Sensitive to the Spirit's Voice (Kannada) — Zac Poonen

Abraham and the Fear of the Lord

Yesterday evening, I was speaking about the fear of the Lord. And we saw that the first person about whom God said, Now I know that you fear me, was Abraham. So that is a great example for us. Now, I want to show you another verse where it speaks about Jesus.

I want to show you another verse where it speaks about Jesus. You know that the same Holy Spirit that rested upon Jesus, is the same Holy Spirit that rested upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost. You know that the same Holy Spirit that rested upon Jesus, is the same Holy Spirit that rested upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost.

I want you to see a verse in John chapter 7, where Jesus spoke about this gift of the Holy Spirit. And he says, if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. And if you believe in him, from our innermost being, rivers of living water will flow.

And now it says in verse 39, this he spoke about the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. Why could the Holy Spirit not come and dwell in people's hearts before Jesus was glorified?

Because nobody's heart could be cleansed before Jesus had shed his blood. All those Old Testament people, their hearts were not cleansed. Their sins were forgiven. They were covered. But when Jesus died, and shed his blood, and presented that blood before the Father, after that, those who confess their sins can have a completely clean heart.

And the Holy Spirit will only come into a clean heart. That's why it's important to keep your heart clean. And so, after the day of Pentecost, people could have a heart that's cleansed in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Then the Holy Spirit could come and dwell within. That's what it says here, from his innermost being. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon people, not inside. It gave Samson power to kill lions on the outside.

But he could not kill the lust inside his heart. Why? Because the Spirit was not inside, but outside. That is one big difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. That is the meaning here.

The Spirit could not be given until Jesus was glorified. So, once Jesus lived on earth as a man, the Holy Spirit dwelt in him, and now the Holy Spirit can dwell in us. And the Spirit that dwells in us is the same Spirit that dwelt in Jesus when he was on earth as a man.

The same Spirit that helped Jesus not to sin when he was tempted. Now that Spirit dwells in me. If I respond to it, it will help me also not to sin when I am tempted. Now I want to tell you something about this Spirit that dwelt in Jesus, because that's the Spirit that can dwell in you and me.

The Sevenfold Spirit in Isaiah 11

See, Isaiah chapter 11. In Isaiah chapter 11, we read about the Spirit of the Lord that rested upon Jesus Christ and dwelt in him. It says in Isaiah 11 and verse 2, the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him and this is the Spirit that dwelt in him.

And this Spirit is given many names. Seven names. Spirit of the Lord, Spirit of Wisdom, Spirit of Understanding,. Verse 2, everything is there in verse 2. Spirit of Wisdom, Spirit of Understanding, Spirit of Counsel, Spirit of Strength, Spirit of Knowledge,.

Just read the whole verse, verse 2. See, there are seven different things there. It's very clear in the English. The last is the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord. Do you know that the one name of the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord?

How can you say you have the Holy Spirit if you don't have the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord? What is the baptism in the Holy Spirit? It is to be baptized in a Spirit that makes me fear the Lord. And it says here, it will make him delight in the fear of the Lord, verse 3.

I mean, the fear of the Lord will not be a burden. It's not like some bitter medicine. You know, you give a bitter medicine to a child and it says, okay, if I have to take it, I'll take it. You give an ice cream or a chocolate, he's delighted to have it.

The Holy Spirit makes the fear of the Lord like chocolate and ice cream to us. So, if it has not become like that to you, that proves the Holy Spirit is not in full control of your life. The Spirit of the Lord, when he has full control of your life, the fear of the Lord becomes something delightful.

It becomes a delight to live a holy life. That is the proof that the Holy Spirit is really in control of your life. That is the proof that the Holy Spirit is really in control of your life. You probably never heard about this in all your life.

Holiness Rather Than Noise

Because most people understand the movement of the Holy Spirit only in terms of tongues. Or, you know, swaying your body and raising your hands and clapping, they say, oh, that is charismatic Holy Spirit.

But even drunken people can do that. And then the other thing people think is Holy Spirit means a lot of noise. Then that is Holy Spirit. It's all a deception. You know, way back in eternity, before there was anything in this universe except God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Before the worlds were created, before there were angels, before there was a devil, before anything. Have you ever thought of this? Why did God call the third person of the Trinity Holy Spirit? Person.

