Writing this has been on my spirit for weeks, so I will prayerfully obey, though I've never liked talking about myself much. It is only transparency and obedience, not self-indulgence that has brought me here. I do believe that hearing what someone else's life has been like, living with the Holy Spirit, will bring greater wisdom, understanding and clarity.
I have been filled with the Holy Spirit for sixty years now! No, I'm not eighty years old, but was filled with His Spirit when I was only seven years old. I know that is not the norm, but it is true for me. Being a "preacher's kid" (PK) I had spent a large part of those seven years in church at least three times a week. Not in a nursery or children's church, but sitting in the pew and participating.
That Sunday when I was seven, we were all standing and worshipping during the "song service" as they used to call it. I remember that day so clearly! My hands were raised high, eyes closed, singing with tears streaming down my face. Then I began speaking in tongues. I felt the Lord's presence stronger than I ever had in my young life. I have continued speaking in tongues since that day. I tell you this in detail because no one laid hands on me or prayed for me and I wasn't at the altar. I don't think anyone even noticed what was happening to me. I don't even remember talking to my parents about it. It just felt like a very personal thing, even at that young age. I wasn't seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I was purely and innocently, as a child, worshipping God. About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus called a little child to Him and put the child among them. Then He said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 18:1-4
Looking back at my life I understand why I needed His Spirit guiding me from such a young age. There were many things in my childhood that should have "bent" me and I would not be who I am today and probably not able to fulfill His purpose for my life. If I told them all, this would be far too long! But the Holy Spirit was always leading me in the way I should go, warning me, either with words or feelings, especially during those difficult early teen years. (Also, I looked much older than I actually was, being 5'6" when I was only 12!) When I was 14 there was a 19 year old man and when I was 15 there was a 25 year old man, each pursued me, spending a great deal of time with me. I admit I loved the attention they gave me, attention I didn't get from my very busy father. Both times, as soon as they tried to turn it into more than friendship, the Holy Spirit rose up in me and turned my feelings completely against them, like turning off a light switch. Each time I immediately told them I didn't want to see them anymore and I wouldn't take their phone calls. No explanation and no giving in. The Lord protected me when my parents weren't focused on me enough to see they needed to step in. They both liked these men. In fact, when the 19 year old went to prison (non violent crime) my father encouraged me to write him. So, I was 14 years old, receiving censored mail from an inmate in the state pen! Different times! The Holy Spirit was guiding me though I didn't always realize it!
My life with the Holy Spirit has ebbed and flowed. There have been hills and valleys. Not because the Holy Spirit left, but because I "turned off the connection". As an adult, there were two times where I turned away, seeking to only do what I wanted to do. In those years, I never heard from Him, probably because I wasn't listening. The first time it was a major crisis that brought me to repentance and a rekindling of my relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. The second time, it was seeing the direction my life was going. It was spiraling down in a way I did not want to go.
But God is SO very good to us and hears us when we repent and seek His forgiveness. I repented, asked for His mercy and grace to cover me. Then I asked Him to remove everyone from my life that should not be there. IMMEDIATELY, my phone stopped ringing, the texts and IMs stopped coming. There was no denying that God wiped my slate clean! So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:6-9
Each time I repented and came back to the Lord, there was a profound acceleration of hearing the Holy Spirit. More dreams, more discernment, more words of knowledge. It was as though I was being "brought up to speed" so to speak!
Life with the Holy Spirit is ever increasing wisdom and understanding. It is like being in a school that never ends because there is always more to learn. It is also ever increasing intimacy and closeness. There is a "knowing" that grows and becomes more confident and constant. Also, the Holy Spirit speaks with God's Word, and the more scriptures I knew, the more clearly I heard from Him. He reminds me of the Word I need for every situation. “If you love Me, obey My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you. . .But when the Father sends the Advocate as My representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you." John 14:15-17, 26
One other thing I have noticed over the years is that when you are filled with the Holy Spirit there will be people who may avoid you and not be able to look you in the eyes or speak to you. Don't be offended by that. Often, the spirit in them fears the Spirit in you. Be watchful and pray for them. “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" Matthew 6:22-23 Keep actively watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 AMP
I will end this with these points:
Pray for your children and grandchildren. You are not all seeing and all knowing, but you know the One who is! I am a witness and can testify to that.
Be a Kingdom light shining in the darkness,
Deborah Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
All scriptures are NLT unless otherwise noted.
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
I have been filled with the Holy Spirit for sixty years now! No, I'm not eighty years old, but was filled with His Spirit when I was only seven years old. I know that is not the norm, but it is true for me. Being a "preacher's kid" (PK) I had spent a large part of those seven years in church at least three times a week. Not in a nursery or children's church, but sitting in the pew and participating.
