Ears To Hear...A Testimony

Scripture: John l0:27... My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and
they follow Me.
Growing up in denominational churches, little was ever taught about
the Holy Spirit functioning through our lives. I was taught very little
about God bestowing power gifts to His children. I had no idea what
words of wisdom, words of knowledge, the gifts of healing, or the gifts of
faith meant to each believer.

We basically dwelt in the scripture in James 5:l4...'Is anyone sick among you?

Let him call for the elders of the assembly,

and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.'

It was a powerful scripture. However, nothing was
ever taught that the Spirit of God came to fill the people at Pentecost
and empowered them to be used with power from above to touch, help,
and heal others, and so much more as well.

Today, we still are under a
false teaching that this only happened in the past...that we live in
another dispensation. By the teachings of man, many lost the true
importance of what the Lord gave us at Pentecost. I had zero
knowledge that the Lord, our God, actually spoke to His people, except
that is through pastors or clergy. When you are taught this doctrine, you
tend to close off your mind to any further truths of the Gospel or just
chalk it off as a Pentecostal thing and not by the Word of God.

My prayer life mainly consisted of a list of requests for Him to fulfill like
a good genie in a lamp. Praying was hard and boring only asking what
God could do for me and for others. I had no idea that He also had
wished to talk to us, to tell us His heart, waiting for us to join Him in what
He was doing, taking our place by His side in an even greater way than
I ever throught possible.

And, the best of all, that I could come into a one-on-one personal daily
conversation with Him and Him with me.
I found that I lived more by what the preacher said from the pulpit for
the week than what the voice of the Lord had to say to me through the
week. It was much easier to just block Him out and live week by week
waiting for the next sermon from church.

The emphasis was more on the sermons, not sanctification.
Church, to me, was no more than another form of entertainment, like
watching a TV show, or any other timed event. Most shows lasted
anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour. Most of my school classes
lasted about the same, about one hour - just like in the religious church.
Church became so predictable. The Spirit was never allowed to move
in anyway. Few sermons were very rare that spoke of spiritual maturity,
intimacy with Christ, the importance of holiness in our lives, orconsecration.

The gifts of the Spirit were never spoken of, in depth, as
part of any Bible study and they surely weren't encouraged. So, even
up to this day, most of my life was spent just listening to sermons that
pointed me to the cross. But, then, there I was, stuck at the cross!
It wasn't until after the Lord made Himself known to me as I was about
to take my own life. It was during that time, the Lord spoke to my heart
for the very first time and said, "Don't do it, Phyl. Remember, I love
you!" It was at that moment that I became aware that I could talk to Him
and He talk to me. The deep hunger grew. And, I longed to get as
close to Him as humanly possible.

It was as the teaching of the temple being built in the time of Solomon
that I realized the temple was only an empty building until the Presence
of God came to fill it. As we are now taught that we are now the
temples of the Holy Spirit that I realized that I had never invited Him to
come in and dwell with Him and Him with me in my current dead
temple.

It was only after receiving all of Him into my heart and life that a whole
new world opened up. I was no longer dead and dry but I was born
again, changed from within. He taught me about His heavenly type of
love, the love of agape, about His very character, and was going to be
transformed as His Bride.

I began to hear His voice in the most inopportune times as He walked
with me throughout my day. And, He taught me various avenues that
He uses to speak to us, through the Word, through others, through His
Holy Spirit, through circumstances, etc., and signs and wonders and
miracles began to take place as He made His Presence known
throughout each and every day. From death into life...from dead and
dying, into light, and life, and into glorious adventures with Him...a new
life that was revealed after the cross of Christ and into this New Life with
Him.

As He spoke and I obeyed, our closer walk has become more and
more intimate with each new day. I've learned and have grown in my
ability to host the Glory and Presence of God in and through my life.
It is my desire that you would have that deeper understanding that not
only did the Lord speak in times past, but He also still speaks to those
who will listen today. His desire is that we all allow Him to have 'Ears to
Hear' and become close and intimate friends with our God, Most High!
Closing Prayer: We never knew, Lord. We were never taught these
things. We have become very set in our ways as your church, so set in
our ways, that we have totally blocked any possibility that you desire todraw close...closer than a brother...to guide and direct us through these
hard times in which we live. Come into my heart. I open up my heart to
all that you are, in Jesus' Name. Come, fill me with your Glory. Show
me such amazing things that I never thought were even possible but
totally found in the Word of God. In Jesus' Name....Amen.

Confirming Word of Knowledge... April l8, 2023... by Patricia King
"I heard the Lord say I will raise up my apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip My People for the work of
service. They will build up My Body until they attain to the unity of the
faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the
measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a
result, My People will no longer be children, tossed here and there by
waves and carried by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of man, by
craftiness in deceitful scheming but speaking truth in love. They will
grow up in all aspects into Him who is the Head, even Christ, from
whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint
supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, which
causes the growth of the Body for the building up of 'itself' in love.
.....Eph. 4: l2-18.