The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly. Proverbs 20:27 (KJV)

This verse describes the human spirit as a candle. What exactly does that mean? Let’s consider the word candle, or lamp if you are reading another version of the Bible. A candle or lamp provides light or illumination. When God speaks to us, He provides illumination. He shines light on a matter. How does He do this? He does it through our human spirit.

As we have discussed in other posts, man is made of three parts: spirit, soul and body. When God communicates to us, He does so through our spirit. We get guidance, direction and wisdom from God through our spirit. He does not lead us by our soul or body, even though we may try to find His direction that way. We may try to find direction through our soul (mind, will and emotions), but that will lead us down the wrong road. God wants us to use our soul because He expects us to think, choose and feel, but His communication to us is through our spirit. God also does not use our physical body, or the five senses, to speak to us. He will talk to us through our spirits.

In the Old Testament account of Elijah, God’s communication was described as a still, small voice. As He speaks through our spirit, He does not shout. This means we have to pay attention and be listening closely to get His message. Listening to our born-again human spirit is done by stilling ourselves and paying attention to what is coming up out from the depths of our bellies. As our selected verse notes, the spirit is centered in the region of our belly. As we sit in His presence, we can begin to tap into what is flowing up from our belly. We may “hear” God speak a scripture to us. We might “hear” Him encouraging us. He may give us specific direction. He may tell us of things to come. There are many things He may speak to us, but they will always line up with the Word of God. If you “hear” something that is contrary to the Bible, it is not of God and should be rejected.

Spend some time today listening to God through your spirit. Grab a pen and paper and quiet yourself. Focus on God and pay attention to what is coming up from your gut. Write down what you hear. Keep a journal of what God is saying to you. You’ll be amazed at how much Holy Spirit is saying if you’ll just listen and gain illumination through your spirit.