If we believe we are living in the days where Jesus could usher us away at any moment, then we need to be extra careful about what we are chasing. We could spend a lifetime chasing for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow when the truth is it’s not even there. The saying comes to mind: All that glitters is not gold! And, just because something appears to sparkle, does not mean it is the genuine article. Every jeweller who deals in diamonds knows he has to contend with imitations that look real, but are just cheaper versions of the real thing. 

• What are we chasing? 

• Where is our focus centred concerning the kingdom of God?  
  

The truth of the matter surely is that we must be tuned into the voice of the Holy Spirit because Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice” (John 10:27).   

• Whose voice are we listening to?

• Is it the voice of the Holy Spirit?  

• Or is it the voice of religion?

The urgency of this hour is plain for every born-again Christian to see as the spirit of religion seeks to steal, rob and kill unsuspecting believers from their blood-bought victory in Christ. When we hear a voice, do we presume it is the voice of God because we want to believe what we are hearing; we want to be “accepted in the beloved”? Unless we are prepared to submit to the voice of the Holy Spirit and follow Him, we could be chasing a mirage; we could be running after an illusion that seems ever so real but having no anointing and power. The mirage could lead us to such a “sparkling pool”, that we are convinced of it being genuine – until we become ever so dry and thirsty. Unless it is the voice of the Holy Spirit, we could be chasing shadows; shadows that look like the real thing but are just that – shadows. 

A spirit of religion will allow us to worship Jesus and give Him great recognition, but sadly, a form of godliness will override and quench the power and the anointing of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The Early Church believers had no agenda of their own. They were submitted and listening to the voice of the Spirit. There were no power struggles going on because all the power belonged to the Holy Spirit – and they knew it. 

Why did Jesus send the Holy Spirit when He went back to be with the Father in heaven? He sent Him to be the very presence of Christ within us here on earth. That means He has the most prominent part to play in the Church here on earth. Why is it we find it so much easier to give room to many other things before we submit and give the pre-eminence to the Holy Spirit? Could it be that we do not trust Him enough to know His own job? Could it be that we don’t trust the presence of the Holy Spirit in one another enough to have spiritual ears to “hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches”? 

Right now, God the Holy Spirit is doing something very significant among His people, and He longs and yearns that each one of us will be available to co-operate with what He is doing. In many parts of Christendom there is a restlessness that has come over the Church, causing people to be baffled; it has leaders scrambling to “do an exploratory” to see why this is happening. But to God the answer is simple. His people are thirsty and dry through a lack of the anointing, so He is causing a restlessness in order to get the attention of His people. He is warning us of danger if we keep denying His Spirit access to moving sovereignly in our lives and gatherings. He is warning us that all is not well when we attempt to build kingdoms that have faulty foundations. 

• What are we building?      

• Do we have the foundations right? 
  

We are saved and called to be temples of the Holy Spirit - we are not our own (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). The Temple-Builder resides within us. He has placed His beautiful gifts within each one of us; they are our “tools of the trade,” but unless we remove the wrappings, and use the gifts (tools), what good are they to anyone? God knows that the only way we can do His work effectively is as we yield to His Holy Spirit, listen to His voice and obey what He says. What we would turn into a project, He can accomplish in moments. Why? Because “It’s not by might, it’s not by power (our own strength and methods), but it’s BY MY SPIRIT, says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6). 

If we overlook the importance of the Anointed One by programming out His presence and workings in our midst, then we are “confining the Holy Spirit to the back seat” when the truth is He should be “the Driver!” He has a voice, and we must learn more and more to do the listening.  - Joan Emery 

Bible  Readings:  Jeremiah 18:1-6; Ezekiel 37:1-14; John 7:37-39; John 14; 1 Corinthians 3. 

Please Pray This Prayer:

“Dear Lord Jesus, I am challenged again today of the need to more clearly hear and discern Your voice to me. Help me to be much more sensitive to that which You are speaking to Your people today. Help me to know that indwelling power and anointing of Your Holy Spirit, so that I will demonstrate my trust in You by my obedience to what You say. Deliver me of all fears that would hinder me from obeying Your voice today. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”