Training For The Fight

October 13, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Last week I challenged all of us to ask the Holy Spirit to check our attitude to ensure we indeed have the attitude of a secure servant. This is especially true when we remember that we are in the midst of a spiritual battle and that Jude writes this letter to us to encourage us to “contend for the faith.” 

When Jesus told His parable about the sower, here’s what He said about the seed that fell on the hard path (Mark 4:15 AMPC). Jesus said the forces of evil want to try to bring down the Kingdom of God (Matthew 11:12).

(All the Scriptures I use in this post may be viewed here.)  

Are we willing to engage in this intense battle? Will we strive with the forces of darkness for the sake of seeing lost people saved? God told Isaiah that it was so easy to give in—to throw our hands up (Isaiah 64:5-7). Paul extolled a Christian brother named Epaphras for his willingness to wrestle in prayer for the saints (Colossians 4:12). 

Indeed wrestling for the saints is what Jude had in mind. 

I like the phrase “contend for the faith” in the Message paraphrase: “Fight with everything you have in you.” 

The Greek word Jude uses here is the only time it’s used in the New Testament. It means:

  1. To enter a contest—1 Corinthians 9:24-26 
  2. Contend with adversaries—Colossians 4:12; Ephesians 6:12 
  3. Struggle through difficulties—Colossians 1:28-29 
  4. Endeavor with strenuous zeal to obtain victory—1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7 

The root word is agonizimai which sounds a lot like our English word “agonize.” This is an all-in mentality. Sitting on the sidelines, casually interacting, dabbling in it every once in a while won’t lead to victory. 

The stakes are too high, our enemy is cunning and desperate, so nothing less than agonizing training that will not quit no-matter-what will do! 

What exactly are we training to do? 

Too many view salvation as just saved from Hell. That’s part of it, but not all of it. We’re also saved to display the glory of God. The first part is accepting Jesus as Savior; the second part is accepting Jesus as Lord. The salvation we share is not either-or, but it is both-and: Jesus is both our Savior and Lord. 

We need to strive to obtain the fullness of Christ’s nature in us. People should be able to see and feel a difference in our lives without us even opening our mouths. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach always; if necessary, use words.” To that end, he offered this prayer—

“Lord, make me a channel of Thy peace, that
where there is hatred, I may bring love;
where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
where there is discord, I may bring harmony;
where there is error, I may bring truth;
where there is doubt, I may bring faith;
where there is despair, I may bring hope;
where there are shadows, I may bring light;
where there is sadness, I may bring joy.”


Will you be all-in?


Will you wrestle in prayer?


Will you let go of earthly things so you can cling to Jesus?


Will you display His light through your life?


Will you be ready to use words, if necessary?


Let’s make sure we are ready to contend for the faith the right way! 


P.S. Speaking of prayer, my new book Amen Indeed is a prayer guide for pastors. Please consider giving a copy of this book to your pastor! 


If you’ve missed any of the other messages in our series Earnestly Contend, you can find them all here. 


►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎








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Links & Quotes

September 6, 2025 — Craig T. Owens 




Whether we see the world through a naturalistic lens or a biblical lens makes all the difference!




I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.


Columba was a powerful Christian leader in history. Even the legends about him are pretty cool! 


Isaac Newton said, “This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.” Isaac Newton and Johannes Kepler are two gigantic figures in the world of science. These men were both devout Christians. Check out these mini-biographies from the ICR.


“What made David’s heart remarkable wasn’t the absence of sin but his unrelenting pursuit of restoration with God.” —YouVersion reading plan Men of God: Ancient Virtues for Modern Warriors 


It’s always fascinating to read about archeological discoveries that overlap with the historical accounts of the Bible.


Whether you are a pastor, a Sunday School teacher, or just a Christian sharing your testimony with your friend, we need to handle God’s Word correctly. John Piper’s lesson on 2 Timothy 2:14-15 is spot-on.








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Beware Of People Pleasing

August 19, 2025 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 



The apostle Paul asked himself a question which is also a great question for every Christian to ask themselves: “Am I trying to please people?” (Galatians 1:10). 


