Living Sensitive to the Spirit: Following God's Direction for Your Life

By Debbie Eberly

Living Sensitive to the Spirit: Following God’s Direction for Your Life, will help the believer encounter dramatic change in order to develop a sensitive heart—a heart that is developed and actively follows the leadings of the Holy Spirit. This dynamic book boldly addresses the Body of Christ, parents, young people, and ministers alike, on how to make spiritual decisions. Rev. Eberly addresses making Spirit-led decisions, rather than following soulical affections and ungodly desires based on the world’s ways of doing things. A spiritual progression only takes place as we renew our minds with God’s Word, and develop our spirits—a process that helps us to push forward and advance spiritually in God’s directives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Aug 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9780996248921

Book preview

Materials

Introduction

It was an early morning in mid-December, and I was on a three-day outing on Sundown Lake. There were four other staff members, and we were all taking time to pray and plan out the January unveiling of our new Publishing Department for Spirit of Faith Family Church (SOFFC), Jay Eberly Ministries (JEM) and Harvest Christian Daycare & Learning Center (HCD).

We were organizing how to implement the ministry writing projects and publications that had been on Jay’s and my hearts for several years. Now, it was time to go forward. It was an awesome responsibility, but it was one that we would continue to pray out as we walked in the grace provided.

With all the projects needing my attention, I grew tired and began feeling the pressure trying to crowd in on me. In line with the teaching by my pastor, Rev. Nancy Dufresne, I had been meditating on 1 Peter 5:7 and casting all my care upon the Lord. I was trusting God to lead and direct in all the decisions to be made for the new year.

Jay and I had also been saying, in agreement with Dr. Ed Dufresne’s prophecy spoken earlier in the year, that "all of our desires [God’s desires in us], all of our beliefs and all of our dreams would come to pass in 2012 and beyond!"

I woke up in the cabin around 4:30 a.m. Thursday morning with a stirring in my heart that seemed to be the Lord wanting to give me direction. I have learned over the years to check my spirit during these times, as it is often the Holy Spirit bearing witness with or speaking to my spirit, endeavoring to get my attention.

Although I’ve missed it and have not always listened, I have learned to grow and override my flesh more successfully. I have also trained myself to recognize when God is giving direction to my spirit. I endeavor in these settings to give full attention to Him by praying, writing down these leadings and acting on them.

I have received wonderful direction over the years by learning to develop my human spirit and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead me at His bidding. At other times I have ignored the witness of His Spirit and knew the Lord was displeased with my disinterested attitude.

I have found that our heavenly Father wants to lead us into all good things. He has paths that will direct and advance the grace and gifts on our lives, if we will learn to be alert, clear our souls of our own affections and follow His desires and leadings.

That morning I began to pray in the Spirit. Shortly afterwards, books I had on my heart to write started coming to me. There was a book about looking to the heart, or developing the human spirit, and being led and sensitive to the Spirit that was coming up in my heart.

At first I thought this would be a subject I’d write about after the healing book (which I was writing at the time). And then, there was the honor book I had attempted to write for almost eight years or more.

But, it seemed that I should write this book on Sensitivity to the Spirit right away. I knew I would need to have it published before the next Holy Ghost Meeting in California that Jay and I would attend in January—a meeting that was only a month away!

I tried to reason this leading away. I thought, "What about the healing book? I’m supposed to be working on it over Christmas as it is! Lord, I have so much to do these next few weeks. I’d have to get this to print in no more than two weeks; and, we are in the midst of the holidays. Would the publisher even be available?"

And then, my mind kicked in again, "Oh, I know, I’ll write it in a few months or so." But, my heart bore witness that I needed to write this book NOW, and the Lord would provide the publisher and the provision.

I knew this book would be a quick work, and I’d have to be very disciplined, because I had procrastinated on the healing and honor books in the past. I also remembered I had other large projects that were like growing babies that needed burping, diaper changing and attending! But, there was such a sweet reassurance of a grace that I could tap into if I instantly obeyed the direction on this particular book project.

The chapters and illustrations started coming to me, rolling out of my spirit and flowing up to my mind. I managed to drag my seemingly weary body out of the warmth of the covers and grabbed my iPad from the charger on the bathroom counter. Diligently, I began to write down this experience as well as the chapter titles as they clearly came.

I knew this would be a smaller book, and I would have the grace to finish it in the next few weeks, but I would need to yield to this grace. Light, understanding and illustrations from my years of study of the subject of being led by the Spirit kept flooding my heart. Refreshing came that early morning, and I was charged for the day and the tasks ahead!

I pressed through the waves of fear which tried to thwart me from this God-given assignment, and I spoke to Jay and received his agreement to move forward. It was time to break through the hindrances and distractions. I had allowed procrastination to slow down the other CDs and books that the Spirit had led me to produce and write, but not this time. I knew that now, responding quickly, would open a flood gate into the "more grace" that was so readily available!

At the writing of this book, I have served for almost 30 years in the ministry. For the past several years, God has been giving me a royal boot in the behind to step it up and to get my preaching and teaching materials out.

Jay and I have a call to teach and train up believers and ministers in our local church and in the body of Christ at large. That call includes helping our spiritual parents and pastor, Dr. Ed and Pastor Nancy Dufresne, as well as taking the message of faith with which Dr. Kenneth Hagin was mandated. God told Dad Hagin to Go teach My people faith!

A believer needs to apply faith in every area of his life, especially in the area of being sensitive to the Spirit. I knew this book was the next step God was leading me to take.

An Explanation

I have taken time to explain the experience and leading to write this book for an important reason. It’s an example of how we are to live our lives—by keeping our minds renewed, living sensitive to the Holy Spirit and by doing what God tells us to do.

Part of the call on Pastor Jay’s and my life is to help other Christians know how to live out of their human spirits and how to be led by the Holy Spirit. Too many times Christians do not fulfill the plan of God for their lives because they do not put the Word of God first and follow His directives.

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