Have you received the Holy Spirit?

[reconditioned]

Its just hard is all. Its the only way I can think of that actually works for humanity. I mean, I joined God because I though he'd make me do what he and I always wanted to do. Does anyone else feel this way, I know paul wanted to do the right thing.

[ayin jade]

Reconditioned have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Who is He to you? If you have, then you have the Holy Spirit. What you need is the close relationship to Him, as you submit yourself to His will, then you will find you are filled with Him.

[reconditioned]

He just never tells me what his will is. God is a complete enigma to me in that he never involves me in any sort of action in this world's combat.

His enemies do and I worry that They're gonna take his place in some regards if I let my guard down.

I am saved but unfortunatly I see God as a father figure and as such my relationship with him is quite strained. I have bad trust issues.

These two things combined with enemy subterfuge and an inherent disposition towards evil, plus a profound lack of spiritual discernment, have me worried that I'm being set up on two fronts. Its happened before where I was in a situation where I was against an enemy and my support withdrew for the purpose of incapacitating me. I survived but I don't think I was supposed to.

I cannot submit myself to his will because I have no idea what it is and he can't seem to tell me. Well, won't. I'm serious, he ain't helping with that whole discernment thing, in fact, from a certain point of view he really just doesn't care about anyone or anything. I need a lot from him and I don't think it would kill him to give me the vital components I need to at the very least get by.

I'm awfully worried that he's going to blame me in the end for whatever he might find wrong in my actions, I never feel guilt but I'm always terrified. I just don't want free will. I never had and I don't think I ever will. He doesn't overide my being, I want him to but he won't. I don't understand why, as the Holy Spirit he is more than qualified for such a thing. There is so much that I feel I need from God and/or Jesus. but they never give anything that helps enough. To tell the truth, I feel that God is acting just like my parents in that if I don't play by his rules and do everything as he wants it perfectly then I'll be severly mistreated. I think he'll leave me where I was in the beginning. He never gives me what other people have that lets them get by. I'm 100% dependant on someone who seems on a regular basis to screw over his own children for reasons that sound exactly the same as every other monster in my life.

[eric]

Whew!!. I have just read every post in this thread, so I won't add my 2 cents, only to say that agree with Ovedjah, EricH and Ayin Jade and not because they are mods or watchmen, but because I can't fault their findings and they are not lead around by the nose by some ear-tickling charismatic teaching.

Please don't be offended, but do I little serious research. Anyone who claims that you are not truly saved and have not the holy spirit because you don't speak in tongues, is from lala land and anyone who claims to be annointed is from the same land.

Wow! that will put the cat among the pigeons.

I got up out of the wrong side of bed this morning.

[irishcowboy]

I see a lot of people talking about this "prayer language" that I can't find any reference to in the scriptures...are you referring to the way the Holy Spirit intercedes for us "with groans that words cannot express?"

that, and also where a person "prays in the Spirit"

[irishcowboy]

I have the gift of tongues and I use it in prayer privately and not publicly. So many people who clame to have this gift abuse it in the public church for there 5 minutes of glory. It is a gift so one can do battle in the spiritual realm!

I suppose everyone's experience might be slightly different as we each have a different temperament.

For myself, I speak in tongues only occasionally, in times of private prayer when I am experiencing great distress, or great joy.

Paul said: "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all" and "forbid not to speak with tongues."

If any denomination teaches against speaking in tongues they are teaching contrary to what Paul said.

If any church has no one in their congregations who speak in tongues, one would have to wonder why.

However, everything must be done in Scriptural order.

Yeah, it is irritating that a lot of churches (though by no means all churches) seem to go to extremes with it: either completely teaching against it or just letting people go nuts with it.

this is what Paul was teaching in 1st Corr 12, 13, 14.... dicipline... use and abuse.....

[Tzav_LaTzav]

He just never tells me what his will is. God is a complete enigma to me in that he never involves me in any sort of action in this world's combat.

His enemies do and I worry that They're gonna take his place in some regards if I let my guard down. . . .

I cannot submit myself to his will because I have no idea what it is and he can't seem to tell me. Well, won't. I'm serious, he ain't helping with that whole discernment thing, in fact, from a certain point of view he really just doesn't care about anyone or anything. I need a lot from him and I don't think it would kill him to give me the vital components I need to at the very least get by.

Reconditioned, perhaps it is because I am old, but you sound young to me. That is nice.

Here's the thing: understanding His will, discernment, and coming to know G-d on a deeper level comes with studying and hearing the Bible. It's that simple. Simple, but it takes time. G-d does not expect young people to have 60-year-old heads! His plan is in action for you, and He loves you young, while He loves me old.

