Part 5 (2/2)
Remember also the Bible says, ”... out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matt. 12:34). Whatever is in your heart is going to come out of your mouth. If you've got a song in your heart, it's going to come out. If it's not coming out of your mouth, it's just not in your heart. But if you're filled with the Spirit, you've got a song in your heart, and it will eventually come out of your mouth!
Now let's look again at Ephesians 5:18,19, and its companion verse, Colossians 3:16 to understand more about speaking or singing in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
EPHESIANS 5:18,19.
18 ... be [being] filled with the Spirit; 19 SPEAKING TO YOURSELVES in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart TO THE LORD.
There are two things I want you to notice in this verse. First, in verses 18 and 19 the Bible is talking about speaking in psalms and hymns in your own private life at home. It says, ”Speaking to yourselves . . . [and] to the Lord.” As we said, these are songs that the Holy Ghost gives you by the inspiration of the Spirit, not necessarily those you get out of a songbook. A psalm is a spiritual poem or an ode. You speak or sing these psalms and spiritual songs to yourself, to edify and build yourself up.
The companion scripture to this verse, Colossians 3:16, gives us some further instruction on speaking in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.
COLOSSIANS 3:16.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonis.h.i.+ng ONE ANOTHER in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
We've already looked at this verse in relation to being filled with the Word of G.o.d: ”Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom....” But there's something else I want you to notice about this verse.
Here in Colossians 3:16, the Bible is talking about teaching and admonis.h.i.+ng one another. Notice that we are also to teach and admonish one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. We are to minister to one another, teaching and admonis.h.i.+ng one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.
That means if you didn't know what the psalm or hymn is instructing - then it's teaching you; you're being taught what is given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. If you did know it, then the psalm, hymn, or spiritual song is admonis.h.i.+ng you. However, we won't be able to teach and admonish one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs unless the word of Christ dwells in us richly in all wisdom!
According to Colossians 3:16 then, there are some psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that are to be spoken or sung to one another. And yet, on the other hand, the Bible says in Ephesians 5:19 there are some psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that we are to speak to ourselves, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord. Therefore, there are some songs, hymns, and spiritual songs we are to sing to one another, and there are some we are to sing to ourselves and unto the Lord.
Colossians 3:17 sheds more light on this for us.
COLOSSIANS 3:17.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to G.o.d and the Father by him.
Whether we speak or sing in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs in our own private devotions to build ourselves up and to sing unto the Lord, or whether we speak or sing them to teach and admonish one another in the public a.s.sembly - let everything be done as unto the Lord to glorify His Name.
Sometimes I just speak in psalms because I'm not a singer; otherwise, I would sing the psalms the Holy Spirit gives me. But since I don't sing, I just recite the psalm or the hymn that comes by the inspiration of the Spirit. The Bible says to speak to yourself in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs and to have a song in your heart to the Lord. I sometimes wake up at 4 o'clock in the morning, and just spend an hour or two speaking to myself in psalms. We're all encouraged to do that.
Don't Stop at the Door to the Supernatural!
So many times folks have just stopped at the door to the supernatural. They got filled with the Holy Ghost and they spoke with other tongues. Thank G.o.d for that. But there is more to the supernatural power of G.o.d than that. If you were initially filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues, then continue to speak supernaturally - both in tongues and in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. And stay filled with the Word of G.o.d so you can speak it forth boldly.
Staying full of the Word and full of the Spirit is how we constantly maintain a fresh anointing in our lives. We need to stay in G.o.d's Presence until we get a fresh anointing. We need to follow G.o.d's New Testament pattern so we can be full reservoirs to His glory.
So let's continue to speak with other tongues and to sing and make melody in our hearts to the Lord. And let's continue to teach and admonish one another because the Word of Christ dwells in us richly in all wisdom.
When was the last time you spoke in a psalm given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? Maybe you've said, ”I've heard other Christians speak in psalms, and I've prayed that the Lord would give that ability to me.'' Or maybe you've thought that speaking in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs belongs to just a few Christians and that not every Christian has the ability to speak in psalms. But, no, as we've seen speaking by the unction of the Spirit belongs to every single Christian because the Bible said, ”Ye may all prophesy.” And speaking in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs is exercising the simple gift of prophecy.
G.o.d is still anointing His people to prophesy! I'm not talking about standing in the office of the prophet. I'm talking about the simple gift of prophecy. The Bible says the simple gift of prophecy is to speak to men unto edification, exhortation, and comfort, and that we may all prophesy: ”... ye may all prophesy one by one...” (1 Cor. 14:31).
But, you see, even the simple gift of prophecy must be exercised under the anointing. So much of the time people don't prophesy under the anointing; they work up something in the flesh. No, they need to wait for the anointing to prophesy. They need to be anointed with fresh oil!
Therefore, if you're full of the Holy Spirit - if you're anointed with fresh oil - you can speak to yourself and to the Lord in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs whenever you desire. If it weren't possible to do so, the Bible wouldn't encourage us to do it! We all need to be anointed with the fresh oil that speaking with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs brings.
We're to speak to whom? To yourself and to the Lord! Whether you are by yourself or with someone else, stay in G.o.d's Presence long enough to be filled with a fresh anointing, speaking in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs in your heart to the Lord. Then you will be filled to overflowing with the Spirit of G.o.d and you can teach and admonish one another.
The anointing to speak in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs will come up inside of you. The Holy Spirit is in you, and the anointing of G.o.d is in you too. Sometimes the anointing will come upon you; sometimes it will rise up within you. It works in different ways with different people, but it is still the same anointing. When that anointing comes upon you or rises up within you, the words will just come rolling out of your mouth and you will speak words unto G.o.d you never thought of speaking before. There will be a certain amount of rhyme to them because a psalm is a spiritual poem or ode. It may rhyme or it may not, but there is an element of poetry to it.
When I get started speaking in that realm, psalms just keep flowing out of me. I have spoken nearly all night long just to myself in psalms. Here are two of the psalms the Holy Spirit has given me.
Praising the Lord I will praise the Lord at all times; I am not moved by what I see. When the way seems dark, when there seems no way, I stand my ground and praise Him; Because He seeth the way that I go and I walk in His path, and I'll do that which is pleasing in His sight.
And the storms of life may come, and the thunder may roll and the lightning may flash, but as I walk, I know that victory is mine at last!
Because, you see, He came from heaven long ago, and He is the Champion sent by the Father G.o.d to the earth below, and He elevates mankind into the place where they know - Know their place in Him! Know the reality of His blessings and truth. And so the enemy cannot gainsay them. And they'll praise G.o.d day and night.
Victory
Victory is not in places or things. Victory is not in what I can see or feel. Victory is in Him - Christ the Champion from heaven.
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