ShouldKnow. 

Are you familiar with Jesus’s teaching, “Ask, and it will be given to you,” Matthew 7:7? Ask means to call for, to request of someone. Jesus teaches us to request of the Father what we need. But Jesus not only teaches us to ask God for desired needs, He also asks God for things. In John 14:16, Jesus told His disciples,”I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Paraclete), that He may be with you forever…”  Who is the Paraclete?  He’s the Holy Spirit (Helper) who is with us forever. Studying the Greek definition of the word “Helper, Paraclete,” ummm – helps.  Consider the following definition of Paraclete:*

• Someone summoned, called to one’s side, especially called to one’s aid
• One who pleads another’s cause before a judge, counsel for defense, an advocate
• Of the Holy Spirit destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles (after His ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom

It’s staggering when we think of the magnitude of God’s provisions for us. Our Heavenly Father not only took it upon Himself to send His Son to save us but also sent the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, to be an abiding divine presence within us. We never walk alone.

To learn more about the Paraclete, theHoly Spirit, and how to discern His voice, click HERE.

Heavenly Father, Son, and Paraclete, the blessing of Your Presence is something we will only fully realize when we are in Heaven. Thank You, Lord!  

*https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G3875&t=NASB

The other day as I was watching some deer out my window, I wondered how they knew which plants to eat and which to avoid because they’re poisonous. After some research, I discovered that instinct, experience, and training keeps them from eating harmful things. What about us? Are we discerning as deer about what we eat? I’m afraid too often I haven’t been. I’ve selected the chips instead of the apple, the fast food instead of fresh food. Does it make any difference to God? Yes. 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us that the believer’s body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. If we haven’t been discerning as deer about we eat, we can ask Christ to fill us. We can pay attention when He prompts us, “Eat this. Don’t eat that.” To learn how to better discern Christ’s voice, get a copy of my study, Listen UP. Let’s move toward being discerning.

Prefer to listen to today’s UpLIFT?  A new UpLIFT Minute Podcast is available every Tuesday. Follow and subscribe on Podbean or Apple ITunes.

David wanted us to know. He used his voice. He was crying out which means he did more than shoot a quickie silent arrow prayer to God. This saint was serious. He was cryING to the Lord. What did David know that led him to exercise his faith in such a serious and intentional manner? Psalm 3:3 tells us.
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Good days. Blah days.  I’d been “off” for several days. You know. Not feeling the joy only God can give. No spring in my step. Not motivated. If you can relate and it’s been a while since you’ve had ear to ear grinning joy that causes you to race to God’s throne room to thank Him, I get it. How did I get back my joy? While I was praying, God nudged me to do something. I did what He said and joy. Do you remember the account of Peter fishing all night and not catching anything? Then Jesus told him to cast his net on the other side of the boat? Peter obey and caught a huge net of fish. No doubt, Peter had grinning joy as he hauled in his catch. In what way has God recently prompted you to do something? Have you obeyed? To learn more about grinning joy that comes as a result of obedience, read Matthew 25:21. You can also learn more with my teaching sessions, Listen UP.

While picking blackberries in my backyard I had quite a scare. As I reached for a berry, my hand came inches from a snake. Jumping away, I had a good laugh. It was a fake snake that I’d placed in the garden to scare the birds away. I’m not sure if it worked with them, but it certainly scared me. You may not have had a scare with a fake snake, but have you ever been frightened by something you heard? Have you wondered if something you were told was true or false? In Ephesians 5:6 God tells us, “Let no one deceive you with empty words.” How can we know if what we’re hearing is false? By knowing the truth. Where do we find the truth? In the Bible. How do we have good discernment about those things that are not specifically addressed in the Bible? By listening closely to the Holy Spirit, our Helper and Guide. Grow in truth and discernment by understanding who the Holy Spirit is and how to better discern His voice.  Listen UP.