There is No Junior Holy Spirit

In my quest to discover more of who God is, I became a ferocious reader. My mentor would suggest books based on what I had been experiencing and then those authors would reference other books that I would seek out and read. (Check out what books I read in my RESOURCES page).

I would spend every free second with my nose in a book – while in my car as I was waiting to pick my kids up from school, in the waiting areas of doctors’ offices, in line at the grocery stores, etc. Basically, if I had a second of down time, I would make sure I had an open book in my hand. I couldn’t get enough.

One thing that blew my mind, as I was reading, was how some authors would share stories of kids and how they would experience the Holy Spirit too. They would describe moments where kids would be unhindered in their hearing of God because they didn’t have the same kind of baggage that some adults do. They do not second guess or over think things. 

They said that just because they are kids does not mean they have a junior Holy Spirit. He is the same in every believer, not a dumbed down version or an incomplete Spirit that the kiddos have to grow into. They have access to the same Spirit that adults do. 

This got me thinking, could I teach my kids to hear the voice of the Lord too? What would this look like? How would I do it?

I prayed about it, asking the Lord for a strategy to teach my kids about how to hear His voice. I love praying this way, asking the Lord for a strategy for an issue I am dealing with. He is outside of the situation and can see all the steps to the solution. So, why not ask?

I had an idea to start with a listening prayer technique. 

How God Communicates

Now, listening prayer does not make God speak. It gives God an opportunity to speak to us, and under no measure, are we filling in the content. We are merely creating an opportunity that the Spirit may choose to use or not. We take the initiative to put ourselves in a place to receive whatever God has for us, but God himself will take the initiative to speak to us.

What I believe is so fun about this journey is that we are told in scripture that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). So, if we are looking at scripture to see how He spoke to His people, we can trust that it still can happen today. You don’t need to lean on your own understanding. Make sure you acknowledge Him and He will guide you (Proverbs 3:5-6). Be open to any way He wants to communicate, because it can take on many forms including:

• A particular scripture coming to mind (Acts 1:20 and 13:1)
• A picture or vision (Acts 10:11-17 and 16:9-10)
• A dream (Daniel 4:4-17 and 7:1-14)
• An interpretation of a dream or vision (Daniel 4:18-27 and 7:15-24)
• A sensation or pain in one’s body (Acts 9:8-9)
• A picture or impression of a word (Acts 10:3)
• A spirit song (Acts 16:25 and Ephesians 5:19)
• Divinely sent messenger or angels (Acts 1:9-11 and 8:26)
• Signs and Wonders (Luke 23:44-45, Acts 5:18-21, 9:36-42, and 12:6-11)
• Restrictions of movement and speech (Acts 16:6-8)
• Other people – God speaks through others all through scripture to tell people about who He is and what He desires for them.

These are just some ways God can communicate with us. But realize that God is a creative God and if He wants your attention, He can use anything He wants. He even used a donkey to speak to so someone (Numbers 22:21-39). So, don’t be limited to your theological or experiential boundaries.

Teaching My Kids to Listen

Parenting is tough! It is the most challenging thing I have ever done. Being aware of each child’s needs can be daunting, especially when they are experiencing things I do not understand.

My oldest, when she was in preschool, developed a sensory sensitivity to clothing. I didn’t understand it and she had a hard time explaining to me what was happening in her body so that I could help her. Most of the time, out of frustration, she would get super angry with what was happening and there was nothing I could do to help her, but love her. That wasn’t always easy and I didn’t always follow through with that love choice.

Sometimes it would take her two hours to get ready each day because of what she was experiencing in her body. This issue got in the way of her relationship with friends, her siblings, her dad, and I.

One day, I was at a loss at how to help her. She wanted to go outside and play in the snow with all the neighborhood kids. But she was crying in anger on her bed because she was fearful of the “funny feelings” she would have when she put on her snow gear.