Trying to please people is a trap, and the inevitable result is frustration. Why frustration? Because it is impossible to please everyone. Even Jesus couldn’t do that!


If I am trying to win support from people, I will have to be like a politician who is angling for votes. I will have to make concessions and modifications based on which group I may be speaking to. For a Christian trying to live by the Bible, there are no concessions or modifications that can be made. 


In Galatians 1:10, Paul goes on to say, “If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” That is because trying to please people is not serving people but serving my own ego. 


Let’s zoom-in on the question Paul uses to open this verse: “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?” 


He is not saying, “I hope God approves of me.” When we have welcomed Jesus into our life as our Lord and Savior, we are already fully accepted and approved of by our Heavenly Father—


   Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6) 


We do not have to try to earn God’s approval, but we will have to stand before Him someday to give an account of how we lived our lives and how we proclaimed the Gospel to others. Looking ahead to this “finish line” will keep us disciplined (Philippians 3:12–14) so that we can rejoice in our reward as our end draws near (2 Timothy 4:6–8). 


Let us live, and talk, and work for the applause of nail-scarred Hands. There is only one Voice that we want to hear saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Don’t fall into the people pleasing trap, but keep your eyes and ears solely on your Savior. 


Related posts:



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God-ability

August 11, 2025 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 



The last time we were together, Pastor Caleb mentioned that I was the only one he knew that put hot sauce on my eggs. But then several of you let him know that you do that too. After the service, someone told me that they like Tabasco sauce on their pizza, which isn’t something I enjoy. 


We all have different tastes. Our tastebuds are just one of the things that makes us unique creations. Unique means one-of-kind, no one else like me. We don’t need to add something like “very unique” because just by itself the word means that God made a once-in-eternity masterpiece when He made you and me. 


It’s a good thing that we are unique. I see what you don’t see, and you see what I don’t see. There are some things I know how to do well, but perhaps you struggle doing them. That’s okay because there are things you can do that I won’t have the opportunity to do. Combined together we saints make an amazing team! 


The apostle Paul understood the value of unique individuals. 


(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.) 


Titus was probably the one who carried Paul’s letter to the Corinthians and then had the responsibility to teach those saints how to carry out what was in the letter (2 Corinthians 2:12-13; 7:6-7, 13-15; 8:6, 16-17). Titus was the pastor that Paul sent to Crete. Paul quoted a poet who said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons” (Titus 1:12). Titus was confident and bold to stand his ground for what he believed (Galatians 2:1-3). 


Timothy was more soft-spoken and tenderhearted, so Paul had to encourage him more (1 Timothy 4:7, 12), but he was the one who could soothe troubled spots. Timothy stepped in to help behind the scenes (Acts 18:1-5) and he was the one Paul reached out to with his last letter form prison, asking Timothy to come to him (2 Timothy 4:12). 


What a great thing it is to have unique saints in our lives! 


One person—not matter how gifted—cannot do it all. Look at Moses in Exodus 18:13-18. Even an anointed team like the 12 apostles cannot to it all. Look at Acts 6:1-2. 


These leaders recognized the need to other uniquely gifted people to come alongside them. Moses was advised to choose capable men. In other words, those with the ability to judge disputes wisely (Exodus 18:19-25). The apostles chose those who were full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3-6). The Greek word for wisdom (sophia) means someone with heaven-sent wisdom that also has the ability to apply that wisdom effectively. 


Israel in the Old Testament and the Church in the New Testament would have been constricted if those other people hadn’t agreed to let their God-given abilities be used. 


God’s talent + My ability = God-ability


In 2 Corinthians 8-9, Paul is specifically talking about the ability of people to give their offerings to help the growing church, but there is a phrase that I think is appropriate for any application of our gifts: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord (2 Corinthians 8:5). 


When what we do is a cheerful “get to” and not an obligatory “got to” it is noticed by everyone. Those two chapters in 2 Corinthians are filled with words like cheerful, eagerness, and enthusiasm. 


