Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 4:
4 But Jesus answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the Mouth of God.'”
Though bread would satisfy physical hunger, only the rhḗma Word of GOD will satisfy the Spirit and soul of man.
Jesus further spoke in Matthew chapter 5:
6 Blessed are those who are hungering and thirsting for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called Sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus spoke of the qualifiers to live in Holiness. These are facets of being led by The Holy Spirit. Jesus was full of power and authority as He was led by The Spirit into the wilderness. He emptied Himself of physical sustenance and relied totally on Every Word coming from the Mouth of GOD. When He spoke, His Words were directly given to Him from The Holy Spirit so that He would be the Perfect Example for us to live by.
His witness as a man subject to like passions as you and me, show us that we too can walk in total and complete Holiness. What does it take? To be led by The Holy Spirit in all aspects of our daily walk. He was preparing us to receive The Holy Spirit Who was soon to come.
Jesus spoke in Luke chapter 24:
49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on High.”
To tarry is to linger, to stay longer than expected, to not have an agenda, or to encounter God’s Presence for an extended period of time.
We must empty our minds and remove all distractions of the world so that we can focus on The Spiritual realm. I find that early morning is the ideal time for me to hear The Holy Spirit’s instructions for the day. There is little or no noise from the world to distract my mind. My wife, on the other hand, often hears The Holy Spirit’s instructions while water is running, whether it be in the shower or at the sink. The common thread is some type of separation from distractions.
Jesus spoke in Acts chapter 1:
4 And while staying with them Jesus ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, He said, “you heard from Me;
5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Have you ever spent ten consecutive days in prayer and fasting to receive power and authority from The Holy Spirit? Effectively, this is what the disciples did. There is a price to pay to receive power from Heaven. It takes commitment. Is this a formula? By no means. It is simply an example of their level of commitment to the Words of Jesus.
Luke recorded in Acts chapter 2:
1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.
2 And suddenly there came from Heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
3 And divided Tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Why do people challenge the manifestation of The Holy Spirit in verse 4? Paul spoke in Tongues more than all. I have been praying in Tongues for over 50 years. Why challenge a Gift from GOD? Embrace HIS Word in all areas and you will move on to fully maturity as a Son of Daughter of GOD. If you reject any aspect of HIS written Word, how can you expect to hear GOD’S Voice in all aspects of HIS leading?