He will disclose to you what is to come. John 16:13c

Why does the Spirit need to speak to us concerning issues of the future?  I think many of us could use a little information about our future. If we are totally clueless about the future, we will eventually be blown away by it! Usually knowing a little about the future quells fear and makes our faith stronger.

I know many years ago when the Holy Spirit first began to speak to our family about some futuristic event, it was like being given a snap shot or picture of something that was going to happen at some time down the road. On most occasions, these snap shots were not outside our own personal sphere of influence. These glances or pictures were about our own personal world. We couldn’t do anything about the event, except watch it transpire. We called it “flagging.”  In other words, the Lord shared with us something of the future and we would flag it so that we wouldn’t be shocked when the event came to pass. This went on for years.

As time has passed, these same snap shots have grown bigger to include other larger events and even some cataclysmic events.  But believe me, it didn’t start off with large, grandiose words and pictures.

Does the Lord want to speak like this in everyone’s life?  I believe He does.  The reason He can’t is because the Holy Spirit is never allowed to start small in the believer’s life.  If not for my wife, I would have never listened or paid any attention to the Spirit’s prompting in those early years.  She was the one who listened intently, recorded them, and marked the calender when they came to pass.  Because those first snap shots were not as “meaningful” as I thought they should be, I discarded them like yesterday’s news.  Oh, the arrogance of some pastors.  Needless-to-say, I got tired of eating crow.  My wife didn’t make me eat it, the Lord did!

Jesus plainly told us…The Holy Spirit will disclose to us what is to come. This is why I like this word “disclose.”  It means to uncover, unwrap, or reveal.  In other words, these futuristic events the Lord wants to share with us are going to happen anyway, whether we know about it or not. We can be “in the know or remain in the dark.” Since God wants to take care of His children, He would rather us be one of His children who is “in the know.”  Sometimes, when God reveals snap shots of the future, it is a call to prayer.  This means the Lord desires a different outcome and prayer is needed to change things. The Lord always speaks to us when some action needs to take place on our part.

Please remember, the Holy Spirit is not a fortune-teller.  We are never to dictate to Him what we want to hear. He only speaks what He hears from the Father.  If you are looking for your fortune, you need to repent.  It is a dangerous thing to grieve and quench the Holy Spirit.

Start by expecting the Holy Spirit to speak to you in small ways. Unfortunately, most want to begin in dramatic fashion. If you could handle a “big” word, the Lord would have already shared it with you.  Most of us think when the Bible talks about the future it is referring to some BIG, cataclysmic, futuristic event that changes the course of mankind.  But is this what the scripture is referring?  Not necessarily.  If you just had a little info about what you are going through right now in your world of experience, it would help you sleep at night, bless you, and bring glory to the Lord. Life would not be so difficult all the time, because you would already be aware of some of the futuristic hardships.

Did you hear about the teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put his boots on? He asked for help and she could see why. With her pulling and him pushing, the boots still didn’t want to go on. When the second boot was on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost whimpered when the little boy said, “Teacher, they’re on the wrong feet.” She looked and sure enough, they were.

It wasn’t any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on – this time on the right feet.

He then announced, “These aren’t my boots.” She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream, “Why didn’t you say so?” like she wanted.

Once again she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off. He then said, “They’re my brother’s boots. My Mom made me wear them.”

She didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. She mustered up the grace to wrestle the boots on his feet again. She said, “Now, where are your mittens?”

He said, ”I stuffed them in the toes of my boots…”

Sometimes, we just need help. Just a little information about the future would make all the difference in the world. If the Lord Jesus promised help, then it is available.

Blessings,

Pastor