In our Hand2Hand food ministry, some people have…


    

  • Give-ability to give financially 
    • 

  • Shop-ability to find deals
    • 

  • Organize-ability to make all the parts work
    • 

  • Strength-ability to lift and move 
    • 

  • Deliver-ability to get the needed items to those who need them
    • 



But none of these work without availability. This is the attitude that makes our God-ability a blessing and not a chore. 


There is a place in ministry for every Christian. When you are available, God will allow the talent that He has given you to be a blessing to the Church. You benefit, the other saints benefit, and the watching world sees a living witness that will draw them to Jesus. 


►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎








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The Freedom In Fear

August 4, 2025 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 



Our Royal Psalms take us from King David to King Jesus. David went from the anointed king on the run from King Saul, to being king over Judah (2 Samuel 2:4), to being king over “all the tribes” (2 Samuel 5:1-3; 8:15). 


(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.) 


David’s kingdom stretched far and wide (1 Chronicles 22:14-16; 29:10-13). This absolute control King David now wields over every nation surrounding Israel puts fear into the hearts of Israel’s enemies. Fear of David brings freedom for the people of his kingdom.


As the Sons of Korah think about this fear that brings them freedom, they look beyond their earthly king to the King of Heaven and compose this Royal Psalm recorded in Psalm 47. This psalm has majestic terminology for God in almost every verse; including, Lord Most High, great King over all the earth (vv. 2, 7, 9), God reigns over the nations; and God is seated on His holy throne. 


I’m especially intrigued by the word awesome in verse 2. The KJV says “the Lord Most High is terrible” because it does take two Hebrew words to give us the full definition of awesome. First, “Most High” is best thought of with the suffix -est: greatest, highest, noblest. In other words, there is nothing above Him. Then “terrible” is to be held in awe, to be honored, to be reverenced. 


Just as the Israelites had no fear of enemies because David was on the throne, God says the same thing to us: Because the Most High is on the throne, His people have no fear of their enemies. 


When we fear God we need not fear anything else. 


When we fear God: 


…we hate our own sin (Psalm 36:1-3) 


…we love His mercy that forgives our sin (Psalm 103:2-3, 10-12) 


…we hate sin in the world (2 Timothy 2:26) 


…we love sinners (2 Timothy 2:24-26; Acts 10:38; Jude 20-23) 


…we hate the darkness that traps people (2 Corinthians 4:4) 


…we love shining the light of King Jesus (Philippians 2:15-16) 


…we hate this life (John 12:25) 


…we love eternal life (Romans 3:23-24, 8:18)


When the people of Israel reverenced David as their king, they would be able to know his blessings. When we fear our awesome God, we will also receive His blessings. Take a look at the amazing blessings Jesus Himself—the King of kings—lists for those who reverence His awesome Kingship (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 11-12, 21)! 


God is awesome and asks us to reverence Him and then enjoy life in His freedom. 


If you have missed any of the other royal psalms we have covered, you can find the full list by clicking here. 


►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎








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‘The Depth Of My Love For You’

July 2, 2025 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 



The apostle Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth show two things: a lot of correction and a lot of love. In fact, it’s in the middle of some correction and redirection about the misuse of spiritual gifts that Paul gives us the quintessential definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13. 


Paul also wrote, “For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you” (2 Corinthians 2:4). 


The truth does need to be spoken to wayward sheep, but it has to be birthed in love and spoken in love or else it will alienate more than help. People don’t care to listen to my counsel or correction until they know how much I truly care for them. 


There needs to be a connection before attempting the correction. 


I have an entire chapter in my book When Sheep Bite on this topic. Here’s an excerpt—


     It is possible that our grace-filled response to our biting sheep may make the difference to their eternal home. The apostle Paul told Timothy that those sheep who were out of line were trapped by the devil, and unless Timothy did something those sheep may never break free—


     And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:24-26) 


     For some reason many shepherd leaders have made “confrontation” a dirty word, or have sullied its usefulness by confronting in an ungodly way. One thing that will help us handle confrontation the right way is to remember why we confront: The goal of confrontation is restoration, not destruction! 


