The Inner Witness

Amen. We’re continuing the series Hearing God’s Voice, and I’m excited, because we’re just going to continue to talk about that very thing. But if you have your Bibles, can we just take our Bibles — let’s hold them up together. How many of you know His Word is truth, and His Word is life? Amen.

And so let’s just pray. Father, we open our hearts to Your Word today. And, Lord, I thank You that You are here, Lord, that You are already speaking, that there are already moves taking place in the lives of people in this place today. And, Lord, we know there is more. There are things that You want to speak to us by Your Spirit. And, Lord, I thank You that Your Spirit leads us into all truth, and that You show us the things that we need to know. And so, Lord, we just open our hearts to receive a word from You today, in Jesus’ name. We all said amen. Amen. Amen.

Well, how many of you know the Lord is here? Amen. The Lord has been really working in me and giving me pictures of, I believe, the environment, the atmosphere, that the Lord has wanted to bring about here at the church. And someone in our church will share things that the Lord shows her, things that the Lord’s been speaking to her — I never ask her permission to share, but I’m assuming we’re always good. And she was just saying that even though there are gaps in the pews, those gaps are being filled with angelic hosts, and they’re joining us in our praise. They’re joining us in our worship.

And I just have such a sense that the Lord is wanting to do such a magnificent move through our times of corporate worship — that there’s going to be such an atmosphere of His presence and an atmosphere of His peace, matching that same atmosphere that’s taking place in heaven right now, right? That atmosphere of worship and the Lord’s presence moving and stirring. I’m really anticipating amazing things that the Lord’s going to continue to do in those times.

Some of the leadership and myself have been giving time in our weeks — and we’re going to be opening this up as we continue down the road here — to just spending time in prayer, intercession, and worship. And it’s powerful. It’s powerful. And so I think the Lord’s got some amazing things in store. If you believe that, say amen. It’s going to be good. You’re already seeing it in our times of worship. It’s already happening, and it’s going to happen more.

Ears to hear

All right, well, if you have your Bibles, let’s turn to Romans chapter 8, verse 14. Romans 8:14. If you have the Bible app, you can go there in your Bible app. I’ll assume the best, that you’re not just on your phones prepping for your fantasy football season, that you are actually in the Word, allowing the Lord to speak to you through that.

And so we are continuing our series called Hearing God’s Voice. We started off the series talking about how we can have hearts to hear, hearts that are prepared to hear His voice. How many of you remember Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice”? Right? And so Jesus is saying, “Listen, if you’re a believer in Me, if you are a follower of Mine, you will hear My voice.” And Jesus also said, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” So we have to have something called ears to hear.

And we’ve talked about some primary ways that God speaks to us. We talked about how God speaks to us through His Word, right? How God speaks to us through His Spirit. And we talked about how God speaks to us through our spirit. And today I want to continue in that vein. The title of the message today is “The Inward Witness.” The inward witness: that something on the inside, that God will speak to us on the inside. And we’re going to talk a little bit about that today.

Two spirits, joined as one

And so we’re going to start in Romans chapter 8, starting at verse 14. If you have your Bibles, let’s read this out loud together. We’re going to fill this atmosphere with the Word of God this morning. And if you don’t have your Bibles, you can follow along on screen. But let’s read this together: Romans 8, verses 14 and 16. Let’s read this together out loud. Ready, go: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. … The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”

Let me just read this back to you. It says — I got a new Bible. A new Bible. All right, verse 14: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. … The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”

Notice those two words in that scripture: “bears witness.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. But notice in verse 14 it says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” In other words, how many of you know we are supposed to be led by the Holy Spirit? If you’re a believer in Jesus, we are to be led by the Spirit. But notice that verse 16 says the Spirit Himself bears witness with what? Our spirit.

So there are two spirits being talked about here that the Bible is distinguishing between. There is the Holy Spirit, and then there is our spirit. And notice that the Holy Spirit will bear witness with what? Our spirit. The Holy Spirit will bear witness with our spirit.

Now, we talked about this distinction last week when we looked at 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 11, where it says, “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of a man which is in him?” That’s talking about our spirit, right? “Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.” And so it’s talking about how there is this distinction between our spirit and the Holy Spirit.