He could have called him by some other name. Loving Spirit, that would have been right. Wise Spirit. Good Spirit. Humble Spirit. Gentle Spirit. Father, Son and Gentle Spirit. Or Father, Son and Humble Spirit.

Why did God say the name is Father, Son and Holy Spirit? There must be a reason. The reason is this. Because the main thing the Holy Spirit gives to us is holiness. There was a Pentecostal man who came to our CFC church meeting in Bangalore once.

He came to the meeting and after the meeting he told me, you don't have Holy Spirit here. I said, how do you know that? Have you come and lived in my home, see how I live with my wife, how do I know we have Holy Spirit or not?

Do you know how we handle money? Those are the ways you know whether this person is holy. How do I treat my co-workers? No, he said, I don't know all about all that, but there's not enough noise here in this meeting.

Oh, I said, there is one big difference between you and me. Your trinity is Father, Son and Noisy Spirit. My trinity is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So your spirit is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. My spirit brings noise, my spirit brings holiness.

This is one of the greatest deceptions in Christendom today. They think Holy Spirit means you start bouncing on your knees or shaking your body. It's not shaking spirit, it's not bouncing spirit, it's Holy Spirit.

God determined that name. It's the spirit of the fear of the Lord that makes a person delight in the fear of the Lord. And not in the fear of man, but the fear of God. Only afraid of what God thinks of us, not what man thinks of us.

This Holy Spirit delivers us from the fear of man and makes us fear God. In another translation, verse 3 says, it will make him quick of scent in the fear of the Lord. You know like a dog, you know a dog has got a better scent, can pick up a scent better than you and me.

You know these police people have got dogs. Somebody has committed a crime. They bring the dog there. Maybe the thief has put his hand somewhere. And the dog smells that. And he picks up the smell of that man's hand from some table or somewhere.

Now you and I can smell that table, we get nothing from there. And the dog picks up a scent. It follows that. And it comes to a cross road, it says no not that way, and the thief went this way. That's amazing.

That is called being very sensitive in scent. That's what it says here. It will make him very sensitive in a scent of the fear of the Lord. That means just like that dog, it's following the scent of this thief.

Not any thief, anybody. You know how dog comes and smells you to see whether this is a familiar scent or some new person. Because it can remember the scent of people it knows. You can blind its eyes, it will still pick up the scent of a person it knows.

And that's a picture of what the Holy Spirit does to us. That means when I am filled with the Holy Spirit, the fear of the Lord becomes so sensitive in me that I come to some place where I have to take a decision.

Should I do this or should I do that? Immediately like the dog chooses the correct track, the Holy Spirit says this way. You know some television program is going on. Should I see this or not see it? The Holy Spirit immediately tells you that's not for you.

And you turn it off. That's a wonderful thing to be led by the Holy Spirit. You don't need ten commandments or ten thousand commandments like the Old Testament people. You know in the Old Testament if you wanted to find out is this right or wrong, you go to the priest.

The priest will say wait let me just check up. What is your problem? And he is an expert in Leviticus and numbers and all these things. He says yes, I found out this verse. This is what you should do.

But in the New Testament, you don't need all those things. You don't need all those books. You don't even need a priest. Everything is replaced by the Holy Spirit. That makes you quick of sense. Now if you are not filled with the Holy Spirit, then of course you won't have it.

Then you can sit and watch any television program and you will never hear a voice saying that's not good for you. Everything is okay for you. Because you don't have the Holy Spirit. Maybe you have a noisy spirit or emotional spirit.

That's some other spirit. But the Holy Spirit will make you very sensitive to the fear of the Lord. When you are looking at a magazine and there is a picture there which is not good, the Holy Spirit will say, turn the page.

It's very quick. Or you are about to say something to somebody and the Holy Spirit will say, shut your mouth. That's not for you to say that. What a wonderful way to live. Always living like this. See Isaiah chapter 30.

The Spirit's Guidance in Isaiah 30

We read here. Verse 21. Your ears will hear a word behind you saying this is the way. Walk in it when you turn to the right or to the left. Now, it's not very clear here. Another translation makes it clearer.

That means when you go astray and take the wrong turning, you came to this cross road and you turned right. The Holy Spirit says, no, no, no. Come back. Go left. It's like this dog following the scent and comes to this cross road and it goes along this road to the right and it says, hey, I can't pick up the scent anymore.

