The more you fellowship with someone, the more familiar you become with that person. And the more familiar you become, the more sensitive you become to their voice, even when they are not speaking loudly.

After thirty-two years of marriage, I can tell what my wife is saying even when she says nothing. I can also tell what she is not saying, even when she speaks. That level of understanding did not come in one day. It developed through years of fellowship, communication, and intimacy.

In the same way, sensitivity to the voice of the Holy Spirit is developed through fellowship with Him. The more you fellowship with Him, the more familiar you become with His voice, His ways, and His promptings.

One of the primary ways we fellowship with the Holy Spirit is through the Word of God because the Holy Spirit is the Author of Scripture.

Second Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” When you read, study, and meditate on the Word, you are not merely reading a book. You are giving attention to the truth inspired by the One who lives in you.

YOU CANNOT NEGLECT THE WORD AND EXPECT SENSITIVITY

Many people want to hear the voice of God, but they hardly give attention to His Word.

There is no time for the Bible. No time to study. No time to meditate. Yet they want to become increasingly sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

That is not how intimacy works.

Joshua 1:8 says:

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night.”

To meditate means to mutter, recite, ponder, and repeatedly bring the Word before your heart and mind. It means taking what God has said and staying with it long enough for it to become part of your thinking.

But meditation is more than mechanically repeating words. It is staying with the Word until understanding comes. It is asking questions, pondering what you have read, and seeking the inspiration and wisdom of God.

STAY WITH THE WORD

I remember meditating on Habakkuk 2:3, where the Bible says that the vision is for an appointed time and that, though it tarries, we should wait for it because it will surely come.

I began to ask myself, “If it will surely come and will not tarry, why does the Bible say, ‘Though it tarry, wait for it’?”

As I continued to ponder on the verse, I came to understand that what appears to be a delay from my perspective does not mean that God has missed His appointed time.

That understanding came through meditation.

This is one of the ways the Holy Spirit brings illumination. You take the Word, stay with it, turn it over in your heart, and seek to understand what God is saying.

You are not simply rushing through a chapter so that you can say you have read your Bible. You are fellowshipping with the Author.

MEDITATION IS NOT WORRY

Meditation is different from worry, although both involve keeping a matter on your mind.

When you worry, you keep turning a problem over and over in your heart, looking for a way out.

When you meditate on the Word, you keep turning God’s instruction over and over in your heart, looking for wisdom and understanding.

The difference is what occupies your attention.

Worry keeps your mind on the problem. Meditation keeps your mind on what God has said.

This is why the quality of what occupies your mind matters. If you continually fill your heart with God’s Word, you create room for His truth to shape your thoughts, decisions, responses, and understanding.

DO NOT BE LED BY EXPERIENCES ALONE

Spiritual sensitivity is not developed through occasional encounters. It grows through continuous fellowship.

There are people who have experienced disturbing spiritual encounters and have needed deliverance. In such situations, the authority of the name of Jesus is greater than any spiritual experience or manifestation.

Our confidence is not in our ability to understand every spiritual phenomenon. Our confidence is in Jesus Christ and the authority He has given us.

This is why the believer must not only desire spiritual experiences. We must know the Word and understand our position in Christ.

The Holy Spirit will never lead us away from the truth of Scripture. He brings understanding, conviction, direction, and strength through the truth He inspired.

The Word gives us the foundation by which we discern what we hear, what we experience, and what we are prompted to do.

BECOME FAMILIAR WITH HIS VOICE

The Holy Spirit should not be a stranger to the believer.

He should become your Friend.

You should become so acquainted with His Word and His ways that you can recognize His promptings and understand His dealings with you.

Think about the way familiarity develops in a marriage. You learn a person’s voice. You learn their expressions. You understand their silence. You recognize when something is wrong, even before they explain it.

That kind of familiarity is developed through relationship.

Our relationship with the Holy Spirit works in much the same way. The more time we spend with Him, the more sensitive we become to His voice.

And one of the clearest places to become familiar with His voice is in the Word.

So give attention to the Scriptures.

Read them. Study them. Recite them. Meditate on them. Ask questions. Ponder them. Seek understanding.

Do not continually neglect the Word and expect to become increasingly sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

The more familiar you become with the Word, the more prepared you are to recognize the voice of the Spirit who inspired it.

Focus on the Word.