But I want us to notice this — and I would highlight this if you’re doing that today — 1 Corinthians 6:17. We see the relationship between the two, between our spirit and the Holy Spirit, where it says, “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” That is interesting. Because we’ve been talking about how there is something called our spirit and there is something called the Holy Spirit. But notice what this is saying. There is this relationship between the two, where it says, “he who is joined to the Lord” — in other words, if you are a born-again believer — you are one spirit with Him.

In other words, when you make Jesus the Lord of your life — right, when you were born, your spirit is dead. Your spirit is disconnected from God. You can’t hear God. You don’t know the things of God. They don’t make sense, right? Your spirit was dead. But at one point you heard the good news of Jesus Christ preached — that Jesus gave His life so that you could have life with Him forever, right? And when you heard that, it brought faith. And when you respond to it, you are born again. Your spirit becomes reborn. And when that happens, the Holy Spirit becomes one with your spirit.

And so God’s Spirit becomes one with your spirit, even though the Bible still distinguishes between the two, right? We talked about how the Word of God, the Bible, Scripture, is so precise, it is so accurate, that it divides even to the division of soul and spirit. So there’s this crazy picture that Scripture is giving us of our spirit and the Holy Spirit and how they are one. But the Word of God is so precise that it will still help you distinguish between what is your spirit and what is the Holy Spirit.

Too close not to feel it

I remember this one time I was on a plane, and before we had taken off — you know, I’m sitting down, and you’re kind of just hoping and praying it’s one of those times when nobody’s in the seat next to you, right? Well, it was the very opposite. All of a sudden I see this big guy — and I’m not talking big like overweight; I’m talking he was a big man. He was a big human. Buff, ripped. And I wouldn’t say I’m exactly a small guy myself, right? And so I’m sitting here, and I’m like, “Oh, please just keep going. Please keep going.” And he’s like, “I’m right here,” right? It was one of those super low voices. I’m like, “Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.”

So he sits next to me, and I’m like, really? There are two seats empty next to us, and little people everywhere, and they got two of the bigger guys sitting right next to each other. And so here I am, and I’m sitting, and it’s before we’re taking off. I hadn’t put my phone on Do Not Disturb, or airplane mode, or whatever. And I was sitting there, and all of a sudden he looks at me, and I’m like, “Yeah?” And he goes, “I think your phone is ringing.” It was vibrating. I wasn’t paying attention to it, but we were sitting so close, we were so tight together, that he could feel my phone vibrate. How many of you know, when that’s happening, you’re just too close, right? And I don’t know if the planes are getting smaller or if they’re cramming more people in, but that is how you know you’re too close.

And really, this is how it is with our spirit and the Holy Spirit. They are so close together that even if there are no words being spoken, your spirit — the spirit that is reborn on the inside — can sense the things of the Holy Spirit. Are you with me? Your spirit is so close, it is so one, it is so tethered, that your spirit can sense things from the Holy Spirit. Your spirit can sense when you are in alignment or out of alignment with the things of God, right? This is called the inward witness. Everybody say, “Inward witness.” Inward witness. It is that sense on the inside.

Peace about it, or no peace about it

Now, the Holy Spirit will bear witness with our spirit about a lot of things. Are we talking about hearing God’s voice? Yeah. The Holy Spirit will bear witness with our spirit about a lot of things. Now, in the natural, this can seem both positive and negative, right?

There will be times — maybe you’ve heard a believer who’s been walking with the Lord for some time, and you might hear them say something to the effect of, “I just have peace about this.” Right? There’s a decision to be made, there’s something happening in my life, and I’m not just making it logically. No, I’ve been in the Word and I’ve been praying about this, and there is something on the inside that is saying, “I have a peace about this.” In other words, that person is saying, “There is an alignment. As I have prayed, as I have sought the Lord” — right, I’m not just making a decision, I’m not just doing what makes sense — “there is something, as I’ve sought the Lord, there is a peace between my spirit and the Holy Spirit that this is from the Lord.”

And so there is a difference, right? Because we talked last week about how Proverbs says there’s a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to destruction. You remember that? In other words, if we only approach life logically, or we only live life according to our emotions, how many of you know we often end up in the wrong spot? Because there’s a way that seems right. It makes sense. It looks good. It looks right. But its end leads to destruction, right? The Bible also says don’t trust your heart: the heart is wicked above all things — who can know it? So we’re not to be led by our heart. We’re not to be led by our logic. We’re to be led by the Holy Spirit, by the Spirit of God. And our spirit that is reborn is so tight, it is so knit together with Him, that we can have what is called an inward witness, when we are in alignment or out of alignment.

