It is not at all times that the Holy Spirit will lead us, in exercising spiritual authority over the acts and works of the evil one. We had always been made to understand in spiritual warfare, to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. And that is fine. But however it is not all the time that, the Holy Spirit leads us in battle against the enemy.
The activation of our faith is the key to our ability to overcome the enemy. The Bible says:
“for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”
1 John 5:4 NIV
A passive faith is ineffective against the Devil and his cohort. When we walk by faith and not by sight in spiritual warfare (2 Corinthians 5:7), we will walk in persistent victory over the evil one, as we use the name of Jesus.
As we walk by faith, the spirit in our inner man becomes empowered in picking up and identifying spiritual things, which we do need to deal with. This often happens as we pray in the spirit.
Our spiritual perception has nothing to do at all, with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual gifts are freely given to us for the edification of the Church. They have nothing to do with our ability to walk by faith; even though there are certain spiritual gifts, that may not yield results without the operation of the gift of faith itself.
Now, the gift of faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It is different from the faith, which comes through our believing in the word of God (Romans 10:17 and Hebrews 11:1).
SOURCE OF SPIRITUAL PERCEPTION
The power of our spiritual perception emanates from our ability, to work on and develop the spirit in our inner man. The spirit of the inner man takes its cues from the spiritual deposits on the inside of our spirit.
Paul while praying for the Ephesian Church wrote to them. His writing to them shows us how this works. He prayed for them to the Father by saying:
“May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].”
Ephesians 3:16 AMPC
The Holy Spirit lives inside of our innermost being or spirit man, and it is from this place that He leads us and directs our lives. This is the place inside of our innermost being, where the rich treasury of God’s glory is. But once we have received strength and boldness on the inner man, the human spirit does has the ability to do exploits by himself, without necessarily being led by the Holy Spirit. It is from this position of strength in a believer’s life, that the ability to perceive spiritual truths comes.
We are able to do this because our spirit man is born again. It is born again by the word of God and the Spirit of God (1 Peter 1:23). The word of God is inside our spirit man, and God’s word in our innermost being helps us in perceiving and judging spiritual things.
Every believer in Christ needs to develop the ability in them to perceive spiritual truth. It is a spiritual ability that has to be developed, as we evolve in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.
Unfortunately it is not every believer in Christ who is Spirit-filled, that does has the ability to perceive spiritual truths. This is because our spirit man needs to be able to grow up into such things.
For example, there are many charismatic congregations that do often gets carried away with excitements and entertainments, without the manifestation of the power of God amongst them. Not all singing, dancing, excitements and entertainments in a Church meeting setting are of the Holy Spirit.
The enemy does has a way of manipulating his path, into the midst of the children of God during these times. We must be able to recognize such moves of the enemy, in the gatherings of God’s people so as to be able to deal with them.
It is the responsibility of the Church leadership, to act in identifying such things, so as to deal with them in a church service setting.
The spirit of our inner man does has the ability to perceive spiritual truths, that are sometimes hidden to the naked eyes.
The Holy Spirit communicates to us through our spirit man. When He does, He often speaks with spiritual authority into our lives, in order to impart us with spiritual truth. Sometimes He may be soft, firm and gentle; but we must realize that He will never speak to our senses or into our head. He always speaks to us from His dwelling place inside our spirit man (the bottom of the heart).
That’s what Solomon meant when he wrote:
“The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the inner depths of his heart.”
Proverbs 20:27 NKJV
In other words God uses the Holy Spirit as the “Lamp Holder”, while searching the inner depths of our heart. God speaks to us through the spirit man inside us. He searches us to see and know the intents of our hearts.
Paul wrote again:
“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,”
Romans 8:14, 16 NKJV
We are led by the inward witness of the Holy Spirit. This is how we know that we are the children of God. The Holy Spirit always reminds us of our relationship with God, the Father. He witnesses to our spirit man, about this relationship with God, from the moment that we got born again. This continues until our spirit man becomes matured enough, to begin independently walking in this reality of who we are.
