What I know about hearing the Holy Spirit

^{Slowly, but all the same, my ability to hear that 'still small voice' is growing. It hasn't been until recent that I understood what that still small voice is and how I recognize it, as of right now.  Before going into the examples of times I've heard the Holy Spirit's guiding loud and clear, I love this verse and the uniqueness and intimacy it displays about our relationship with Jesus.} 

^{John 10}

² The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

Today I loved 'hearing' the Holy Spirit because as soon as I 'heard' the guidance, I smiled, knew what it was and was easily able to hear and obey. So here it is. :]  It was dinner time and it was just the kids and I. DH was away for a meeting and had to miss dinner. But he was going to call when he was on his way home. Although he didn't expect us to wait for him to eat, I wanted to be sure to leave him some dinner since it was once of his more well-liked meals that I make. So the kids and I finished and I was cleaning up the kitchen, putting away dishes and on to putting away the food portion. I was debating whether I should put his portion on a plate or in containers to store...I got out a plate - that's what I had decided I would do. However, as I was grabbing the plate, I had a thought shoot through the stillness of my mind - 'he's been there a while and I'm sure he's pretty hungry and not able to wait all the way until he gets home to eat; it should go in containers'. As I mentioned, this has been a few months in training so when I heard this guidance, I immediately knew it was the Holy Spirit's leading and I put the plate away and grabbed some containers. Just as I was finishing putting the last of it away, DH calls me and he's on his way home. He proceeds to tell me he's starving and there was a Subway where he was so he was going to stop there and eat and I should put the food in containers as he'd like to have it tomorrow. 

Can you say 'Happy Dance!' I've finally figured out to listen to that 'thought', that is not my own but a gift, my Counselor.  

My training has been in what I would call 'simple' stuff, small little things I need to do, nothing earth-shattering or hugely impacting, but I believe it's the start - once I can continuously recognize the Holy Spirit in these (what I call) simple tasks, maybe our relationship will deepen. But even if it's always just 'simple' stuff, I'll smile at it every time, that's for sure!

Before that, it was an evening.  DH was at the gym and I was putting the kids to bed, one upstairs and one downstairs. DH was being dropped off at the house by a friend since I had needed the one car we have that evening (I'm guessing Girl Scouts) so that meant he had no way in and I would have to be around to open the garage door when he got home. So, after putting the one upstairs to bed I briskly walked through the kitchen to head downstairs. I took two steps on my way down and in the stillness I 'heard' - 'should probably open the garage door for Jason before I go downstairs'. That time, I continued in my hurried manner down the stairs and got to the bedroom, sat on the bed to pray with my DD and heard a faint 'knock, knock, knock' on the front door. Should have known that was going to happen, why - not because of Murphy's Law, not coincidence - but because the Holy Spirit was attempting to guide me but I chose not to listen. I chose to think it wasn't important enough to heed. 

And before that, I was anxiously awaiting a 'refueling' night at my church, a night for the 'core' of the church, the volunteers; a time for us to come together as a known, proclaimed body of believers for a 'locker room half-time pep talk'.  I made dinner for my family, got ready and stepped out the door to the garage and again, in the stillness of my fleeing (yes, it is possible to have a still mind while you are flying from here to there!) into my mind it said 'what about a bible'. I hadn't thought about it, but I did run back into the house to grab it quickly.  I went into my evening looking forward to the anticipation of being ignited.  I was brave and found some people I didn't know to sit by and they made me feel welcomed. At one point, pastor asked us to pull out bibles to look at Isaiah 58 so I grabbed mine, thanking the Holy Spirit again for the leading; it's always great to highlight in your own bible while going through scripture. The woman next to me saw mine and said to me, 'I thought about grabbing mine but I didn't feel like carrying it around with me. I'm always carrying something when I am with my kids. I just didn't feel like bringing my bible along." I told her how I had the same thought, I called it the Holy Spirit out loud to her so that she might see the connection, but she was already on to the next sentence and done listening - to either of us. 

These are just a few examples that I can remember enough about to share with you. But tonight, for me was the last confirmation I needed to know that I am definitely being guided by my Counselor and I am looking forward, no, I'm waiting expectantly for our next meeting. 

The link I've included (click on the post title) is a book I hope to read sometime soon, as the few pages I got a sneak peak of on Amazon seemed like a great start.