But just like there’s the positive side, there’s also that side where you can be praying and you can be seeking the Lord, and maybe something makes sense in your mind. Maybe everybody in your life would say, “You should do that. That makes sense. That’s a perfect opportunity. Oh, God must be opening doors for you.” Right? How many of you know God will open doors, but there’s an enemy that will open doors too? Just because it works and it seems good, or it seems like the obvious choice — how many of you know we need to check in with the Lord?

And so there can be this other side, where you are praying and you’re in the Word and you’re seeking the Lord, and all of a sudden, even though it seems like a logical decision, there’s something on the inside that says, “This isn’t it. I don’t have a peace about this. There’s something off. There’s something out of alignment with this, with what God has for me.”

And so even though we’re talking about how to hear God, how many of you know you can hear God even though He may not verbally say anything to you? Right? So often, maybe we’re looking for direction in our lives, and we’re waiting for this massive prophetic word: “Oh man, I hope someone super spiritual who loves God is going to give me this prophetic word, and that will help me direct my life.” Right? And we wait to make decisions based on that sometimes. But how many of you know there is a real way the Lord will lead us, where He may not even have said anything, but you know on the inside that it is either in alignment or out of alignment with what God is asking of you? This is called the inward witness.

I remember — this was a while back — there was a snowstorm outside, and it was time to go get the kids from school. And I was really busy. I was working on something; obviously it was not that important. And so I was working on something, and my wife was like, “Hey, honey, can you go get the kids? It’s snowing out.” And I was like, “Oh, honey, I’m really busy. Can you just do it?” And she was like, “I don’t think I should. I really don’t think I should. I’m not scared, but I don’t feel like I should.” And I’m like, “Oh, it’ll be fine. It’ll be fine.”

And I remember she goes to get the kids, and she’s coming back, and as she does, she hits a patch of ice or something and slides right into a curb, and it busted the axle on our car and caused all of these problems, right? Now, here’s the thing: she’s a California driver. Okay? She grew up in California, and so that speaks to — no, I’m just kidding. She’s actually a very good driver. But listen, there was something on the inside that was provoking her. She’s like, “I knew it. It wasn’t even that I was scared. I knew there was a reason. I felt like the Spirit was saying, ‘Don’t go. Don’t you do it.’” Right? It was something that I needed to do, and we didn’t follow that voice of the Spirit.

So when we have this inward witness, how many of you know there is an advantage that we’ve been given as believers in Christ Jesus? We don’t need to guess. We have someone who always knows what to do, right? God knows everything about everything, and He’s not trying to keep secrets from you, right? He’s going to give you the things that you need to know. There are things that you may not need to know right now, but He will give you the things that you need to know, and He will help you navigate through life. Doesn’t that sound very nice? Doesn’t it sound good? I mean, that sounds hopeful, because there’s so much confusion out there about where I should go to school. There’s so much confusion about who I should marry, who I should date, where I should work, right? Should I take this job, or should I take that job? Should I live here? Should I live there? How do I navigate through life?

Well, how many of you know we serve a God who loves us and speaks to us? And one of the primary ways He does that — in fact, I would say perhaps the primary way — is through the inward witness. In fact, I would say that’s biblical, and we’re going to get to that in a moment. Most of the time throughout Scripture, as people are being led by the Lord, it’s not because an angel appeared. It’s not because the Holy Spirit descended upon them in bodily form. It’s not because there was a voice that came from heaven. Most of the time, in the New Testament church, it’s because of what’s called the inward witness.

“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us”

So the question is: can we, as believers, make big decisions in our lives based on the inward witness of the Holy Spirit? And I want to show you in Acts 15. If you have your Bibles, let’s turn there. We’re going to read through this. It’s a bit longer scripture, but we’re going to go through it here. Acts 15.

And I want to give you some background here. This is at a point in the early church — the early church began in Jerusalem. It began with Jewish people, and they had been trained under the law. And the law said that if you are a follower of God, you need to be circumcised, and you can’t eat certain foods. And then the gospel went to the Gentiles, to non-Jewish people, people who did not observe those commands or those traditions — those commands given by God at that time.

