In the previous post, I mentioned that I had to confess and repent, “Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit in me, I am sorry I haven’t been a good friend, I’m sorry I haven’t given much effort to get to know you.”
Of course, that is not totally true, as we can get to know God in his word, and I spend quite a lot of time studying the Bible. God speaks through his word, which that is very important. But as we have seen in the previous posts starting here, if Christ is me, and he is, and in him are the glorious riches of wisdom and knowledge and understanding, and yes, all that is in him, then we would do well to get to know him. So of course we can get to know God through our study of his word, but as we have seen in Colossians 1:24-2:5, which is all about the mystery that Christ in us, we can get to know the actual Christ in us, his Spirit.
Think about it, when Paul wrote the letter to the Colossians, the people didn’t have Bibles to read. Only the exceedingly wealthy person could own scrolls, and those scrolls did not comprise the whole Bible. Not to mention the fact that the New Testament was in the process of being written! When Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians, there was no Matthew, Mark, Luke, John or Acts. Not a single one. So how did they get to know Jesus? It wasn’t by opening the Bible. They got to know Christ in you, the hope of Glory, in a real personal way.
They asked, “How are you doing, Jesus?” and they learned to listen for the voice of the Spirit.
And I get it. Hearing the voice of the Spirit is another mystery. Or at least it can feel like one. The Spirit moves in mysterious ways, the song goes. As a Spirit, there is an inherent mystery to his being, his voice, and to the idea that he lives in us. But we can get to know the Spirit, learn to hear his voice, and walk in step with the Spirit, allowing the Spirit to fill and control us.
To make progress in this, I urge you to give the Spirit your time, your energy. Yes, you can pray and talk, but also listen, in the Bible, in nature, from other people, and in that voice. Not sure about what you suspect the voice of the Spirit is saying to you. Check it according to Bible. It will always be in line with the word of God. Not sure still? Get a spiritual director. I mentioned in a previous post that a few weeks I met with a spiritual director for the first time during a retreat, and am continuing monthly with him. A spiritual director helps you discern the Spirit, Christ in you.
This all takes practice, time, commitment, just like any relationship. What will you do to deepen your relationship with the Spirit?
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