Hearing from God

 

 

Do people hear from God

The way that they say?

Does the Holy Spirit speak

Whenever they pray?

 

“I was deep in prayer

And the Spirit said to me

This is the word for Sunday,

So let it be.”

 

From time to time

Pastors make this claim

Perhaps to reinforce the fact

It’s in Jesus’ name.

 

 

To get the buy-in

From their audience,

Perhaps they use the Holy Spirit

As an advertisement.

 

For sure we will listen

And we will also heed

Once the Holy Spirit ratifies it,

Oh yes, indeed!

 

So, they hear from God

And we hear from them,

That kind of going between

Spells out a problem.

 

There is one Spirit

The Bible makes it clear

Who witnesses to the believer

For the believer to hear.

 

The word one brings

Should be a confirmation

For of two or more witnesses

We have a conviction.

 

 

We hear from God

Through His revelation,

And God speaks to the believer

Via illumination.

 

The word of the Spirit

Is God’s Holy Word

And that is the instrument

To which we must refer.

 

Any urges we feel

Let us put in context,

They must not be dogmas

To suit our pretext.

 

God speaks in His Word

And through His Word

And to live by His Holy Word

Is to honour His Word.

 

Only today I learnt

Of a prophecy

Which seems to me ludicrous

And full of lunacy.

 

God told this preacher

When he will die

And the exact day and year

He also supplied.

 

 

The grand old age

Of a hundred and twenty

Before being whisked away

From his body.

 

It’d be mind-blowing

If it were true

But I have some serious doubts

And I suspect you too.

 

He was prophesying

Regarding 2025,

The year according to him

When we come alive.

 

 

Twenty twenty-six

Will be the big fix

And thirty years afterwards

He’ll be gone in 2056.

 

This, according to him

He heard from God,

Thus, another thirty-two years

Before death calls.

 

Use your brain,

Do not jettison it,

And I urge you my friend,

Make it a habit.

 

Listen to God

As He speaks by His Word

And ignore big-up prophets

Who are clearly absurd.

 

And if you feel led

To perform a task,

As long as it is God’s will,

You don’t need to ask.

 

 

 

Try not to get buy-in

By claiming the Spirit

But speak the Word of God;

Just do it!

 

Stewart Russell © December 20, 2024

 

God Has Spoken

 

 

No new revelation

It’s all in the Word,

Be cautious, I warn you,

Don’t be absurd.

 

No new thing

God has done it all,

And He inspired Moses, Isaiah,

John and Paul.

 

There are more

That He did inspire,

I entreat you in His Word

To enquire.

 

 

By His prophets

God has spoken,

And through all the apostles

By Jesus chosen.

 

 

Be aware, I warn you,

Don’t be absurd,

All God wants us to know

Is in His Word.

 

By prophets/apostles

Did He speak

But by His Son, in these times,

Does he speak.

 

We have the Word

Both living and written

As well as the Holy Spirit-

God has spoken.

 

God has spoken:

Hence, our only revelation,

And God has also spoken

Via His inspiration.

 

Holy men wrote

Whom God made holy

And they wrote as God dictated

By inspiration only.

 

 

Not by brilliance

Or by their own choice

But by God-inspired direction

As they heard His voice.

 

God’s only revelation

By God’s inspiration

And thirdly we have come to

Holy Spirit’s illumination.

 

The Spirit of Truth

Has already come

And we need to trust him

And no other one.

 

For there’s one God

And one Christ who came

As well as the one Holy Spirit

Who speaks in Jesus’ name.

 

 

‘Tis he that enlightens

And illuminates

The pages of Holy Scripture

Of which we partake.

 

The bread of life

Which is Jesus, the Word,

By whom we have salvation.

Haven’t you heard?

 

Stewart Russell © December 15, 2024

 

Muzzle and Muffle

 

 

Muzzle and Muffle

Are two characters we employ

To shut up the Word

And steal our members’ joy.

 

I know this sounds funny

But it is true,

Let me get my thoughts together

And I will show it to you.

 

So, you are a believer

That is a great thing to be

But you were saved under a brand

That’s a denomination ID.

 

You were taught by them

And told what to believe

And you now understand the Word

Based on teachings received.

 

You have walked with them

And also with the Lord

Based on their interpretation

Of the Holy Word.

 

There is nothing wrong here

At least for a time

But you must allow the Holy Spirit

To develop your mind.

 

The time must come

When you must read for yourself

Become more mature

And grow in spiritual health.

 

 

Shake off those two characters:

Muzzle and Muffle,

Read the Holy Word for yourself

And with it grapple.

 

It is a denomination’s nature

To think for you

By muzzling and muffling the Word;

That’s how they were taught too.

 

I belong to a denomination too

And I guess I’ll always be,

I don’t plan to hop from place to place

The light for to see.

 

The right interpretation

Is where every denomination’s at

And on the basis of their interpretation

You agree to their pack.

 

But please remember

As you learn you should grow,

We should not let any denomination

Interrupt this flow.

 

 

It is by diligent study

And the leading of the Holy Spirit

That we can learn the Word too

Today and tomorrow, bit by bit.

 

If your denomination does not say

What the Holy Word says,

From that particular interpretation

It is time to part ways.

 

Our allegiance is to God first

And His Holy Word

When the denomination comes first

That is being absurd.

 

Shake off Muzzle and Muffle

And dig into God’s Word!

First, explicitly and then implicitly

And see where you have erred.

 

Let the Word correct your error

By what it says up front

And the Holy Spirit will enlighten you

What is the right account.

 

There is no need to interpret

What the Bible has explicitly said,

The implicit only comes into play

When there’s more to what’s read.

  

Regarding the implicit

To other scripture passages refer

And stay away from Muzzle and Muffle

Which denominations prefer.

 

Stay with the literal

When the literal makes sense

And please my brother, my sister,

I mean no offense.

 

Stewart Russell © January 29, 2021

 

It Occurred to Me

Something occurred to me

That brought me back to earth,

Oft times I’ve been given more credit

Far more than I am worth.

I have a knack for writing

But I think it is mostly natural,

Not in the realm of the gifted

Nothing supernaturally special.

Some of my readers disagree

With the position that I hold,

They think I am specially gifted

I really think they are bold.

Often what I write astounds me,

I know I am not that bright

So I dare not take the credit,

Beyond me was a greater light.

A light that gave me insight

Far beyond my natural ability,

With which the idea originated

Followed by spiritual visibility.

Illumination and inspiration

Should not be confused with raw talent,

The latter is of natural source

The former is from heaven sent.

The two when synced together

Creates an extraordinary product

That turns one’s view from within

And propels it out and up.

Every good gift the Bible states

Comes down to us from heaven

So for me to take credit for such poems

I would be sadly mistaken.

So today I give God all the praise

Today I give Him all the credit

For without Him I can do nothing,

This has become my daily edict.

  

So my friend each time you read

A very special poem I write

Remember that it did occur to me

That I am not nearly that bright.

Stewart Russell © January 2019