Text:   Ecclesiastes 5: 1-3;

1 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools:  for they consider not that they do evil.   2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God:  for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth:  therefore let thy words be few.   3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business;  and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words.  

  Matthew 26: 31 – 35  

31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night:  for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.   32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.   33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.   34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.   35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee.   Likewise also said all the disciples.  

Wednesday, 1^st May 2024        

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND IMPULSES

  Text:   Ecclesiastes 5: 1-3; Matthew 26: 31 – 35  

 Memory verse:   Proverbs 10: 19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

An impulse is a sudden strong and unthoughtful urge or desire to act. There’s nothing wrong with having an impulse. There’s nothing wrong with having a sense that we ought to do something. God is sovereign over our minds, and He puts thoughts and impulses in our minds and hearts. And He is certainly the One who advantageously gives us the sense that some thoughts or idea or impulse is from Him, though He never guarantees that these senses are accurate, which is why they alone cannot be trusted as the sole basis for making decision.

That is certainly one of the ways that He moves people to do certain things. And yet we all know that many wicked things are done in the name of God telling someone what to do. And we have to ask the question: When a person has an impulse, how can he be certain that that’s what God wants him to do? That’s my big concern here. How do you know that it’s not just your own desire? How do you know that it’s not a temptation instead of a direction? Someone might say, "I recognize the voice of God." And I would say, that is prophecy. If God is telling you things, and you have the ability to perfectly discern between His voice and all the other voices, then what you’re talking about Biblically is prophecy. And if you can’t discern the voice of God perfectly, then you cannot be certain that your impulse is a message from God. And if you can’t know for sure that an impulse is a message from God, then you have to handle it carefully.

In other words, we should take our impulses with a grain of salt. We should not be so certain that it is a message from the Lord. You don’t have to ignore the impulse, but you should evaluate it according to the Scripture and according to godly wisdom. You should ask, "Is this a good thing? Is this a wise thing? Is this a Biblical thing?" If it’s a weighty matter, you should get counsel from others and weigh the matter according to the word of God and according to what you know of His ways. As in all other non-moral matters, you use the process of wisdom that God has given to us to make decisions in our lives.

Some people are slaves to their impulses. They might even think they are slaves to God. But by misinterpreting their impulses as from God, they are slaves to their own ideas. Just because we have a very strong feeling, just because we have a thought that makes a very powerful impression on our minds and hearts, this doesn’t mean that it is a message from God. It’s just so hard for us to separate our own desires and our own human impulses from the will of God.

CGDS HYMN 1; SS&S 1167:

BE THE MATTER WHAT IT MAY,

ALWAYS SPEAK THE TRUTH

1. Be the matter what it may, always speak the truth;

Whether at your work or play, always speak the truth

Never from this rule depart, grave it deeply on your heart,

Written 'tis upon your chart :

" Always speak the truth ! "

2. There's a charm in honesty, always

speak the truth ; [speak the truth ;

There is meanness in a lie; always

He is but a coward slave, who, a present pain to waive,

Stoops to falsehood; then, be brave;

Always speak the truth.

3. When you're wrong, the folly own,

always speak the truth;

There's a triumph to be won, alway speak the truth ;

He who speaks with lying tongue adds

to wrong a greater wrong;

Then, with courage true and strong,

Always speak the truth.

   Prayers:

1.  Lord Jesus, help me to know the Holy Spirit as a real person in my life.

2.  LORD God Almighty, baptize me afresh with the Holy Spirit and fire in Jesus’ name. Amen.    

3.  Pray for others in this regard.