Her “funny feelings” were debilitating. They would cause her to collapse and fight the clothing that was on her body. She was fully aware that she needed to wear clothes and this daily process was getting in the way of her finding joy in daily activities. It was really hard to watch and experience, as her mom. My heart ached as I watched this happen every day.

This time, I began to pray. I said, “Lord, what do I do? How do I help her?” I immediately began thinking about how He knows her body best, because He created her. She should ask Him what to do, because everything I was suggesting for her to do, she wasn’t willing to try.

I decided to try teaching her a listening prayer technique that I had been reading about and experiencing myself. Listening prayer is based on the concept of prayer as two-way communication—we talk and God talks.

I figured that it couldn’t hurt anything to try this technique with my daughter. She has the same Holy Spirit that I do, as I said, no junior Holy Spirit here.

As she was crying on her bed, I placed my hand on her back and began to tell her that Jesus loves her more than I ever will be able to and I love her so much, so that is saying something about how much He loves her. He also created her! He knows her body and how it works better than either of us and He can help her know what to do.

I then asked her if she would be willing to ask God what she should do so she can go outside and play. I said to ask God the question out loud and tell me the first thing that comes to mind.

She asked Him, then folded her arms in anger, and rolled over.

I sat there and waited for what felt like forever. I then laughed a little and said, “He told you something, didn’t He?”

She said, “Yes, but I don’t want to do it!”

“What did He tell you to do?”

“He told me to get dressed in my snow stuff and go outside. It will go away once I go outside.”

“That is awesome. He gave you a way to play with your friends. Let’s just try it. If it doesn’t work, you can come right back in. But if it does work, then you know God spoke to you and you know He can help you through anything.”

I was taking a big risk here by saying those things, but I trusted that this was God because she NEVER would have said to just put the clothes on. She HATED clothes. This strategy was not a part of her thinking, EVER!

I convinced her to start putting on her snow pants. Through her tears, she continued with her jacket, boots, hat, and mittens. I opened up the door and with tears streaming down her face, she walked outside. She didn’t come back in for two hours!

It worked! God had given her the strategy to overcome her “funny feelings.”

As I watched her play outside, tears were streaming down my face in thankfulness that the God of the heavens saw our need, and in love, helped us through it.

When she came back in I asked if her “funny feelings” ever went away while she was outside. She smiled and said, “They went away when I walked outside.”

As I looked into her eyes, my hands on her shoulders and excitement in my voice, I explained to her that she did hear from God. He helped her know what to do! He knows her body better than she does and is ALWAYS there to help her because He loves her and is ALWAYS with her.

She got a HUGE smile on her face and gave me a big hug.

This was the first of many times that the Lord spoke to her. It has been fun to walk this journey with her and the rest of my kids.

(Her funny feeling have finally dissipated and are no longer an issue in the Miller home. Praise Jesus for answered prayer!)

Now, some might argue that what God said to my daughter is not found in scripture. Yes! True! 

However, is there anything in scripture that would come against this type of action? No.

If I brought this statement to scripture does it fall in line with Him loving her? Yes.

Would the outcome bring her Joy and feel loved by the one that created her? Yes.

Isn’t that God’s ultimate design is for us to feel LOVED and KNOWN by Him? Yes.

I hope this story brings hope into your life that you too can hear the Lord. He is always speaking and wanting to share His heart and His strategies for our lives and situations we find ourselves in. He always wants what is best for us because He loves us more than we can comprehend.

He is a good, good Father!

If you find yourself in a spot where you have questions about this or are unsure how to pursue the voice of the Lord, I would love to help you. Reach out to me through my CONTACT page so we can get the conversation started.

Part of my goal for this website is to help you encounter the Living God of the Bible. I would love to help you enter into a relationship with Him that is life-altering because you have encountered the love of the Father in a way that will radically change how you see Him and see yourself!

I have put together a RESOURCE page that lets you check out what books, e-courses, podcasts, and classes I have devoured in my journey of discovering more of who God is. I was so thankful when my mentor gave me a list of resources to check out to get me going and I hope I can do the same for you.