That Sunday when I was seven, we were all standing and worshipping during the "song service" as they used to call it. I remember that day so clearly! My hands were raised high, eyes closed, singing with tears streaming down my face. Then I began speaking in tongues. I felt the Lord's presence stronger than I ever had in my young life. I have continued speaking in tongues since that day. I tell you this in detail because no one laid hands on me or prayed for me and I wasn't at the altar. I don't think anyone even noticed what was happening to me. I don't even remember talking to my parents about it. It just felt like a very personal thing, even at that young age. I wasn't seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I was purely and innocently, as a child, worshipping God. About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus called a little child to Him and put the child among them. Then He said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 18:1-4
Looking back at my life I understand why I needed His Spirit guiding me from such a young age. There were many things in my childhood that should have "bent" me and I would not be who I am today and probably not able to fulfill His purpose for my life. If I told them all, this would be far too long! But the Holy Spirit was always leading me in the way I should go, warning me, either with words or feelings, especially during those difficult early teen years. (Also, I looked much older than I actually was, being 5'6" when I was only 12!) When I was 14 there was a 19 year old man and when I was 15 there was a 25 year old man, each pursued me, spending a great deal of time with me. I admit I loved the attention they gave me, attention I didn't get from my very busy father. Both times, as soon as they tried to turn it into more than friendship, the Holy Spirit rose up in me and turned my feelings completely against them, like turning off a light switch. Each time I immediately told them I didn't want to see them anymore and I wouldn't take their phone calls. No explanation and no giving in. The Lord protected me when my parents weren't focused on me enough to see they needed to step in. They both liked these men. In fact, when the 19 year old went to prison (non violent crime) my father encouraged me to write him. So, I was 14 years old, receiving censored mail from an inmate in the state pen! Different times! The Holy Spirit was guiding me though I didn't always realize it!
My life with the Holy Spirit has ebbed and flowed. There have been hills and valleys. Not because the Holy Spirit left, but because I "turned off the connection". As an adult, there were two times where I turned away, seeking to only do what I wanted to do. In those years, I never heard from Him, probably because I wasn't listening. The first time it was a major crisis that brought me to repentance and a rekindling of my relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. The second time, it was seeing the direction my life was going. It was spiraling down in a way I did not want to go.
But God is SO very good to us and hears us when we repent and seek His forgiveness. I repented, asked for His mercy and grace to cover me. Then I asked Him to remove everyone from my life that should not be there. IMMEDIATELY, my phone stopped ringing, the texts and IMs stopped coming. There was no denying that God wiped my slate clean! So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:6-9
Each time I repented and came back to the Lord, there was a profound acceleration of hearing the Holy Spirit. More dreams, more discernment, more words of knowledge. It was as though I was being "brought up to speed" so to speak!
Life with the Holy Spirit is ever increasing wisdom and understanding. It is like being in a school that never ends because there is always more to learn. It is also ever increasing intimacy and closeness. There is a "knowing" that grows and becomes more confident and constant. Also, the Holy Spirit speaks with God's Word, and the more scriptures I knew, the more clearly I heard from Him. He reminds me of the Word I need for every situation. “If you love Me, obey My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you. . .But when the Father sends the Advocate as My representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you." John 14:15-17, 26
One other thing I have noticed over the years is that when you are filled with the Holy Spirit there will be people who may avoid you and not be able to look you in the eyes or speak to you. Don't be offended by that. Often, the spirit in them fears the Spirit in you. Be watchful and pray for them. “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" Matthew 6:22-23 Keep actively watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 AMP
I will end this with these points:
- He is the Holy Spirit, our Kingdom Governor. He is NOT the Holy Ghost. A "ghost" by man's definition is described as a dead person manifesting itself to the living. The Holy Spirit was never a living human and to call Him a ghost misrepresents Him and separates Him from the Trinity of God the Father, His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit in your eyes.
- Know God's Word. Get it down in your spirit and the Holy Spirit will speak through it. How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your Word. I have tried hard to find You—don’t let me wander from Your commands. I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:9-11
- Don't focus on speaking in tongues. It will come. We are only to seek God's Kingdom and His righteousness. Jesus promised us that the Father would send the Holy Spirit. All He asked of us was to obey His commandments: “If you love Me, obey My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all Truth. His promises will not return void. He cannot lie. So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11 NKJV God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through? Numbers 23:19
- Lastly, listen. Be attentive to learn His voice and His leading. Then act on it. The more you do, the more confident you will become in knowing when you are being led by the Holy Spirit. The more you are led by the Holy Spirit and not your carnal nature, the more it will become second nature to you. But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to Him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Romans 8:9-14
Pray for your children and grandchildren. You are not all seeing and all knowing, but you know the One who is! I am a witness and can testify to that.
Be a Kingdom light shining in the darkness,
Deborah Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
All scriptures are NLT unless otherwise noted.
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
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