Well, Paul began to teach them that the grace of Jesus Christ is not the law, that Jesus fulfilled the law, and now we live under the grace of God. And so Paul was preaching, “Listen, as a Gentile, you don’t need to be circumcised in order to be saved.” And God is looking for circumcision of the heart. But this caused an argument. There was a dissension in the church, and it was: do we need to force people who are believers in Jesus Christ to be circumcised, or not? Do they need to not eat certain foods? Do they need to adhere to the Jewish law and Jewish tradition?

And so the elders and the apostles got together at Jerusalem to make a decision about this. And so Paul goes back to Jerusalem. And the Bible says there was no small dispute. In other words, this was a big deal. This was a point of contention. This was something that was going to change the course of the church forever. This was going to change how we do things. This was going to change what is being asked of you when you give your life to Jesus: what are you supposed to do, how are you supposed to live? It was a major doctrinal decision that changed belief and approach in relationship with God all over the world.

And I want to look at how they wrote this in Acts 15. Let’s start at verse 22. Acts 15:22. Notice this: “Then it pleased the apostles and elders” — say, “It pleased.” It pleased. Notice: “It pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.” So notice, they’re going to convene about this major decision in the church, and what did they say? “It pleased us to send these men.” It pleased us.

Verse 23 says, “They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, to the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings. Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your soul, saying, ‘You must be circumcised and keep the law’ — to whom we gave no such commandment …” Notice verse 25: “it seemed good to us” — everybody say, “It seemed good” — “it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul.”

Notice, “it seemed good to us,” but “being assembled with one accord.” In other words, were they praying about this? Were they considering this? They were in one accord. There was a seriousness, a soberness, and an intentionality. And yes, I believe that they were praying about this as they were in one accord to send chosen men. Look at verse 26: “men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth.” Notice again, verse 28: “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us.” It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us “to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things.”

We’re going to pause right there. That word that is used throughout — in verse 22, “pleased”; verse 25, “it seemed good”; verse 28, “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” — is the Greek word dokeō. But I want us to notice that it does not say that the Holy Spirit spoke. It doesn’t say that anyone prophesied. What it is saying is, “No, we’ve prayed, we’ve considered, we’re in one accord, and there is an alignment and peace between our spirits and the Holy Spirit.”

And so here they are, making this sweeping decision in the early church that would carry throughout the entire world, based on something that seemed good to us and to the Holy Spirit. Isn’t that so interesting? Was this a big deal at the time? Listen, there were Gentiles who were like, “Well, I don’t feel like that’s right.” They were born-again believers, and there was something on the inside that said, “I shouldn’t have to do this.” And so here’s this huge decision being made based on something that seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us. Notice, no angel showed up. There was no sign that was given, right? “Lord, if it’s Your will, strike that pole with lightning,” right? There was none of that taking place. But notice, there was a confidence in it. There was a confidence that they had.

It seemed good to Silas to stay

Look at verse 30. It says, “So when they were sent off” — talking about Paul, Barnabas, and Silas; okay, that’s important: Paul, Barnabas, and Silas — “they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. And after they had stayed there for a time, they were sent back with greetings from the brethren to the apostles.”

So in other words, now that they had delivered this message, and they had stayed with them for a little bit, encouraging them, exhorting them, they were now to go back to Jerusalem. But notice verse 34. It says, “However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there.” It seemed good to Silas. The plan was, “We’re going to send you out. You’re going to deliver this instruction that seemed good to us and to the Holy Spirit. But then you guys are going to come back.” But notice: “However, it seemed good to Silas” not to go back.

In other words, there was something on the inside. As he was in tune with the Spirit, as he was praying, as he was seeking the Lord there, he was like, “I know we were supposed to go back, but I know that I’m supposed to stay right here.” There was something on the inside: it seemed good to remain there. This was that inward witness of the Holy Spirit. It’s the same Greek word, dokeō.

Verse 35 says, “Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.’ Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark.”

So Barnabas and Paul were going to go, and Barnabas is like, “We’ve got to take Mark with us. That’s my boy, right? We’ve got to take him with us.” “But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.” In other words, Mark bailed on them on an earlier trip, and Paul didn’t want anything to do with Mark. He was like, “I can’t work with this man,” right? Isn’t that interesting? In this early church, this man who wrote most of the New Testament is like, “I will not work with this brother.” He wouldn’t do it.