     There is a cliché that says, “Once bitten, twice shy.” As I mentioned earlier, after we’ve been bitten we need to allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts to point out anything in us that may have contributed to such a painful outburst from that sheep. Perhaps after doing all of that you attempted to confront a sheep and it didn’t go so well. As a result, you are now a bit shy to confront another wayward sheep. Dick Brogden wrote:


     “Experience so easily leads us to cynicism. Information too easily leads to pain. Leadership often makes us jaded because we’ve seen so much junk, all the effects of broken people breaking people. … A strong heart determines that it will stay soft, that it will absorb hurt, disappointment, and reality, and yet believe that God can redeem people and circumstances.” 


     Handled correctly, confrontation can lead to restoration, a deeper intimacy, and newfound maturity. Handled incorrectly, and, well, let’s just say it can get very ugly!


     I imagine we have all heard stories of the fallout from confrontation in another pasture, or perhaps we know the painful consequences in our own pastures. But let’s try for a moment to put those past experiences or secondhand stories out of our minds and take a fresh look at how to handle confrontation. 


     Samuel was going to be sent by God to confront King Saul about the sin he had committed. Look at this passage: “Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: ‘I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from Me and has not carried out My instructions.’ Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the Lord all that night” (1 Samuel 15:10-11). 


     Did you catch how Samuel responded? He cried out to the Lord all that night. 


     Perhaps if we, as godly under-shepherds, cried before we confronted the results might be more healthy. Billy Graham noted, “Tears shed for self are tears of weakness, but tears shed for others are a sign of strength.” (from Chapter 5 ‘Cry Before You Confront’) 


If you have some difficult but necessary words to speak to someone, take time to cry before you confront. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the most loving way to handle this situation. Cry before you confront, and may your tears soften your heart to speak truthful words saturated in your love for God and your love for this wayward saint. 


Please pick up a copy of When Sheep Bite to learn more biblical strategies for handling biting sheep and for healing from biting sheep. If I can be of help to you, please get in touch with me.


P.S. You may also be interested in a whole series about growing and showing our love called Loving the Unlovable.


►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎






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Fickle Crowds

June 24, 2025 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 



One day, the Lyaconians hailed Barnabas and Paul as gods and tried to offer sacrifices to them, and the next day they attempted to murder Paul. 


     Even in the light of these words [Barnabas and Paul] with difficulty prevented the people from offering sacrifice to them. But some Jews arrived there from Antioch and Iconium; and having persuaded the people and won them over, they stoned Paul and afterward dragged him out of the town, thinking that he was dead. (Acts 14:18-19) 


Crowds have always been fickle—quickly changing their allegiance from one person or idea to another one. Think about Jesus: they went from “Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord” to “Crucify Him” in less than a week! 


Jesus wasn’t surprised by this. He knew what was in men’s hearts and never built His hopes or His ministry on them (John 2:23-25). 


So why do we? 


Why do we equate a large church attendance or lots of views of our online content as “successful” and anything less as “failure”? 


Jesus didn’t want or need the approval of a large crowd. Instead, He heard, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17, 17:5). 


Paul didn’t want or need the approval of a large crowd. Instead, in his final letter he noted that with the exception of Luke, everyone else had abandoned him. And still some of his last words were, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). 


If we are measuring success or failure by merely humans standards, we are bound to go from elated to crushed over and over again. 


There is only one metric of success we should ever give weight to: 


We should only desire to hear our Master say, “Well done” because we faithfully stewarded the gifts and opportunities He gave to us. 


Let’s stop this thrilled-disappointed-thrilled-disappointed cycle by taking our eyes and hearts off of numbers, and resolving to keep our eyes and hearts solely on our Savior.


P.S. If this topic intrigues you, please consider checking out my book Shepherd Leadership: The Metrics That Really Matter.


►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎






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Inspiration, Illumination, And Boldness

June 10, 2025 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 



David declared that the Holy Spirit inspired the words he penned. “The Spirit of the Lord spoke in and by me, and His word was upon my tongue” (2 Samuel 23:2). 


