The spiritual journey is intensely personal – and frequently lonely. You came here alone, and will leave alone.
Your personal truth is a phrase I use in this message to refer to what the Holy Spirit personally shows you regarding your unique divine design, your unique divine path, and your unique divine destiny. I think that truth is a very personal matter. I also think that only your personal truth can really set you free. You will, I hope, learn from this message that the Holy Spirit within you is your Personal Guide to your personal truth.
The Guide is within
You may have been asleep for quite a while; and it’s probably about time you woke up and started thinking for yourself. There isn’t much time left in this phase of your journey, and you still have so much to do. Success is not a matter of accomplishments; it’s a matter of fulfilment; and for fulfilment, for success, for progress, you need answers that are peculiar to your divine design, your path, and your divine destiny.
Your personal truth: Those answers that are peculiar to your divine design, your divine path, and your divine destiny.
These answers uniquely pertaining to your being cannot be found in man; seriously. You will never be able to find them in books, in human philosophies, ideologies, or the teachings of organized religion. While it is possible to find lots of explanations and soul-stirring theories from any of those sources, they will never be able to satisfactorily settle the deepest and most stubbornly unyielding questions of your heart. Only the Holy Spirit can do that.
Only the Holy Spirit can answer all your questions and guide you into all truth.
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
~John 16:13
He is the Spirit of truth. He is your Personal Guide into all truth. And, most amazing of all, He is within you.
8 But it is the spirit in a man,
the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.
~Job 32:8
38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit…
~John 7:38,39
This Spirit of truth, the breath of the Almighty that gives understanding to man, flows from within you. Jesus described Him as ‘streams of living water’. I think that’s because He provides satisfactory answers and solutions that are not available from any other sources; solutions that create joy and abiding fulfilment.
Stop looking to men for answers that can only come from within you. No man can answer the real questions of your life. No man can teach you the success formula that is peculiar to your destiny. The answers that really matter to your being can only come from within you. To seek your personal truth from without is to open the door to external control and manipulations that reinforce your mental slavery to market forces.
Let me repeat: The Guide is within, not without. He is the Holy Spirit, requested by Jesus Christ, and sent from the Father.
True religion is a very personal matter
The way I see it, there is a world of difference between true religion and organized religion. One is based on your personal truth from the Holy Spirit; the other is just a bunch of carefully crafted and concealed puppet doctrinal strings. The so-called ‘higher life’ can never be attained through organized religious systems and man-made ritualistic contraptions. Whatever man touches he corrupts, for what is born of flesh is flesh.
At it’s very best, organized religion is nothing but another man’s personal truth. Another man’s way will not work for you, because it was never designed for you. Until you discover your personal truth from the Holy Spirit, you remain a lost soul, slumbering through time; a victim of the manipulations and weaknesses of others.
Only your personal truth – revelations from your Personal Guide within – can free your soul from the slavery of ignorance, and the spell of material illusions.
No ideology, philosophy, or organized religion has a corner on the truth. I don’t have a corner on it either. All I’m sharing here with you are simply my own personal perspectives, opinions, awareness, insight and experiences. They come from my own personal walk with the Holy Spirit. They are mine alone. I share them solely with the hope of inspiring you to find your own path; your personal truth; your own formula; your own personal identity. As I always say, discover yourself!
The spiritual journey is intensely personal – and frequently lonely. You came here alone, and will leave alone.
Relationship with God is a very personal matter – those that insist otherwise may have some tricks up their sleeves!
I have always been intrigued by the encounter between Jesus Christ and Mary just after His resurrection from the dead. Please, read it carefully:
“But Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away”, she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him”. At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
“Woman”, he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him”.
Jesus said to her, “Mary”. She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning too my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”
~John 20:11-17
Quite an interesting story.
Now, take a careful look at the last line of that conversation: “I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”
I got very curious reading that last part. Why didn’t Jesus just say our Father, and our God? Why use ‘my Father and your Father, my God and your God’ instead?
In my opinion, this is why: Relationship with God is a very personal matter. Contrary to what those that profit from organized religion might tell you, your relationship with God is a very private matter. Lots of things that happen within that relationship are uniquely designed for you and only you. What He may tell you in ‘your closet’ may be radically different from, and diametrically opposed to what He may tell me in ‘my closet.’
Your personal truth: His way for you
On the final lap of His earthly walk with His disciples, Jesus Christ after reinstating Peter who had denied Him, described what was going to happen to Peter in the future.
“I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
Now, notice what Peter did:
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved(John) was following them. When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return,what is that to you? You must follow me.”
In other words, “Peter, what I do with John is none of your business!”
Now, that’s just the way it is. Relationship with God is a very personal matter.
The earlier you unshackle your mind from the chains of false formulas, the better for you
They are false because they are not for you.
38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.
“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.
~1 Samuel 17:38-40
I like what David did here. He took them off!
Like David took off Saul’s tunic, armor, and helmet, take off all interpretations that have been hoisted on you. Well, that’s up to you.
As far as I’m concerned, my way is not your way. Your way is not my way. Our way is just another man-made religious prison yard. There is only one way: the Way – and, as I see it, that refers to your personal truth revealed in you by the Holy Sprit.
The truth for you is just that; for you
For the Rich Young Ruler who sought eternal life from Jesus, it was…“If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me”.
~Matthew 19:21
Did Jesus (the Truth) say this to everyone that came to Him for eternal life? No. This Truth was peculiar to the Rich Young Ruler.
For the member of the Sanhedrin who came by night, also seeking eternal life, it was…“You must be born again.”
~John 3:7
Again, did Jesus (the Truth) say this to everyone that came to Him for eternal life? Not at all. This Truth was peculiar to Nicodemus.
For the woman by the well, who also sought eternal life, it was… “Go, call your husband and come back.”
~John 4:16
Did Jesus (the Truth) say this to all that came to Him for eternal life? Again, no. This Truth was peculiar to the woman by the well.
You get the point: The Truth answers personally.
Your personal truth: The Truth’s answers peculiarly suited for you.
So, what answers of the Truth are peculiarly suited for you? What’s your personal truth?
I don’t know; but I know Who does: the Holy Spirit. Only the inner Guide, the Holy Spirit within you, knows your personal truth.
14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
~John 16:14,15
From Jesus Christ [the Truth], the Holy Spirit takes [your personal truth] and makes it known to you. The Rich Young Ruler, Nicodemus, the Woman by the well, and several others, all sought the same thing: eternal life. They all came to the same person: the Truth. But they left with different answers: their personal truth. Isn’t it amazing?
Jesus Christ is no longer physically present on earth, but He arranged for the Holy Spirit to take His place. Only He, the Holy Spirit, your inner Personal Guide, knows the path for you.
Now, reach beyond your doubts, fears, insecurities, and connect with Him. He is waiting; patiently waiting.
And, how do I connect with the Holy Spirit? Well, I’ve been asked this question all my life. Fortunately, I have an answer. I don’t know if it’s the only answer there is, but I choose not to think so. Nevertheless, all I know is that it’s all the answer I have on this matter. I can’t help you beyond telling you that if you intensely desire, if that desire is wholehearted and genuine, He will be drawn to you and will make Himself known to you.