"Holy Spirit Radar"by Francis Frangipane, Cedar Rapids, IA
From the Desk of Steve Shultz:
In this day and age, it's important that we have and develop "Holy Spirit Radar" as Francis Frangipane shares about this in his article. God is maturing His Body and increasing the gifts inside of us...so we can be better equipped in this hour.
Having His "radar" is about having spiritual discernment as Francis shares here: "What you need is the ability to interpret the influences of God upon your spirit. To sense what the Spirit of God is saying to you is, at its essence, the source of true spiritual discernment."
Be encouraged as you glean from Francis Frangipane's important word!
Enjoy!
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"Holy Spirit Radar"
by Francis Frangipane
"For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light." Luke 8:17
The peace of Christ is not just a divine attribute; it is also an organ of communication in the language of God. The Holy Spirit uses peace to communicate with us. If a situation warrants caution, our peace is troubled; if a direction is rightly chosen, peace confirms it. Thus, we are admonished by God's Word to "let the peace of Christ rule in [our] hearts" (Col. 3:15).
The literal translation for rule is "to act as arbiter."
As we debate in our souls a course of action, Christ's peace acts like a spiritual radar. It helps make our powers of discernment more effective.
When we first were born again, it was not to a religion that we gave our hearts; it was to Christ through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God actually entered our lives, and with Him came His inner witness of peace. This is not a little thing, for the Gospel is actually called the "Gospel of Peace" (Eph. 6:15).
Of course, the "circuitry" that makes our spirit-guidance system accurate is our knowledge of God's Word. We must, therefore, be grounded in God's Word. We are not discussing a psychic ability but a spiritual faculty that is part of our relationship with Christ.
Scripture says that Jesus was "aware in His Spirit" of the thoughts and motives of others (Mark 2:8). So again, the faculty we want to develop is a spiritual thing, not soulish - and definitely not something borrowed from the occult. Coupled with the Word of God, your radar can be a type of scanner that actually discerns hidden issues or danger. Thus, you can trust the Holy Spirit's guidance to help you recognize what may be troubling you in your spirit.
For example, I was conducting a Bible study on a college campus when a young man came into the room, sat down and joined us. Outwardly he appeared clean-cut but I felt cautioned by my inner radar, so I stopped the Bible study and asked him openly if he were involved in witchcraft or the occult. He said no. However, even though he was clean-cut, the warning in my spirit wouldn't go away. I asked again, and again he denied any connections to witchcraft. I felt the Holy Spirit focus upon his coat pocket, so I asked him what was in his coat pocket. This time he answered honestly, pulling two chicken claws out of his pocket. He had just been to an occult ritual. His response now was more humble, and we were able to actually pray with him for salvation before we left.
Some say that God doesn't speak to them, but this is not true. They just haven't learned the language of the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes, He brings communication with Heaven: dreams, visions and prophecies all represent union with God. Therefore, you must believe God can get through to you. What you need is the ability to interpret the influences of God upon your spirit.
To sense what the Spirit of God is saying to you is, at its essence, the source of true spiritual discernment. In this regard, it is good to remember John's words: "These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him." 1 John 2:26-27
So let's put this into perspective: we have an inner witness that gives us peace while helping us decide and discern.
This "peace connection" does not, however, allow us to ignore input from leaders or others whom God may use. While we must maintain sovereignty over our will, God gives us ministries to train and equip us (Eph. 4:11-12).
That said, it is the anointing of the Holy Spirit that is the final amen to the truth of God.
Our goal is to develop that inner witness, for when it is united with knowledge of the Word of God, we have a powerful resource added to our arsenal of faith. Remember, the Spirit and the Word always agree. So if you memorize and study the Word of God and walk in the Spirit, you will increasingly possess discernment.
Adapted from Francis Frangipane's book, Spiritual Discernment and the Mind of Christ.
Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
Francis Frangipane is the founder of River of Life Ministries in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and has traveled throughout the world ministering to thousands of pastors and intercessors from many backgrounds. Francis' heartfelt prayer is to see established in every city Christlike pastors and intercessors, united before God, revealing the love of Christ to their communities.
Since 1985, he has written fourteen books, plus a number of study booklets. Over the past decades, Francis has served on a number of other ministry boards. However, in recent years he has gradually resigned from these various boards. As of June 2009, he has also retired from his position as senior pastor of River of Life Ministries. In this more simplified life, Frangipane is devoting himself to prayer and the ministry of God's Word.
Training in the bitter cold
