Question; Emotions vs Spirit

How does a believer come to a place of absolutely knowing, when its God speaking into your situation and not one's emotions?

I personally have never arrived at a place where I am always absolutely sure, but I can say there are times I can know absolutely and I know so when it lines up with the word of God. The Spirit will never contradict either the written or the living word. If it conforms us to Christ and we start to look more like Him by responding to that voice, then chances are we can know absolutely.

"We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation produces patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope. And hope makes [us] not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

As we grow in maturity, we learn from our experiences, for we all trip and fall as children when we learn to walk.

Sometimes the Lord is kind toward us in confirming the things he lays on our hearts if we have ears to hear.

As for myself, I personally can only attest to having heard the Lord clearly, though not audibly on pretty much two occasions. The rest of the time it is usually mere inclination for myself.

I am curious to read what more veteran believers might have to say on here concerning this, as this particular topic has been a struggle for me since I have been a believer.

When the inward operations of the Holy Spirit, the Providences of God, and the Scripture all line up you can be sure it is God speaking to you.

Hebrews 5:14-
But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

So it is by practice a believe will mature to discern what is coming from his Spirit and what is coming from human emotion.

In Revelation 1 it says that John heard the voice of Jesus like a loud trumpet. His ears were always open to voice from the spirit of Jesus and that is why he heard it so loud.

Whenever the topic of Emotion vs Spirit comes, I can only think of the Foundation parable of Jesus, the one who built his house on the rock is the one who dig deep. This is the symbol of the one who crossed human emotion that forms the top layer above our spirit and then built his Christian life on the spirit. Such a person will stand no matter how much trails and temptations he faces. It takes effort to dig deep and lay foundation on rock same way it takes lot of effort and pain to cross human emotion.

This is a great question that I think everyone has asked in one form or other.

One thing for sure, it is a blessing to have a trustworthy friend who can speak to us honestly and specifically.

MC

Unfortunately our emotions are not the part of us that was born again. We will still struggle with this question to one degree or another throughout our life.

As we grow in maturity in our relationship with the Lord, I believe we can walk in an increasing ability and confidence to discern between the two.

We are also to use the word of God as the standard against which we judge these things. It is, after all, able to divide between soul (emotion included) and spirit and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

But, we will always deal with the flesh until we are glorified in body with Him. So I don't think you will ever come to a place where you absolutely know in all cases. You will increase in your ability to be sure about it.

Right now I am faced with a very pivotal decision that could determine direction for the next several years. I am still not sure if I go left or right as a very definite fork in the road has presented itself. I have had to question motive, emotion, etc. quite a bit. I am still not certain I know God's will. But I do know that He gives wisdom liberally to those who ask in faith and I am confident that He will show me clearly what the next step should be. So I wait confidently and actively in prayer until I have the answer.

I have found that when God truly moves, there is no second-guessing. This is because He does things in our lives conclusively, with absolute clarity, and often well before we realize He has moved. In other words, He first changes your life and then you notice, "Hey, God did this."

We only find people fleecing and speculating in the Old Testament; but never in the New. The part under the New Covenant that gives us confusion and doubt sometimes is the fact that God will very often place a burden on us but not give us the green light to accomplish it right away, to where it becomes a physical reality. The birth pains can be long. They can go on for years and years. During this time, there is plenty time to doubt His providence, His guidance, His presence. This is why He allows the burden to precede the birth. Your spirit man still needs to grow, to incubate and gather sustenance under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit.

Acquainting yourself with the Word of God is the aim during these times. Through a gradual availing to the Word, we learn to differentiate between emotions and spirit, to separate soul from spirit. This comes in baby steps, and is wrought through the inner man: "The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the innermost parts of his being" (Proverbs 20:27).

You never need to fleece or test God under the New Covenant to know His will. You can know with absolute clarity His will for your life through His Spirit if you are willing to do but two things: to always humble yourself in every situation, and to wait. It is because of our unwillingness to humble ourselves that we enter into confusion and anxiety, and it is because of our failure to wait on God that we frustrate His plans. Hence, we can blur the line between soul and spirit, God and emotion.

Other than this, I don't have any magic answers. I'm waiting and trusting just like everyone else! However, I do know this: I know with total assurance that God's will for my life right now is to be where I presently am and doing what I am presently doing -- working and raising my family with my wife. I have "burden" pains deep in the spirit; i.e. to create orphanages and start a mission. But I am not ready because God obviously is not ready with me. If He were, it would already be manifest in my life. From past experiences, I know that to act out on these burdens prematurely, to try to materialize them, would cause an abortion and kill the vision.

So I am content to be where I am now: content with being a husband, dad; content with the wages I earn, and the ministry I have through Sermon Index and with my profession at the mortuary. It is well with my soul.

Brother Paul

This is a good thread.

Wow@PaulWest--a very good post. Also really like the idea of creating an orphanage.

Wow, thank you very much for all your responses... I'm probably the only one of my saved friends that hasn't yet said something like "God told me that...." because I always wonder (and ask) how one can confidently and truthfully make such a heavy statement.

Brother Paul, I've been in many situations that have brought me to say that "Hey, God did that" (and I might I mention that I absolutely love the joy and celebration my heart experinces in such a moment, lol) but until I notice after the situation has passed, I have ever been able to experience it in faith before anything has manifested and this troubled me.

Your response has helped me understand alot about myself and the approach/ attitude of my heart after praying. Eish, I feel like a suckling baby Christian right now and so please forgive my lack of reference to the bible right now cz i've still got great loads to learn (as this site is revealing) and really studying my bible is step one...

Thank you so very much once again.

My questions are many now and i'm so gladi have Kingdom siblings always ready to assist.

Blessings :)
Etuna

"because I always wonder (and ask) how one can confidently and truthfully make such a heavy statement."

I suspect, and hope the reason you feel and think this way is because the Holy Spirit is indicating to you that haphazardly using the name of the Lord is not a healthy habit to get into. When I was a young believer I always felt like a bit of a black sheep because other believers were so quick to say that God told them something, and I perceived that people were using that statement as a means of self-justification. It bothered me then, and still bothers me now. I suspect it grieves the Spirit.

Continue acting circumspectly, it will go well with you, and I hope your walk with the Lord grows and grows every day.