It comes back and goes left. Ah, I got the scent now. That's what this verse says. You took a decision and the Holy Spirit will say, no, no, no. Not that way. Not after you have gone one mile. Five yards, the Holy Spirit says, come back.

What a wonderful way to live. That is the way God wants all his children to live. Where the spirit of the fear of the Lord makes you sensitive. That's wrong. See, through the years, I have had many question-answer sessions with many young people in many places.

Even older people. Many times the questions are, Brother Zach, is this right to do this? Is it wrong to do that? Yeah, you know what the answer is? Brother Zach is not always there to tell you what is right and what is wrong.

Even if I answer 100 questions, one day when I'm not there, you'll have another question and how are you going to get in touch with me? But you know what the Bible says in 1 John chapter 2? Verse 27. 1 John 2 verse 27.

You have an anointing that you received from him that abides in you. You have the Holy Spirit living in you. And you don't need anyone to teach you. That anointing will teach you all things. What is the meaning of that?

Does it mean you don't need teachers in the church? Ephesians 4 says God has put teachers in the church. That is to teach you the principles of God's word. But here it is talking about teaching you whether this is right or wrong.

Can I read this book or not? Can I take this job or not? Can I marry this person or not? Can I watch this program or not? Where is brother Zach sitting there with you all the time to tell you? But you have the Holy Spirit that will tell you.

That is not good. Even in marriage I say if you are filled with the Holy Spirit and you are considering somebody in marriage you talk to that person for a few minutes and you can get a witness in your spirit this is not for you.

Or this is the person for you. It is really true. I remember when I met my wife it was like that. 39 years ago I could sense this is the right person. I knew this is the right person for me. I never felt like that about others.

It is wonderful when the Holy Spirit can tell you this is it. And you look back after 40 years and you say boy that was the right decision I took. I remember when I felt I should leave my job in the Navy I had this witness in my spirit and other people couldn't understand they didn't agree with me.

I knew it was right. Now I look back after 40 years it was absolutely right. If you listen to the voice of the spirit you will be protected from so many wrong things. I have made some mistakes also. Sometimes in my foolishness I have not listened to the spirit.

Fortunately those were not in major decisions some small small decisions. My suffering was only little bit because those were small decisions. I regret that I did not listen to the Holy Spirit in those small things.

I wish I had listened to the Holy Spirit in everything. I can advise you let the spirit of the Lord make you quick in scent. What is the direction the fear of the Lord should take you? Turn back to Isaiah 11.

Learning to Discern God's Will

See there is something else it goes on to say there. You are all like first century Christians now. What is that? First century Christians had no Bible. There were no printed Bibles those days. When Paul got up to speak they had to just listen.

So now you can't read your Bibles you have to listen. Now you can't read your Bibles you have to listen. Then you can listen more carefully. It says here in verse 3 It is very easy for you to remember you can read it later on by yourself.

It is the first 3 or 4 verses of Isaiah chapter 11 when you go home please read it. It says in verse 3 He will make him quick of scent in the fear of the Lord and therefore he will not make a decision by what his eyes see or by what his ears hear.

You know all the people in the world all the people in the world they all make decisions by what their eyes see and their ears hear. All of us have got a lot of information stored up in our mind. Most of that information came through the eyes and through the ears from the time you were born.

You know as a child grows up it's looking listening it learns the language it learns music and it can sing a chorus when it is 5 years old because it has picked up it's got information in its head. No, the information in its head also comes from the tongue you know chocolates are sweet by touching things something is hot, something is cold but most of the information comes through the eyes and the ears.

Little bit from the other senses but most of our decisions we take important decisions are based on what we see what we hear. How do you prepare for an examination? Almost entirely with your eyes and your ears.

Mostly most of the time you read you hear your teacher that's how you prepare for an examination. And so many decisions that you make in life. Shall I take this job? Shall I marry this person? You see you hear information and you take a decision.

Now it says about Jesus that he would not take a decision by what he saw and what he heard because these things can deceive us. He would take a decision by the fear of the Lord. I would say, yeah it looks alright to me according to all the advice given to me by other people also it sounds alright but I still don't have freedom in my spirit to do it.

So I don't do it. That's the way we are supposed to live. I've had many experiences like that where it looks alright other people say, yeah it's good to do that or go there like sometimes when I consider going to some place for meetings I get all the information everybody recommends, yeah it's good if you go and I don't feel free in my spirit I don't go.