Verse 39 says, “Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus.” But listen to this: “but Paul chose Silas” — the one who remained there. Paul chose Silas “and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”

Can I recap this for you guys? Okay, are we good? This is important, because I think this is a question that many of us oftentimes have: “Well, I didn’t hear anything. I didn’t get a verbal hearing of God’s word. How do I know what to do?” This is important, because this is what it’s showing us right here. You see it? It was time for Silas to go home. But there was something on the inside — his spirit, which was so close to the Holy Spirit who lives on the inside. It seemed right to Silas to stay in Antioch.

Now, Silas had no idea what was about to happen between Paul and Mark, or Paul and Barnabas. He had no idea that there was going to be this dissension. He had no idea that they would split up. He had no idea that Paul would choose him as his continuing ministry partner.

Now, what’s interesting is that from this point in Acts chapter 15, the Bible does not follow the story of Mark and Barnabas. The Bible follows the story of Paul and Silas. And it talks about the miracles. It talks about the strengthening of the churches. It talks about how God used Silas and Paul in the strengthening of that early church. Listen, if Silas had not yielded to that inward witness, he would have missed that whole opportunity, and we might not have heard anything else about Silas.

But because it seemed good — because he had prayed and he had sought the Lord, and there was a witness on the inside: “I can’t go back. I know that was the plan. I know this doesn’t even make sense. But there is something on the inside that’s saying I need to be here” — how many of you know that’s that inward witness? And that is just as much God speaking to you as any physical voice, any prophetic word.

Not a plan B

How many of you know the inward witness is not a fallback, or a plan B? The inward witness is a primary way that God speaks to His people. Didn’t Jesus say, “My sheep hear My voice, and they know Me, and they follow Me”? That’s what that inward witness is. If I do this, I know I’m out of alignment. But if I do this, I know I’m following Him.

You see, this is one of the primary ways that God speaks. And if we could just be sensitive to the inward witness — how many of you know God will open big things up in our lives if we can be sensitive to that inward witness, the Holy Spirit on the inside, in our spirit on the inside? Silas would have missed the opportunity of a lifetime if he had listened to what everyone else was telling him: “No, we’ve got to go back. We have responsibilities. No, we’ve got to go back; there’s this whole plan. No, we’ve got to go back. And that doesn’t even make sense. How are you going to take care of yourself? How are you going to pay for your food? Where are you going to live?” And here’s Silas: “Ah, it seems right to me. This seems right.” And did God use Silas? Oh yes, He did.

How many of you know you would think that if you were going to be one of the forty biblical authors of the Bible, an angel would show up to you and say, “I want you to write a book of the Bible”? I mean, that’s a big task. But I want to close with this: Luke 1, verse 1. This is what Luke says. “Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us …” Notice verse 3. Listen, you want to know why Luke wrote the book of Luke? “It seemed good to me.” That’s it.

“Well, yeah, I know other people have written this. I know other people have given an account. I know there are other eyewitnesses. But I just wanted to bring my part, because it seemed like the right thing to do.” Now, do you think Luke was in a position of following the Lord? Here’s Luke: he’s born again, he’s praying, he’s spending time with the Lord. But how do you know? There was this inward witness saying, “No, this is the right thing to do. This is what I need to be about right now.”

He says, “it seemed good to me also, having a perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.” And so here’s Luke. Luke is saying, “I know others have written a gospel account of Jesus, but it just seemed good that I would write one as well.” How many of you know it did not take an angel to do that? It didn’t take the word of the Lord. It didn’t take a prophetic voice. It seemed right.

And so this is one of these primary ways. Listen, it is so important for us to understand this, because I think sometimes we get hung up a little bit. The Lord will ask us to do things, and we’re like, “Well, was that the Lord, or was that just me?” Well, let me ask you: have you been in the Word? Have you been praying? Have you been seeking the Lord about that? If you have, what did Jesus say? “My sheep hear My voice.” In other words — no, no — when you seek Me … What else does Scripture say? “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Listen, there are so many things where the enemy would love nothing more than for us to continue to second-guess what God has for us. And the Lord is saying, “No, I’ve already spoken to you. My Spirit is in you. And your born-again spirit is so close and so knit — you guys are best friends. You’re inseparable now. I’m speaking to you through that inward witness.” In other words, don’t be paralyzed in your walk with the Lord, not doing the things that He’s only waiting for you to do, waiting for a more extraordinary experience or a spectacular experience. How many of you know the Holy Spirit always knows the right thing to do?

