There are three principles that can keep you safe in the Age of the Spirit, but before we discuss them, let’s take a quick look at the four historical ages of hearing the voice of God.
- Age of Conscience – There was no moral law in the earth other than mankind’s own conscience and no specific known way of communicating with God. The result of mankind living by their own conscience led to such a depravity that God decided to wipe most of humanity off the face of the earth.
- Age of Patriarchs – God chose to speak to a very few people such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. These few people were ultimately fathers of the Jewish people.
- Age of Law – The law was given on Mount Sinai to lead people back to relationship with God. Where there was sin the blood of sacrifice could temporarily cleanse and restore the relationship to God. In this season God spoke primarily to people through the prophets and a few leaders.
- Age of the Spirit – Through Jesus death and resurrection Christ fulfilled the law, setting us free to be filled with the Spirit. This impartation of Christ in us by the Holy Spirit sets us free from the restrictions of the law as we now live as Adam and Eve did; in obedience to hearing and responding the voice of God.
In the Age of the Spirit we have been redeemed, reconciled and restored to relationship with Christ. This is a type of return to the lifestyle that was given to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden
What is the one one thing God asked Adam and Eve not to do?
God asked Adam and Eve not to partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, right and wrong. In the same way, our journey with and ability to talk to and relate with God as Spirit filled believers has departed from rules based living as they had in the Age of Law. Instead we have returned to a relationship with Christ through the Holy Spirit that is not based on a pre-written law of right and wrong.
God said plainly that if Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (right and wrong) they would die and that principle is still true for us today. When our focus becomes following the correct rules, figuring out what is right and wrong vs living in constant communication and relationship with Christ, then the fruit of that law-based living will end in spiritual death, separation from Christ.
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Hebrews 10:14-18
Does that sound scary? If we’ve been restored, redeemed and reconciled to open relationship with God like Adam and Eve had before the fall, how should we then live if there are not a set of written rules that clears the way for us to be right with God?
Following are three principles we now use to maturely hear and respond to the voice of God.
1. Receive guidance from the Holy Spirit.
- Because the Holy Spirit is inside of us, we have access to not only mind of Christ, but the Person of Christ.
- In this process of talking with God we’ll discover that God Himself is our exceeding and great reward, that every good and perfect gift is found in God himself, it’s in God that we live, move, and have our being, and that God Himself is the way, the truth and everything that will bring us life.
- As we receive guidance from the Holy Spirit it’s God’s pleasure to speak to us and manifest to and through us the kingdom of heaven as we seek him.
- Ultimately those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons and daughters of God.
2. Submit to the authority of scripture.
- Acknowledging the authority of scripture keeps us from getting off track with false teachings or false spirits that would lead us away from God’s purpose for us.
- Knowledge of and obedience to scripture is not our salvation as the Pharisees treated it. Instead, scripture is a school-teacher guiding us to Christ himself.
- If something we think we’ve received from God or heard from others is contrary to scripture, then we can simply let it go knowing God is faithful to reveal Himself and His purpose over time.
3. Live in relationship with community of believers.
- Living in mutually submitted relationship with others who are following Christ is also a safety that will help us to grow together as a fuller picture of Christ.
- It’s through a community of believers that the manifold wisdom of God is made known to powers and authorities in the heavenly realms.
- It is in relationship with believers that we are rooted and grounded in God’s love and able to know a love that surpasses knowledge and understanding.
These three guiding principles will keep us on the right track in the Age of the Spirit as we pursue greater measures of the ability to hear and respond to the voice of God. As we do so we will increasing receive and manifest the Holy Spirit to the world around us.
This outward manifestation of God’s inward promise will be necessary as we fulfill our original mandate from God to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth, to subdue and manifest the dominion of the Kingdom of heaven for God’s purpose.
Go with God.
David Sr.