A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (July 11, 2018)
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:10-12)
The Apostle Paul made it clear to the Galatians that the Gospel he preached was not from the teachings of man but was straight from the Holy Spirit. There are several scriptures in the Bible that refer to the importance of being Spirit taught versus being man taught. One of the key scriptures regarding this subject is in 1 John 2:27 which says the following:
But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
Now, at first blush, this scripture appears to fly in the face of everything we practice in our current churches. Our dependence is more on a pastor or a teacher to teach us than for the Spirit to teach us. We define scriptures like Romans 10:17 (So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God) as strictly referring to hearing the Word of God preached and taught by men and women versus actually hearing God’s voice.
Jesus taught us the exact opposite in Matthew 4:4 (But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God). God is not limited by the Bible. He did not quit talking after the Bible was published. Jesus said my sheep hear my voice. He is the Shepherd, and we are His sheep, so we should be able to hear His voice through the Holy Spirit.
Here is what I have learned after many years of ministry. Unless the Spirit of God brings the scripture alive to you in your heart, and makes it yours, you will be weak in your faith and subject to being misled by man. If you just have a surface knowledge of the Word, it will usually lean towards legalism. The Word, without the Spirit, tends to end up a list of rules and regulations with no grace and no mercy.
You can not live, preach, or teach on someone else’s anointing. You have to have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit and a personal revelation of the truth if you want to walk in true freedom and liberty. Jesus knew this and that is why He said it would be better if He went away because He could then send us a helper (The Holy Spirit) that would
be our teacher and guide.
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; (John 14:16, NASB)
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. (John 14:26, NASB)
“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, (John 15:6, NASB)
But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. (John 16:7, NASB)
We encourage all of our readers to personally search the Word and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and help you understand what Jesus is trying to tell you. Just remember this. All real truth is expressed in the person of Jesus. The real truth will always be displayed in the actions of Jesus Christ.
