When we communicate with others, there are non-verbal nuances (e.g. tone of voice) that punctuate our words and when the recipient does not know how to accurately decode these non-verbal cues, misinterpretation may occur.
When communicating with the Holy Spirit, it is not just enough to understand the pattern through which He communicates with us, it is also very important to be able to understand the exact thing He is saying to us. If our obedience will hold any water, then we have to hear Him CLEARLY, else, we may find ourselves doing what He has not asked us to do, though we heard Him speak to us. If we must hear Him clearly, then we must sharpen our decoding skills.
We all agree that no matter how well an individual can manipulate a vehicle, he/she cannot be considered a good driver, neither will there be any commendation for him/her, if the ability to read traffic signs is not present. Imagine such individual does not know that RED means STOP, there is a risk of running red light and probably killing someone in the process. If he/she stops when the sign signals GO with GREEN, there is the risk of being bashed from behind or causing traffic jam thereby constituting a nuisance to road users. If there is no understanding of what AMBER stands for, there is always the risk of making one mistake or the other.
It's of no use being able to hear the Holy Spirit when He speaks, if the ability to decode Him clearly is absent. We will hear Him alright but we may misinterpret Him, and what disaster that will be! We will stop when He asks us to go and go when He asks us to stop. We will not understand when He's prompting us to wait or when He's asking us to take action. We will only make guesses that are far from being accurate.
The Bible has a record of a certain tribe in Israel, gifted in decoding the signs.
"From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take." 1 Chronicles 12:32 (NLT)
Did you see that? They understood the signs and therefore knew the course of action. Understanding the signs gave them an accurate judgement of what to do. It is crucial for us to understand the signs! We must crave to know the Holy Spirit so intimately such that we can pick on His communication cues ever so easily. That way we will not be grasping at straws in the bid to understand His instructions for us. We will not be confused about what action to take per time.
May we receive grace and ability to know and understand the Holy Spirit's language. Amen
Shalom! –By Ayotunde.
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