Both Jesus and Peter affirm this in the New Testament as well when they make mention that David’s words were given to him by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 22:43; Mark 12:36; Acts 1:16, 4:25). 


It’s not just the words of David, but all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21)! This is why we would be wise to pray before reading our Bibles to ask the One Who inspired the Scripture to illuminate our minds to understand it and guide us into its daily application (John 14:26, 16:13). 


Jesus desired that we go even farther than this. His directive to His followers was for them to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. This initial baptism took place on the first Pentecost celebration after Jesus had ascended to Heaven. Luke records it this way—


And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression in each tongue in appropriate words. (Acts 2:4 AMPC) 


And in the subsequent verses Luke makes it clear that these were intelligible languages and intelligent words that served as a testimony to the worldwide visitors that were in Jerusalem—


And when this sound was heard, the multitude came together and they were astonished and bewildered, because each one heard them—the apostles—speaking in his own particular dialect. And they were beside themselves with amazement, saying, “Are not all these who are talking Galileans? Then how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own (particular) dialect to which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and the province of Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and the transient residents from Rome, both Jews and the proselytes to Judaism from other religions, Cretans and Arabians too—we all hear them speaking in our own native tongues and telling of the mighty works of God!” (vv. 6-11 AMPC) 


In his sermon that followed this event, Peter states that the baptism in the Holy Spirit—with the physical evidence of speaking in tongues—is an evidence of Christ’s resurrection. “Being therefore lifted high by and to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promised blessing which is the Holy Spirit, He has made this outpouring which you yourselves both see and hear” (v. 33). 


Later on, when the Christians were facing the threat of persecution from the Jewish leadership, they prayed. In their prayer, they noted again the Spirit-inspired words that David penned and the desire of Jesus for them to be His missionaries (see Acts 4:24-30). 


God answers their prayer powerfully! “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak the word of God with freedom and boldness and courage” (v. 31). 


The Holy Spirit gave us the Scripture, and He illuminates the Scripture to us. 


The Holy Spirit assures us of our salvation, and He empowers us to share this Good News with others. 


The Holy Spirit gives us words to speak, and He gives us the boldness and courage to speak them. 


He speaks, He illuminates, He empowers, He emboldens! If your theology limits the work of the Holy Spirit to some obscure corner of your world, you are robbing yourself of the power to live a God-glorifying, Jesus-promoting life. 


You may be interested in some additional posts and sermons where I discuss more about the initial physical evidence of speaking in tongues as the Holy Spirit empowers Christians—



You may also be interested in an extensive series of messages I have shared called We Are: Pentecostal. 


►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎






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Links & Quotes

May 31, 2025 — Craig T. Owens 






When there is a misunderstanding between the leader and a team member, insecure leaders want the other person to change. Secure leaders, however, take ownership and ask, “What do I need to do differently?” Check out more from The Craig and Greg Show.




I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.


In elaborating on the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:13 about Christians being the salt of the earth, T.M. Moore wrote, “In Jesus’ day, salt had three primary functions. Most people would have understood two of these, but only those raised in an Old Testament framework would have known about the third.” Read more about what churches should be considering about how they season the community around them.


In his “Look at the Book” series, John Piper expounds on the many ways Paul refers to Jesus in his second letter to Timothy. There are several ways, but Paul’s preferred way is “Christ Jesus.” Pastor John unpacks the Hebrew and Greek origins of these words and titles, and why he thinks Paul especially gravitated toward this title.


“Aerosols from penguin excrement may help trigger cloud formation, reducing solar heating and helping stabilize local areas of the Antarctic climate, study finds.” Hmmm, it’s almost like God designed His creation to take care of itself—because He did!


And an article in Science says, “According to secular models of Solar System formation, Earth, as an inner Solar System planet, should have little to no water.” And yet more than 70% of Earth is covered with water!