If you are responding to the knowledge you have been provided, you have to accept that you are perfect. Biblically, perfect, as you probably know, is mature -- mature in what you know/have.

What He wants for every believer is for them to desire to know Him and to be willing to be mature in Him. Maturity comes with attentiveness -- not to a teacher, because people fail us but to Him and the book He has provided. Take time to read it, but more importantly, take time to study it. It is a gripping book that never grows old, and when you think you know it all, when it becomes boring, you are likely standing on the precipice of another biblical journey into new growth, if you apply yourself and you don't get lazy or neglectful toward it.

If you don't have a desire for His Word, ask Him for it and for wisdom. I am SO serious -- if you will ask, He will give it to you, then you need to let that desire do its work in you. If you lose the desire, ask again and apply yourself again. You will never know G-d, never know His will, until you reach out to grasp the instruction book He has provided.

He does not usually knock us on the head and say, "Stop that!" or give us a shove in some particular direction, but he gives us a conscience that will tell us right from wrong if we don't sear it by persistent wrong-doing. A conscience is a tender thing: don't hurt it, and it will be there for you; go against it, and you wound it, making it harder and harder to hear it.

I am saved but unfortunatly I see God as a father figure and as such my relationship with him is quite strained. I have bad trust issues.

I understand that a little too well. However, He is apparently not like the earthly father figures you have known. This One cares. This One knows all about you and loves you unguardedly anyway. This One seeks only the best for you. This One is absolutely void of selfish motive toward you. This One has actual PLANS for your success!

Just get to know Him through the Bible -- it's the only way.

[Tzav_LaTzav]

I have the gift of tongues and I use it in prayer privately and not publicly. So many people who clame to have this gift abuse it in the public church for there 5 minutes of glory. It is a gift so one can do battle in the spiritual realm!

I suppose everyone's experience might be slightly different as we each have a different temperament.

For myself, I speak in tongues only occasionally, in times of private prayer when I am experiencing great distress, or great joy.

Paul said: "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all" and "forbid not to speak with tongues."

If any denomination teaches against speaking in tongues they are teaching contrary to what Paul said.

If any church has no one in their congregations who speak in tongues, one would have to wonder why.

However, everything must be done in Scriptural order.

Yeah, it is irritating that a lot of churches (though by no means all churches) seem to go to extremes with it: either completely teaching against it or just letting people go nuts with it.

this is what Paul was teaching in 1st Corr 12, 13, 14.... dicipline... use and abuse.....

What I don't understand is this: if speaking in tongues is of the H Spirit, why does anyone need to discipline them, because in doing so, one is disciplining the H Spirit! Also, if the person speaking iin tongues needs discipline regarding tongues, it seems to me that this automatically means that the tongues are not of the H Spirit but of human origin. If they are of human origin, they are not of G-d. That is pretty frightening!

[Pilgrim7]

The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. He leads us to and through the Word. When you read the word, He opens our mind and convicts as to truth, not just head truth, but also as to our marching orders, our duty.

Has any one considered that the devil is trying to lead us astray? That he counterfeits every thing of God. His goal is to so counterfeit the work of God that people are deceived into following him thinking that they are following Christ.

There is a true gift of tongues for those whom the Spirit choose to give it. There is also a 'counterfeit gift' of tongues, devilish Jiberish which does anything but praise God. I would be careful and not focus on the gifts, but on Christ. He will give what is needed when it is needed.

A few verses on the Holy Spirit:

Ac 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God has given to them who obey him.

Heb 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them who obey him;

1pe 1:22 Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently:

The Spirit is given mainly to give us the character of Christ and the power to be like him. The gifts of the Spirit are given for the 'edification' of those who have decided to follow or obey Him and for the work of evangelism.

God bless,

Dennis

[AnotherTraveler]

There is a true gift of tongues for those whom the Spirit choose to give it. There is also a 'counterfeit gift' of tongues, devilish Jiberish which does anything but praise God. I would be careful and not focus on the gifts, but on Christ. He will give what is needed when it is needed.

The bible says to "eagerly desire".

1 Corinthians 12:30-31Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.

What I don't understand is this: if speaking in tongues is of the H Spirit, why does anyone need to discipline them, because in doing so, one is disciplining the H Spirit! Also, if the person speaking iin tongues needs discipline regarding tongues, it seems to me that this automatically means that the tongues are not of the H Spirit but of human origin. If they are of human origin, they are not of G-d. That is pretty frightening!

The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14 went into a lot of detail concerning the gifts, their exercise, their use, and the need to be disciplined with them. What he wrote are the Lord's commandments in this area.

1 Corinthians 14:37-40

If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.

Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.

Let all things be done decently and in order.

Please notice the "forbid not to speak with tongues" part. Yet many of our brethren absolutely do forbid, sadly.