How I knew it was time

Listen, as I have grown in my walk with the Lord — I’ve followed the Lord my whole life — the ways that I knew where to go to college, who to marry, how to pastor this church, where to live, what house to buy — all of these things were prayed for. And it was through this inward witness: “Yep, this is the time.”

I will tell you, I remember — my dad, who was the previous pastor of this church — there was a time when he asked my wife and me, “I want you guys to pray about becoming the next pastors of this church.” And we prayed, and I said, “Nope. It’s not the right time.” He’s like, “Okay, okay.” You know, that’s my dad, right? Okay.

And then we continued serving. The plan all along was for us to start a different church, another church, and just have two churches, right? That would be great. And I remember some years had passed, and we continued to serve, and we were constantly praying, and we would check in and say, “You know, this is why we came here, to start another church. Is it time to do that?” And he would pray, and he’s like, “I don’t think it’s that time.” And we’re like, “Okay, okay.” I trust the Lord speaking to you as well. We were under his authority. He hears the voice of the Lord.

And then I remember he came back to us, and he said, “Hey, I want you guys to pray again about being the pastors of this church.” And I remember Suzie and I went and we began to pray, and we knew: yeah, this is it. It’s time.

Well, what changed? Not a whole lot. Did an angel of the Lord come down and say, “Jay, you will pastor this church”? No. Was there a sign? Did I test the Lord and say, “Lord, if it is Your will, make it rain now”? I didn’t wait for a pastor to give me a word. I didn’t wait for one of my friends who does hear the Lord. Now, I did ask other people that I trust — and we’ll talk about this next week — I did ask people that I know hear the Lord to be praying with us. And we checked in, and there was that check-in there, that accountability. Because how many of you know sometimes our flesh can get a little dominant?

That’s why this is important. Listen, if you aren’t actively seeking the Lord and in His Word, there is more opportunity for your flesh to cause confusion in your life, right? It gets hard to discern between this inward witness and what is your flesh. So we need to be in our Word. We need to be people who seek the Lord. But listen: the inward witness — this is a primary way the Lord leads His people. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them.” I know them — that word “know” is so intimate — “and they follow Me.” Amen.

The inward witness. We cannot discount this. This isn’t God’s plan B to get you to the right place. This is a primary way He leads us by His Spirit. Pretty cool, huh? Pretty sweet. I mean, who would have thought that not only would He give us a born-again spirit, but that He would send His Spirit to live with us and inside of us? Why? So we can know Him. So that you can know who He is. What kind of God would do this? Our good God. It’s who He is. That’s His goal: that we would know Him, that we would love Him, the way that He knows and loves us.

Let’s stand together. I’m going to pray a blessing over you. Father, we thank You for Your Word. Lord, we thank You for Your Spirit — that not only have You given us a reborn spirit, not only can we have life with You forever in eternity, but, Lord, You want to show us the way right now, how to walk in the life that You have prepared for us today.

And, Lord, it is unnecessary for us to go through life confused. It is unnecessary for us to go through life guessing, when we have a God who knows all things and who loves us so dearly that You don’t want us to be led astray. Lord, You want us to stay right with You, right by Your side, in alignment with Your Spirit. And so, Lord, I pray that You would awaken a hearing of Your voice in each one of us today. Lord, we know Your voice. We know Your voice because we read it in Scripture. We know Your Word is a primary way You speak. We know that You speak to us through the Holy Spirit. And, Lord, we know that there is this voice called the inward witness, where we are so close, we are so knit together, Lord, that we know You just because You’re so close, and You lead us.

Lord, let us be people who respond to Your voice, who would desire to know You more and what You have for us. Lord, I pray that You would release visions and dreams, Lord, that as we yield to the voice of Your Spirit, You would bring clarity and direction, in Jesus’ name. Lord, that You would open up deaf ears. And, Lord, if we have not been giving You our whole heart, we repent of that right now, in Jesus’ name. And, Lord, we surrender our lives to You, because, Lord, You have what’s best for us. Lord, what You have for us is so much better than what we can come up with on our own. Lord, there’s a way that seems right, but it doesn’t lead anywhere good. But, Lord, You always know the way to life. And so, Lord, we choose to submit to Your voice. Speak, Lord, as we spend time with You in our day. Speak, Lord. We receive what You have for us. We love You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen. Amen. Amen.

Transcribed from the message recording and lightly edited for reading.