Hearing, Seeing and Feeling
All too often I hear the non-believers asking, “Who is God and why has nobody ever seen Him?” or “In the Bible, God spoke to people all the time. Why not today?” How about, “What exactly is the Holy Spirit? What meaning does it have in a Christian’s life?”
As Christians, and Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we are well beyond these questions. We understand about hearing, seeing and feeling God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus even spoke about us when he was talking to His Disciple Thomas (Doubting Thomas).
John 20:29 – “Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”
Let’s talk about these things this morning to try and get a better understanding and react as God would have us to those that question or are non-believers that they too might begin to understand.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit, in the belief of most Christians, is one of the three persons in the one God (The Trinity), along with the Father and the Son; the Holy Spirit is also called the Holy Ghost whom Jesus promised the Apostles He would send to them after His Crucifixion and Resurrection.
In fulfilling his promise, Jesus did just that upon re-appearing to His Disciples after His death on the cross.
John 20:21-22 – “Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”
True to His word, He blessed his Disciples after His Crucifixion by filling them with the Holy Spirit. Here, you can see, the Holy Spirit as an entity that fills us with the graces of God. So then, this is an example of “feeling” God within us.
Seeing Jesus
The Disciples had the fortunate pleasure of seeing Christ, sitting with Him and listening to His words in His very presence. Do you think this is something that we lack… or can we too see His presence?
Jesus tells us in…
John 5:39 – “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me”
Understanding and believing in the scriptures. This is where we can see Jesus every day. All of His words, all of His acts and all of His lessons are ours to see and bear witness to.
Hearing God
Do we not hear from God? We pray to Him. We ask for His guidance and help but are we listening?
The Bible clearly teaches that God speaks to his people. Jesus teaches us in…
John 16:13 – “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”
The Holy Spirit. This is what we just talked about and here, Jesus tells us another way we will hear God.
Here are some other points to think about:
- Consider Your Motives
We need to reflect on why we want to “hear from God.” Is it because we are truly open to whatever God has to say and committed to His guidance or are there selfish reasons such as wanting to feel righteous or comforted.
We must confess and repent of any wrong motives and ask God to give you an openness to hear and respond faithfully to what He wants to tell you.
- Know That You Are Important to God
Have the confidence that God is willing to speak to you just as powerfully as He did to people in Biblical days because He values you just as much. However, don’t let pride creep into your soul because you must be humble in order to faithfully receive and respond to the messages God has for you.
- Renew Your Mind
Since God speaks to us through our mind and wants us to develop what the Bible calls the “mind of Christ” (the ability to make decisions as Jesus would), it’s crucial for us the follow the Bible’s urging as in…
Romans 12:2 – “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Invite the Holy Spirit to renew your mind every day and cleanse it from the impurities surrounding us that we might better hear the words from God.
- Allocate Time for God
It is so important for us to set time aside for God on a regular basis. We’ve talked about this in the past and it remains one of the best ways to hear and understand what God is trying to tell us. It’s more important to become a person who listens regularly to God than it is to constantly ask God to give you guidance.
Modern Day Examples
A Lonely Homeless Man – Feeling the Holy Spirit
I knew a man not long ago. He was down on his luck. He had no job, no place to stay and no means to get around even if he could find work.
He spent most of his days on the streets looking for hand-outs or anything someone with a kind heart might give him.
One day, a stranger was passing and saw him sitting on the curb. His clothes were torn and his shoes were full of holes.
The stranger, being a kind soul, offered the man a $20 bill. He eagerly accepted it and made his way towards a local diner to fill his stomach.
As he neared his destination, he spotted a young woman sitting on a garden wall with her young child. They too appeared to be homeless and down on their luck. The little girl in tears
With tears in his own eyes and a warming heart, he took the twenty from his pocket and handed it to the young woman.
The woman wept over his kindness. She stood and gave the man a hug and peck on the cheek thanking him for now she and her child could get something to eat.
The man couldn’t help but smile. Still broke, homeless and hungry… his heart was filled with great joy. He suddenly felt as though he had the strength of ten men.
What was this feeling… this, was the Holy Spirit filling him and encouraging him for his kindness.
As he turned to walk away, the diner owner had seen his kind deed and called out to him. “Sir, are you looking for work? We’re in need of someone to help in the kitchen.”
After having been filled with the Holy Spirit and conducting a simple, random act of kindness… God had rewarded the man for his good deed.
I Saw Jesus Today – Seeing Jesus
One Fall evening, a single father was sitting at the dinner table with his young son. The boy was talking about how he saw Jesus. The father, not being very religious, simply smiled and listened intently to his little boy’s rambling.
The boy began, “Daddy, today while my friends and I were playing basketball to help us keep warm, we saw an old man sitting on a park bench watching us. He seemed sad but just sat there smiling. Then, we saw our teacher walk out of school and handed the old man a hot cup of cocoa.”
“That’s nice,” the father replied.
The boy continued, “But Daddy, there’s more, the old man took the cocoa our teacher had given him and walked over to an old woman on another bench and shared it with her!”
Again, the father responded, “That was nice of him.”
But the boy kept going… “Then we saw a little girl who had been swinging on the swings fall and hurt herself. She was crying and holding her knee and the old woman went to her, bent down and dried her eyes with her scarf and comforted her.”
“What a nice old lady,” the father said. Anything else?
“Yes Daddy, there was a little boy sitting in the park alone too. We had asked him to play with us but he didn’t seem to want to. He looked a little sad and just sat there by himself just staring at everyone around him.”
“And what happened next?” asked the father.
“Well, the little girl that had fallen off the swing picked a flower from the park and walked over to the boy and gave it to him.”
The father, not fully understanding what his son was trying to tell him asked, “And then what did they do?”
“They just sat together on the park bench for a while just laughing and talking with each other and having a good time.”
“Okay, now where did you see Jesus son?” questioned the father.
“Daddy, don’t you see? All these things that we saw today is what Jesus taught us about. How we should share with others, show kindness and love each other like He loves us.”
“I saw Jesus today Daddy… in all that He does!” The father, now with a tear in his eye after being humbled by his little boy said, “Yes son, you did see Jesus today.”
Jesus told us in…
John 14:12 – “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”
Therefore, it is through us, those that believe, that others will see our Lord. They will see and understand. Be the lamp that shines and lights the way for others!
A Trip to the Beach – Hearing, Seeing and Feeling
This story is my own. Everyone knows of my visits to the Sunrise as often as possible. And this is why I go…
“I see God as He rises on the horizon and His image lights up the sky and the radiant beams from His face cut through the clouds like mighty swords!”
“I hear God as He stirs the ocean with His fingertips and the waves grow greater and greater and roar like lions so I can hear His words!”
“I feel God as He blows with a puff from His nostrils and the ocean mist comes my way and covers my body. It is as if He were touching me and comforting my soul”
Do I see God? As I watch the Sun and feel
His Almighty Power encompass me.
Do I hear God? Every time He speaks to me,
as I listen for Him intently.
Do I feel God? Every time I ask for
His Comfort I feel His presence.
Conclusion
God’s gifts to us are truly great! Learn to recognize them, feel them and hear the things He tries to tell us!
God is here for us. He always has been. It is up to us to recognize and understand the signs He puts before us. As I’ve said in the past: “Close your eyes and see Him; Cover your ears and hear His words; Open your hearts and be filled with the Holy Spirit He provides us.”
Go with God; be good to one another; always stay humble; always be kind… God Bless!