Aelred of Rievaulx wrote, “In friendship there is nothing more outstanding than faithfulness, which seems to be both the nurse and guardian of friendship. In all of life’s turns, in adversity and prosperity, in joy and sadness, in delightful and bitter circumstances, it reveals itself to be comparable to friendship, holding in the same regard both the humble and the exalted, the poor and the rich, the strong and the weak, the well and the infirm.”


Commenting on Aelred’s words, T.M. Moore observed, “Don’t we all want friends like that, who not only will provoke and prod us to grow in the Lord, but will stand by us in good times and bad, when we’re up and when we’re down? But if we would have such friends, we must be good stewards of their trust. This, again, is why spiritual friendships must be grounded in the Lord and focused on Jesus if they are going to bear the fruit of His indwelling Spirit.”


Evolutionary scientists claim to have made some steps forward in their understanding of the origins of life by using “the last universal common ancestor (LUCA).” But creationists like those at ICR observe that, “This mysterious LUCA is an unknown entity that existed from an unknown time ago at an unknown place by an unknown chain of unknown processes.” Clearly, the hypothesis that is the most straightforward and explainable is that God created the life in our universe just as the Bible states.


Along the same lines, Glenn Schrivener asks, “What do you think was there ‘in the beginning’—before peoples, planets, and protons? If you could hit rewind on the history of the universe and go back as far as possible, what would you find?” Then he gives us four possible things we may consider.






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The Voice In Your Ear

May 19, 2025 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 



I would like you to think about a wise, loving friend. One who has years of godly wisdom, empathy, loads of patience, and loving boldness. When you talk with them, you know that you will always get good counsel—even if you may not like exactly what they have shared with you, deep down you know it is still sound wisdom. This is what the Holy Spirit—as our Counselor—does for us. 


The Holy Spirit is not merely a force, but He is a Person. Jesus Himself give the Spirit the pronouns “He / Him / His.” 


Then take a look at just the beginning of the Book of Acts. The Holy Spirit does things a person does—


    

  • He speaks God’s Word (1:16; 4:25) 
    • 

  • He empowers (2:4) 
    • 

  • He can be lied to (5:3, 9) 
    • 

  • He can witness events (5:32) 
    • 

  • He can be resisted (7:51) 
    • 

  • He can encourage (9:31) 
    • 

  • He gives wisdom (6:10) 
    • 

  • He gives direction (8:29, 10:19) 
    • 



I especially want to key in on those last two attributes where the Holy Spirit is speaking to us. 


Samuel grew up during the time of the judges, where everyone did whatever they thought best. This is a time that is described like this, “In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions” (1 Samuel 3:1). Visions in the Hebrew language is two words: open communication. In other words, people just weren’t listening for God’s voice. 


Samuel had to learn to hear God’s voice as well (see this passage and all of the other biblical references in this post by clicking here). 


God doesn’t reveal His heart to those who are unwilling to obey. His persistent call is for obedience to His Word and reliance on His provision. So the word of the Lord had to be revealed to Samuel (v. 7). When Samuel said he was listening (v. 10), that was a posture of readiness to obey. 


God wants to reveal His heart to His obedient people. I love how God does this later for Samuel, “Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came…” (1 Samuel 9:15). 


This is how Jesus described the Holy Spirit in John 7:37-39, as streams that flow continuously out of our being. And Jesus also calls Him Counselor (John 14:16). 


Isaiah described our Counselor like this, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a Voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:21). 


Let’s call this GPS = God’s Personal Spirit in us! 


Those who are baptized in the Holy Spirit—utterly yielded to His wisdom—will experience:


    

  1. More insight into God’s Word—Psalm 119:18 
    2. 

  2. More timely application of God’s Word—2 Timothy 3:16-17 
    3. 

  3. More boldness in prayer—2 Samuel 7:27 (same word for in his ear as Samuel experienced) 
    4. 



All Christians have a deposit of the Holy Spirit in their lives at the moment of salvation. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a completed yielding to the Counselor’s influence. So don’t stop at salvation, but ask Jesus to send you what the Father has promised (Luke 24:49; Acts 2:33). 


Check out all of the messages in our series leading up to Pentecost Sunday by clicking here. 




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