Or some other times other people say, no brother I don't think you should go there. Yeah brother, I say thank you for your advice I sense in my spirit that it's going in that direction I go and I have found through 40 years that it's always best to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit because you don't waste your time.

I get about 100 invitations in a year and I take about 2 or 3 I'm saying to new places not our own churches and I say I'll go only if I feel free in my spirit. If I don't feel free, I don't go. I don't go by what my eyes see or my ears hear.

If you develop this habit from your young age you will become an expert at it by the time you come to my age if you start when you're 25 by the time you're 65 you'll become an expert in the beginning you'll make some mistakes.

You think that's the Holy Spirit and it's not the Holy Spirit. It's like a little puppy dog that still doesn't become an expert at picking up the scent but after 5 or 6 years that dog has become an expert.

So you must allow the Holy Spirit to make you an expert in finding out the will of God. In the Old Testament it is only by study, study, study. What does God's law say about this. What does God's law say about that in the New Testament it's not like that.

It's the Holy Spirit not noisy spirit holy spirit that will make you sensitive. You know one of the great tricks of the devil is to make you insensitive to sin. Think of our taste. You know that verse we quoted yesterday taste and see that the Lord is good.

We don't taste the Lord with our tongue in our spirit I can taste and see that the Lord is good. Have you tasted Jesus and seen that he is good. Have you tasted Jesus and seen that he is good. Have you tasted holiness and seen that holiness is good.

Have you tasted sin and seen that sin is bad. See isn't it good that our tongue is very sensitive to taste. Supposing you eat some meat curry. It was made a few days ago and it is spoiled as soon as it comes to your tongue spit it out.

Say hey this is not good. Haven't you had that experience some food that goes as soon as it touches your tongue. You say I don't want that. Or milk that is spoiled as soon as you drink it you say hey that's bad.

But supposing you had no taste on your tongue. Can you imagine all the rubbish that you will eat. If somebody gives you on a plate even what the pigs are eating you eat it because your tongue will not tell you anything.

That is the condition of some believers. They can take all types of sin and they are quite happy. A man who is sensitive as soon as some sin throws it away immediately that's bad. Who gave you this sense of taste in your tongue.

Did you produce it yourself. Or did god make you like that. Do you think. Please answer this question. Do you think a god who can make your tongue so sensitive to bad food cannot make your spirit sensitive to sin in the same way.

Which do you think will harm you more bad food or sin. Bad food. Maybe you will have a stomach upset some diarrhea or something like that. It won't send you to hell. But sin can send you to hell. God listen to this.

God is more interested in making you sensitive to sin than sensitive to bad food with your tongue. It's very important to understand this. I believe that and I believe the devil is all the time trying to take away that sense of taste in my spirit.

Now supposing one day you are eating bad food you have to roll it around in your tongue for 2 or 3 minutes and then you discover it is bad food. After 3 minutes inside your mouth brother your sense of taste is gone.

If your sense of taste is good within one second you will spit it out. The same thing with sin supposing you are tempted with something dirty and you allow it to come into your mind. You think about it for 2 or 3 minutes.

Then you say it's bad, I shouldn't be thinking about that. Your sense of taste is not good. If it was really good as soon as it came into your mind you would say it's bad, I don't want it. And do you know how much harm can come to your body if you eat food that is bad.

Do you know how much harm comes to your soul when you allow sin to roll around in your mind even for 2 or 3 minutes. This is the wonderful sensitivity that the holy spirit brings. Your ears will hear a word behind you when you took the wrong turning come back.

That's not the right way for you. Wonderful. When you are going to say something you are very upset about something and you want to say something to somebody. Your husband, wife in your office. And as you are about to say something the holy spirit says no.

I remember hearing a story of a servant of god. He was very upset with a brother once his wife was trying to tell him something and he walked all the way up to his house and as he was about to knock at the door the holy spirit said go back home.

So he went back home. Wonderful. He was sensitive to the holy spirit. And the holy spirit said I don't want you to go and speak to him today. I want to tell you this is the way to live the christian life.

You must pray god. Make me more and more sensitive to sin. More and more sensitive to what is your will. Sometimes it takes time but you don't move till you are sure like this dog has come to a cross road and it is smelling.

I am not sure which way did he go. Stand around 5 minutes. 10 minutes. Policeman has just got to wait there. He doesn't have any sense of smell. He is dependent on the dog. After 10 minutes the dog goes this way.

