The voice I know
In part 1, I shared some heart-warming encounters I had last month with the Holy Spirit—the Helper. Today we’ll begin the first of several posts on the Spirit of truth, another name for the Holy Spirit.
Get ready to read about some puzzle pieces, football and a music festival.
What he does
John 16:13 will be our key verse for today and the posts to come. These are the words of Jesus.
“However when he, the Spirit of truth, has come,
he will guide you into all truth,
for he will not speak on his own;
but whatever he hears he will speak,
and he will declare to you things that are coming.”
John 16:13, New Heart English Bible
A memorable example
Remember this déjà vu from The Armor of God, part 3.
When I was five years old, I had a dream where I was walking into a church nursery and a kind lady came over and talked to me. Later, after we moved from Georgia to Virginia, I walked into that nursery and the events unfolded exactly as I dreamed—what we wore, what the room looked like, what the lady said, where we walked—everything. It was amazing. We call that a déjà vu, which means “already seen” in French. Remarkable.
Looking back
As I look back on that déjà vu, I believe God was saying some very important things to me. I see you. I know you. I know what’s coming in your life. I can and will communicate with you. Trust me. You are in my hands. You are mine.
Showing, telling, guiding
The Spirit of truth—the Holy Spirit—guides us to the truth in various ways. Sometimes he shows us the truth, sometimes he tells us the truth, and other times, he leads or guides us to the truth.
Guided to the truth
While I was writing the post about my father-in-law’s funeral, the Holy Spirit helped me to focus on the puzzle pieces of a particular relationship—Brandon and his oldest friend, George. The Holy Spirit helped me put the puzzle pieces together so I could see and know the truth. I knew the facts—the individual puzzle pieces—for 17 months, but I never stopped and looked at the puzzle pieces long enough to put the puzzle together and realize the seemingly-obvious truth.
Writing it down
I had to literally write down each fact and think about what each fact meant. Only then was I able to determine the truth. And it was a sad truth. Maybe that’s why I didn’t really want to see it. At the end of the section called The Friend Who Became an Accomplice, I wrote The Big Truth from that season of our lives. “When we left The War Zone in 2016, George took Brandon’s place.”
Laying it down
I needed to see and acknowledge the truth about George in order to forgive him and lay everything down from that chapter. So I did. The Holy Spirit helped me with every step.
Avoiding it
And the Holy Spirit was extremely patient with yours truly while I avoided the whole thing. I stopped writing for a while. Honestly, I did not want to deal with it—Andrew’s nightmare-of-a-funeral, the drama, the stress. I was so sick of it all.
In May of last year, I published part 6 of When the Need to Forgive Has Been Hidden. Almost 10 months passed before I wrote part 7 about the funeral. Interestingly enough, as I think back on it, I needed to wrap up that unfinished business before I could shift into some new, unexpected topics, like The Fruit of The Spirit, The Lord’s Prayer and The Armor of God. Those posts were filled with wonderful surprises and plenty of Frankie Ann Stories From the Vault.
Speaking of fruit, this writing season—since I put that challenging post to bed—has been extremely fruitful and sweet for me. It really has. I hope it’s blessed you too.
Questions and answers
Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit using very descriptive names, like the Spirit of truth. Why is the truth so essential? This important section gives us some of the answers. From part 2 of When the Need to Forgive Has Been Hidden:
Healed by the truth
As the lies that we heard and believed are replaced by the truth—by God’s truth—something powerful begins to happen in us. Our thinking starts to align with God. We experience healing. Truth is the key component in healing. And in transformation. That’s why Jesus said:
“You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
John 8:32, World English Bible
Free from what? Free from lies. Free from deception. Free from the power of darkness and sin. Free from worry and fear. Free to trust God and rest in his love.
How he guides us
What are some of the ways the Holy Spirit shows us, tells us and guides us to the truth?
♦ Thru spiritual encounters—like dreams, visions, déjà vus.
♦ Thru written encounters—like the Bible, other books and writings, our journals.
♦ Thru spoken/audible encounters—like the Holy Spirit speaking in our thoughts, the words of Christ-followers, sermons, music.
And through audible encounters with God. Say what?
An audible
Sometimes during a football game, the quarterback will call “an audible.” The coach gave the quarterback a play to run, but the quarterback scans the defense and realizes it won’t work; so he replaces the original play with another one. The quarterback’s loud voice tells the players what they’re going to do. The new play—the audible—was chosen and communicated right before the center snaps the ball. Listen-up, gentlemen. Change of plans. (I talked with Brandon to make sure I explained that right. My husband is a man of many talents and experiences.)
