What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. (NIV)

My husband is in the military and sometimes trying to follow his stories feels like piecing together a foreign language I'm only mildly familiar with. In my best moments, it's like a game: Can I piece together the three unfamiliar acronyms he just threw out based solely on context? Will I correctly interpret what happened as a good thing or a bad thing, so I know whether to laugh or shake my head? The answer is no, no I likely will not.  

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Because I don't have the same understanding of military realities as my husband, and I definitely don't have the same knowledgebase of military jargon. I don't even see the world the same way, in fact. And I think sometimes it can feel similar for us as we talk with unbelievers, or even as a newer Christian yourself.  

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Paul explains in today's passage that the Spirit is the source of all spiritual understanding in our lives. That moment when you were first intrigued by the gospel message or compelled by the witness of a believer - that was the Spirit. That moment when you surrendered your life to Jesus - the Spirit gave you that strength and understanding. That moment when you read a Bible verse and it meant something to you - that was the Spirit, helping you understand the words of God.  

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We like to think we've got a good head on our shoulders; we're pretty smart. But truly, friends, God has given every believer his Spirit so that we can understand the gospel. Without him, it's all upside-down nonsense. That friend of yours who you've shared Jesus with and they just aren't getting it - there's an absence of the Spirit's understanding there.

But what about you today? If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, you have the Spirit of God in you. The question is, are you letting him help you understand what God has freely given you? Are you asking him for wisdom as you speak with your coworkers, your friends, your kids? Are you inviting him to illuminate the Scriptures as you read your Bible, or are you settling for staring at ancient words on a page? Are you welcoming him into your anxiety and your anger, asking him to show you the spiritual reality in this moment of physical stress? If you haven't asked the Spirit these things before, or at least in a while, you can start today!

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Plus, here's the bonus gift: Verse 13 reminds us that we aren't alone in this journey to walking in step with the Spirit as our teacher and guide. Just as Paul and his associates spoke the words of God, not in words taught them by human wisdom but in words taught them by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words, so we today can receive their teaching as recorded in the Bible, as well as the teaching of other followers of Jesus in our lives today. And, by the Spirit, we can even share the understanding he has given us with others.

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As you raise and disciple your kids, lean on the Spirit to help you explain spiritual realities to them at their level. As you share Jesus with your coworkers and friends, ask the Spirit to speak through you in ways that cut through the wisdom of the world. As you lead and love other believers in your life, remember the source of the understanding you have been given. By no gift, learning, or wisdom of our own does God enable us to understand and teach spiritual realities. This great gift of edifying other believers is by the power of the Spirit of God in each of us. Thank him for this great gift and lean on him alone as you speak Jesus today.

Father God, thank you for the gift of your Spirit! I'm so thankful that you have not only saved me, but that you also want to help me understand more of you. Soften my heart to the Spirit's leading, influence, and teaching today, that I would both grow in understanding of your truth and as a teacher and witness of YOU to those you've put in my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.