Prayer, Patience, and the Leading of the Spirit

You know that jesus prayed in Gethsemane for one hour. Father what is your will. He was a man like us but he gave up the powers of god and live like a man. Otherwise why should he pray for one hour to find the will of god.

If he did not give up the powers of god he doesn't even have to pray for one minute. No no he was god. But if he had given up the powers of god he doesn't have to pray at all. Why did he have to pray.

Why did he have to pray for one hour to find the father's will. Because he gave up the powers of god to become like us. So don't be surprised if you don't get an answer immediately. Sometimes we have to pray for many days.

Or i am not very sure about your will. When people are considering each other for marriage i usually tell them don't be in a hurry pray about it for a few weeks some weeks. Pray and say lord don't let me miss your will.

Please stop that which is not your will. Say lord if this is not your will close that door and open this door. When you are looking for a job when you are considering marriage so many important decisions in life say lord i want to wait on you.

Make me sensitive to your voice. See in job and marriage and all we really want to know god's will. You know why. It is very difficult to find god's will in such situations. Because in other areas you don't listen to the holy spirit.

When the holy spirit says turn off that television program that's not for you to watch don't watch that movie that's cinema. And you don't turn it off. God says ok watch it. But you become a little insensitive to the holy spirit.

Or you are reading a book and the holy spirit says you shouldn't be reading that. But you don't listen because you are enjoying it so much and you read it something which is not pure. You become more and more insensitive to the holy spirit.

After sometime in so many situations like that you don't listen to the holy spirit. And one day you pray lord please show me your will concerning this job or this marriage. And you can't hear the voice of the holy spirit.

Why? Because in all those other instances when the holy spirit told you something you didn't listen to him. If you don't listen to the holy spirit when he tells you to stay away from sin again and again and again you disobey.

One day when you are facing a very important decision oh god tell me your will. No sound no voice you can't hear because you became deaf. Why did you become deaf? Because in a hundred other instances where the holy spirit told you to not do something you did not listen to him.

So i want to say to all of you young people don't worry what other people say listen to the voice of the holy spirit when he says don't go that way listen to it. Come back and go in the direction the holy spirit is leading you.

Final Judgment and the Fear of the Lord

Then i want to say this in closing 2nd Corinthians chapter 5. Here we read about the fear of the lord again verse 11 2nd corinthians 5 and verse 11. Therefore knowing the fear of the lord we persuade men.

What is he talking about? Here he is talking about the fear of the lord in relation to the final judgment see verse 10. We must all appear before the judgment seat of christ. And each one of us will get some reward or judgment for the deeds we did in our body whether they were good or whether they were bad.

You know how the day of judgment is going to be? Do you know that inside your mind is a thing called your memory. That memory is like a video tape. See here is a video camera that is recording everything that i am doing here.

Everything everything not just my words move my hands or scratch my head. Anything is there. Memory has got a better video camera than that. This video camera cannot record my thoughts but memory can record my thoughts.

The day you were born that video tape started running and is recording everything in your life. Thoughts, your words, attitudes, motives, everything. One day when we stand before the lord the lord will rewind this tape and play it on the screen for the whole world to see from the day you were born.

What all you thought. What all you said. What all you did in secret, everything whatever you confessed as sin. Ask jesus to forgive you. That's all wiped out. So that won't be on the screen. Whatever you did not confess that will be there for everybody to see.

Then the lord will say. Now i decide whether to reward you or not. Next verse. Knowing the fear of the lord we tell people be ready for that day. I believe that day is coming very soon. You and i will stand before jesus christ and your memory video tape and my memory video tape will be rewound.

Do you know that my video tape is played there. You won't find a single sin. How is that brother zach lived such a holy life. I confessed every sin in the blood of jesus. You can do that too. If you confess your sin god will cleanse it right now.

Confession, Restitution, and Prayer

Do you know the fear of the lord live before god's face. Let's pray god has spoken to you. Ask god to forgive you confess your sin to him. If you hurt any human being confess to that human being. If you got money to return return it as soon as possible.

I am not saying return it tomorrow. Return it as soon as possible. Don't play the fool with god. God will honor you if you honor him and he will cleanse every sin that you confess and turn from heavenly father help us to respond to your word to everything that we heard in these two days in the name of jesus.

Amen.