UNDERSTANDING THE VOICE OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT

 

The five sensations of the human spirit do not constitute the voice of the human spirit in that they only relate to various sensations. There is no impartation of knowledge or understanding when the sensations occur. Through teaching, a person can be trained to understand and relate to what the inward sensations mean but by themselves, the inward witness does not convey an intelligible communication.

However, the spirit man is capable of communication with our souls. Our perception of the voice of the human spirit is likened to the perception of an inward voice within us. However, we also have the voice of the soul within us. Our spirits and our souls dwell in our physical bodies. As such, whether it be the voice of our soul or the voice of our spirit, we hear these voices as inward voices. We need, therefore, to differentiate the voice of the soul from the voice of the spirit man.

Differentiating the Spirit from the Soul

We ‘hear’ the voice of the spirit and the voice of the soul as inward thoughts and imaginations. The task of differentiating the voice of the human spirit from the voice of the soul is in differentiating the different types of thoughts and imaginations that we receive. There is a mind of the spirit and there is a mind of the soul. There is a knowing by the spirit which is far above knowing by the mind (1 Corinthians 2:11, 12, 14). We need to set our minds on the things of the Spirit and not on the things of the flesh (Romans 8:5-7).

There are three levels of consciousness: the function of the conscious mind, the function of the sub-conscious mind and the function the spirit mind. Scientists today have discovered the two main stages of consciousness in sleep: Rapid Eye Movements (REM) and Non-Rapid Eye Movements (NREM). These two represent the two functions of the mind. However, scientists have yet to discover the highest level of consciousness which is an awareness state of the spirit mind. It is consciousness at the spirit level.

Those who venture into spirit consciousness without the protection of the blood of Jesus Christ become prey for demons. All the false cults and metaphysical religions end up receiving false doctrines and theories of the universe. Paul called these doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1). Their so-called ‘revelations’ do not produce holiness nor godliness. Most of them end up in immorality and live in the most degrading human conditions.

Where there is a counterfeit, there is a genuine. There is a true state of spiritual consciousness that has been opened to us through the redemption of Jesus Christ and not by works. It is a consciousness of the presence of God in our lives. It is the state of being filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18, 19). It is a state of ‘minding the things of the Spirit’ (Romans 8:5). Paul speaks about living in the state of looking not at the outward things but rather being renewed in the inward man and looking at the things of the Spirit which are invisible (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). Those who live in this conscious state of the spirit man are men who are filled with the Spirit and of faith.

 Those who are filled with this yieldedness can do mighty exploits through the Holy Spirit. Stephen did great wonders and signs among the people (Acts 6:8). When he was persecuted and about to be stoned, Stephen was more conscious of God than of his persecutors (Acts 7:54-56). One of the great secrets of Kathryn Kuhlman was her yieldedness and consciousness of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Paul Yonggi Cho in his books describes his closeness and partnership with the Holy Spirit.

It is a definite requirement for all Christians to have a controlled thought life. We must bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). There are three sources of thoughts: our own thoughts from the soul, thoughts of temptations from the devil and thoughts of the spirit man from the Holy Spirit within us. The thoughts of the human spirit are the inward voice of the human spirit. We can notice a marked distinction between the thoughts of the spirit man and the thoughts from the soul and the devil. They can be outlined as follows:

THOUGHTS FROM THE SPIRIT                                THOUGHTS FROM THE SOUL

1. In line with the written word of God                1. Contradictory to the written Word of God

2. Produce love and faith                                        2. Produce doubt and fear

3. Stronger in times of worship and Prayer         3. Stronger when lacking in fellowship with God

4. Are patient but firm                                             4. Are hasty and pushy

5. Seek to glorify Jesus                                            5. Seek self-glorification

6. Edify the church                                                   6. Destroy the church

7. Loving and forgiving                                             7. Jealous and resentful

8. Inspire a strong inward witness                       8. Cause a sensation of grief to the spirit man

9. from the Holy Spirit and spirit man                 9. From the sense realm.

When we spend much time in prayer and waiting on the Lord, we are able to hear the voice of the human spirit more clearly. It is such a gentle and sweet soft voice that when we get busy in the things of this life, we cannot hear what the human spirit is saying due to the hustle, bustle and clutter of human activity. Through training we can discern the voice of the human spirit better but there is still a constant requirement to take time away from the daily affairs of this human life and wait on God.

The human spirit also communicates to our soul through images and pictures. Some of the dreams that we have in our lives are instructions that the human spirit is seeking to convey to us. Not all dreams are the direct result of the human spirit. Most dreams are the result of the soul reprocessing data from our daily life. A dream can come through much activity (Ecclesiastes 5:3).

When the human spirit communicates to our soul during our waking hours in images and pictures, we have a picture and an impression projected on the screen of our imagination. They are sometimes projected so softly and sweetly that they can be easily ignored. They are the opposite of wild tempting imaginations thrown like fiery darts at our imagination by demons. The same nine characteristics present in thoughts that come from the human spirit are also present in images and pictures.

Training the Human Spirit and Mind

 The human spirit needs to be fed and trained. The food of the spirit man is the Word of God. We should learn the art of meditation in the Word of God as covered in Volume One of this Foundational Truths Series. Only the Word of God can divide what is of the human spirit and what is of the human soul (Hebrews 4:12). The human spirit, like the human body needs exercise. The main avenue of spiritual exercise for the human spirit is praying in tongues. When we pray in tongues, it is our human spirits that pray (1 Corinthians 14:14). Paul was a man well exercised in his spirit man for he said that he prayed more than all the Corinthians put together (1 Corinthians 14:18).

The human mind also needs to be trained if it is to be a sensitive instrument to receive thoughts and images from the spirit man. Paul also said that he will worship God with his understanding (1 Corinthians 14:15).                                                        

 He spoke about thinking upon things that are noble, just, pure, lovely, good and having virtue and praiseworthiness (Philippians 4:8). When these things take place, the peace of God will garrison the heart and the mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). It is in the atmosphere of a peaceful mind that we can hear the inward voice of the human spirit. Listening to the voice of the human spirit in an uncontrolled mind is like listening to a radio program without the antenna fixed properly. There will be too much electrical noise and static.

Be sensitive to the thoughts that pass through your mind. Not all of them have any spiritual significance but some of those thoughts that you receive could be instructions from the human spirit. It pays to listen to your human spirit. Our spirits know more about conducting the affairs of this earthly life than our souls. Even the best education and schools cannot compete with the intelligence that is available from the human spirit.

Only the spirit of man within him knows all that is in the man (1 Corinthians 2:11). Some of the instructions that we receive from the human spirit may sound foolish to the natural mind. For the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit for they are foolishness to him (1 Corinthians 2:14). The natural man can only do all that is possible based on his understanding of the natural laws. However, the newborn spirit within a believer knows all the natural laws plus all the spiritual laws and can therefore work at a higher level than the natural man can. It is not bound by the limitations of natural law. Many times natural laws are transcended and miracles result.

 Pay heed to the voice of the human spirit within you. The key to the miraculous realm is in you. All the riches and resources for your life are within you. Paul said that he served God with his human spirit (Romans 1:9). One thought, one imagination from the spirit man can change your whole life.