Responding to the Spirit
Losing sensitivity to God's voice can lead to a life without delight in the Lord and ineffectiveness as a Christian, making daily sensitivity to God's voice a necessity for a deep and fulfilling relationship with Him.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the critical need for sensitivity to the Holy Spirit in the lives of young men and women raised in Christian environments. He expresses a deep desire to maintain this sensitivity, valuing it above physical well-being. Tozer laments that many individuals, despite their Christian upbringing, lack a genuine connection with God and fail to respond to His voice. He warns that without the Holy Spirit's influence, these individuals cannot be effective Christians. The sermon calls for a revival of spiritual sensitivity to ensure a vibrant faith.
Text
Are we raising a whole generation of young men and women without any sensitivity to the voice of God's Holy Spirit? I am on record, and I will be as long as I live, that I would rather lose a leg and hobble along throughout the rest of my life than to lose my sensitivity to God and to His voice and to spiritual things! Oh, how I want to keep that sensitivity within me-within my soul! I am thinking about a great throng of men and women raised in Christian homes. They have been brought up in Sunday school. They probably cut their first baby tooth on the edge of a hymn book when the mother was not watching. Still, to this day, they are not right with God. Some have made a kind of profession but have never been able to delight themselves in the Lord.
The reason?
They have lost sensitivity to the message and the voice of God. If the Holy Spirit cannot move something within their beings every day they are not going to be effective Christians-if they are Christians at all!
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Sensitivity to God's Voice
- The Consequences of Losing Sensitivity
- The Necessity of Daily Sensitivity
- The Holy Spirit's role in moving us
- The need for daily sensitivity to be effective Christians
Key Quotes
“I would rather lose a leg and hobble along throughout the rest of my life than to lose my sensitivity to God and to His voice and to spiritual things!” — A.W. Tozer
“If the Holy Spirit cannot move something within their beings every day they are not going to be effective Christians-if they are Christians at all!” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Prioritize spiritual things and regularly seek to be moved by the Holy Spirit.
- Recognize the importance of sensitivity to God's voice in maintaining a deep relationship with Him.
- Make daily sensitivity to God's voice a priority in order to be effective Christians.