The voice he knew
One of the most well-known audibles in the Bible involves a young boy named Samuel. I’ve heard people at multiple churches criticize—I mean bag on—young Samuel when the Lord called him audibly and he kept thinking Eli was calling him. It goes like this. “Couldn’t Samuel tell the difference between Eli’s voice and God’s voice? Good grief.” Translation: What a goofy kid. Why wasn’t he paying attention? I would’ve known it was God’s voice, not Eli’s voice. I’m smarter than Samuel was.
Indeed. (Pride runs deep.)
I hope you’re sitting down, Peaceful Readers, because this may shock you.
God can speak to us audibly as well.
The festival and the letter
When Logan turned 16, we took him to SonFest, a Christian music festival in Ohio that featured his favorite band, I Am They, and was headlined by another singer he listened to—Lecrae.
The night before the music festival, God called an audible.
That week I mailed an important letter to Isobel—a letter that the Holy Spirit asked me to write. I wasn’t particularly happy about the timing of it, but I did what he asked me to do. (For more about Isobel and the letter, see this post. After you check out the hilarious menu from The Dysfunctional Family Diner, scroll down and read from Boundaries thru Problem Ignoring vs. Problem Solving.)
The voice I know
On Wednesday, I mailed the letter. On Thursday, I felt in my heart that Isobel received it. On Friday night, I was called three times—audibly.
While I was lying in bed in the 1800s farmhouse where we were staying, I heard Logan’s voice calling me three different times. “Mom!” I got up twice and went to his room, but the door was locked. I listened to see if I heard anything unusual, and I didn’t. It was so strange. I couldn’t figure out what was going on. And I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time.
The one who called
The next morning, I remembered the events in the Bible—when God called Samuel using an extremely familiar voice—a voice that Samuel would respond to. I realized that it was God who had called me the previous night, not Logan. Then I said—like Samuel did—“Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
“…and he will declare to you things that are coming.”
John 16:13d, New Heart English Bible
After I asked him to speak to me, the Holy Spirit took my mind to Isobel. And he asked me to be gracious to her when she returns.
When. She. Returns.
My response
I replied—was it out loud or in my mind? I replied, “I will.”
Saturday, September 22
Journal entry
…I will obey and be gracious. I prayed for her diligence in seeking truth and healing. What a powerful encounter. I asked God to tell [Isobel] when it is time for her to contact me…. The Lord’s will be done.
The blessings
The music festival that day at a small university in Ohio gave us great joy for Logan’s birthday. I described it in my journal. “It was a blast! …Food trucks, games, gorgeous fall weather and a really nice crowd. …Brandon and I ran into the keyboard player for I Am They in the big tent. I was very glad that we got to tell him that they are Logan’s favorite band and that he heard them for the first time at Glorieta [Student Life Camp] this summer. …Everything felt just right and anointed by God-on-high for a very special day.”
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord.
The encore
Two weeks later, God called another audible.
Friday, October 5
Journal entry
As I was going to sleep last night, I heard Logan’s voice call me—“Mom!” (like I’d heard in Ohio), so I got up. He was still doing homework in the dining room. I asked him if he needed anything, and he was [doing] well.
This morning I acknowledged my anger toward Isobel and wrote an anger letter to her. It was very therapeutic.
…As I went to sleep, I forgave Isobel and my mom. I am Choosing Peace.
I didn’t ask God to speak to me after that audible—like I had in Ohio. But the Holy Spirit definitely helped me to do important spiritual things the next day—releasing my anger and forgiving. Sorry, God—for not asking you what you wanted to say to me. And thank you—for the great things you gave me anyway.
Truth plus if
Truth leads us to healing—if we’re willing to go there. The truth of unfinished business. The truth of the steps we need to take. The truth of the Holy Spirit—his love, his help and his presence.
“…he will guide you into all truth….”
John 16:13b, New Heart English Bible
Yes, he will. And sometimes, he may even use a familiar voice to get our attention.
Coming next: You’ll read about the common themes Brandon and I have experienced in our dreams, plus two new dreams. We’ll also dig into the issue of nightmares. Come back next time. Until then, thanks for reading and for Choosing Peace.
Healing through truth and music
Peaceful Readers, I’ve found great healing in my life through the beauty and truth of God’s word and through music. I hope the truths and songs that I share at the end of each post will bless you too.
Truth from The Word: 1 Samuel 3
Song for Healing: “Speak” by Bethany Music