The Holy Spirit leads us by bearing witness, from the inside of our spirit into exploring spiritual truths. This is how He trains us to be strong in perceiving spiritual things.
In most cases when we get a witness in our spirit man, such witnessing comes in reminding us of the written word of God, that the Holy Spirit had engraved in our heart.
And often times some believers are reluctant, to act in accordance with His will, because it may not make sense to them. Spiritual truths are not meant to make any sense to us at all.
To a believer who has trained his spirit man to recognize these truths, they are part of his lifestyle. He finds it easier to act on the cues that are being transmitted from the innermost being to the spirit man. A believer who continuously trains his spirit man to hear God, and does what He says lives a blessed life.
We live a blessed life because, the blessing itself flows from the innermost being of our spirit man. As we obey the leads and cues, coming from the inside of our spirit, we will begin to see the manifestation of the blessing around us.
IDENTIFY WHAT YOU ARE PERCEIVING
King Solomon once advised his son:
“Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.”
Proverbs 4:23 NKJV
The issues of life flows out of our innermost being. As they spring out our spirit man perceives them, so that we may appropriately react to them in the spirit.
And again Solomon wrote:
“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”
Proverbs 16:32 NKJV
We are the only ones who has the ability, to weigh what comes to and through our heart. When we do not pay attention to the witness in our inner man, we open our lives up to be devoured by the enemy.
Every human being on earth does has the ability, to perceive spiritual truth to certain extent. But unfortunately not everyone will accept spiritual truth. We were created in the image of God, with that same ability in God to perceive spiritual truths (Psalms 139).
Atheists do have that ability also, pointing them to Christ; even though they will always do their best to deny the truth about God (Romans 1:20-21).
But for us as believers in Christ, it is often our struggles in the flesh that impedes our perception of spiritual truths.
That’s why Paul advised us:
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
Galatians 5:16 NKJV
By walking in the Spirit of God, we can remove every impediment, that hinders our ability to sense spiritual things around us.
As believers in Christ Jesus our lives is designed by God, to be led by the Holy Spirit. This is why it is important for us to be filled in the Holy Spirit.
Jesus told Nicodemus:
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.””
John 3:8 NKJV
This statement of Jesus clearly explains to us, the power of perception in a believer. A believer does has a will, that is subjective to the Holy Spirit of God only. We are moved by only what God says. We see this as spiritual truth, that must be followed if we want to be blessed in life.
DEVELOPING YOUR POWER OF PERCEPTION
And most especially because we do live in this natural world, our ability to be able to perceive spiritual truth, comes to us in most cases through the wisdom from the word of God inside us.
And secondly through the guidance of the Holy Spirit living inside our spirit man. Anyone without the Spirit of God living in him/her cannot perceive the things of God.
The Bible says of Paul as he was preaching in the city of Lystra:
“And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,”
Acts 14:8-9 KJV
Paul by careful observation of spiritual truths, recognized that this man had faith to be healed; and the man was healed instantly in the name of Jesus. Paul had been used to seeing people healed, as faith is activated in their lives. We are also able to perceive people, who are ready to receive healing in this way.
We can say the same of Peter also, as he spoke to the man at the Beautiful Gate:
“And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”
Acts 3:4-6 KJV
This man evidently had the faith already activated in him, to receive something from Peter and John. Peter was able to perceive that, in the same way as Paul perceived faith to be healed in the other man at Lystra.
This means that every believer in Christ, does want to be productive in the kingdom of God. We do this by obeying the Great Commission of Christ, and developing in our ability on the inner man, to perceive spiritual truths. God uses those who follow the witness in their spirit man. They are those who walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
The ideal place to start developing the power of our spiritual perception, is by spending quality time daily, praying in the Spirit.
What are you going to do about your ability to perceive spiritual truths in your home, in your Church, at your workplace or in your community? Jesus had already put the key in your hand to change your world. Begin today by using it through prayer and intercession. Release the power of perception in you, by praying always in the Holy Spirit.
