Absolutely. Consider it done!
KP
1 Like
Much appreciated!
J.
In full agreement with you here @KPuff
J.
I understand your concern, @KPuff but my point wasn’t aimed at those with genuine limitations, it was directed at the widespread spiritual laziness we see today. Hebrews 5:11–14 rebukes those who should be teachers by now but still need milk, not solid food. This isn’t about capacity, it’s about unwillingness. God does strengthen the weak, yes, but He never excuses sloth.
Paul told Timothy to “discipline yourself for godliness” (1 Tim 4:7). The Spirit empowers, but we must stir up the gift (2 Tim 1:6). The warning still stands, lethargy in the Word is never applauded.
J.
@Johann, right, I see your point clearly.
From my personal experience (not pointing fingers) God has not enabled me to be very confident about knowing if someone else is “unable” or if they are bing “lazy” or “apathetic”. At times it seems fairly obvious, but most of the time my initial labeling of someone else is shortsighted at best, or at worst, demonstrates my own inability to see past the enormous log in my own eye.
I am fully behind every regular admonishment to be assiduous disciples; to:
Be diligent to present “oneself” approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15.
Both my conscience, and The Holy Spirit urge me to personally be careful to not fool myself into thinking I know for sure who is working up to their ability and who is just phoning-it-in.
Peace
KP
Oh my, my–
Brother, the call to discernment is not the same as the sin of condemnation. Paul charged the church in 1 Corinthians 5:12 to judge those inside, not with a spirit of superiority, but with a love that confronts when compromise threatens. Christ Himself said in John 7:24, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” The issue is not whether we discern, but how we do it, anchored in truth, seasoned with grace.
Hebrews 3:13 commands us, “Exhort one another daily… lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” That means spiritual sloth must be addressed, not excused, because love warns when drifting becomes deadly. Love speaks up. Silence, in the face of consistent neglect, is not humility, it is complicity.
Am I claiming to read hearts? No. God alone does that (1 Samuel 16:7). But when believers consistently avoid the Word, shrink from doctrine, and show no appetite for spiritual growth, Scripture gives us a name for it, not inability, but dullness (Hebrews 5:11). Not every struggler is lazy, but neither is every struggler innocent. Romans 12:11 commands us to “not be slothful in zeal, but fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” That imperative cuts through excuses.
So if I sound sharp, it is not because I presume to judge ANYONE. It is because I fear God enough not to watch apathy spread through the Church without sounding the alarm. Better a faithful wound (Proverbs 27:6) than flattery that coddles compromise.
Let the Word judge us both. That is where safety lies.
“Behind the Screen”
He types with fire, bold and clean,
A warrior cloaked in glass and screen,
The sword he wields is forged in Word,
But never sees the ones he’s heard.
No voice to tremble, no eyes to break,
No heart to sense, no breath to take,
His gospel bites, his doctrine strikes,
Yet never walks where others hike.
He quotes the truth with holy aim,
But misses faces, not just names,
Each soul reduced to thread and tag,
A profile pic, a tribal flag.
He sees not tears, nor silent ache,
He sees not wounds his zeal might make,
He answers sin, but skips the pain,
He feeds the fire, forgets the flame.
For forums teach the mind to spar,
But rarely teach how close we are,
To crushing one for whom Christ bled,
While counting “likes” for what we said.
O scribe behind your keyboard throne,
Have you not known, are you not shown?
That Christ did not just pen or preach,
But touched the leper, crossed the breach?
So write with truth, but write with grace,
Remember love has hands and face,
The one you face is not a ghost—
He is your brother, blood-bought, close.
The screen divides, but cannot shield,
The judgment seat, the harvest field.
For words will rise and be revealed—
Did they bring balm, or sword concealed?
O saint behind the glowing screen,
Let mercy flow through all that’s seen.
Let doctrine serve, not pride be fed—
And see your neighbor, not just thread.
Heard!
I appreciate you.
I really liked the poetry. I didn’t see an attribution. Is this one of yours?
Thanx again
KP
Anonymous
J.
All I want to know is how you tell the difference between your conscience and the Holy Spirit? If you have never experienced the Holy Spirit or cannot tell the difference, that is okay. There is no shame in that.
We all must grow. Maybe someday you will be able to tell the difference. Only some churches, very few, believe that you must recieve the Holy Spirit in order to be saved. Or at the very least only a few believe you will always have some kind of experience.
@Tillman
Your question, “How do you tell the difference between your conscience and the Holy Spirit?” is a worthy one, but Scripture does not leave us groping in the dark. The conscience (syneidēsis, συνείδησις) is not the Holy Spirit, but a God-given faculty woven into human nature, mentioned in Romans 2:15 where Paul says the Gentiles show the work of the Law “written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness” (symmartyrouses, συμμαρτυρούσης). It can be misinformed (1 Corinthians 8:7), defiled (Titus 1:15), or seared (1 Timothy 4:2). The Holy Spirit, however, is not a faculty but a Person—the Third Person of the Triune God—who dwells in believers, teaches them (John 14:26), convicts them (John 16:8), leads them (Romans 8:14), and bears witness with their spirit that they are children of God (Romans 8:16, symmartyrei, συμμαρτυρεῖ). So how do you tell the difference? By testing the voice. The conscience reacts to your moral framework; the Holy Spirit instructs, illuminates, and convicts according to the Word of God, not personal preference or past conditioning.
You said, “If you’ve never experienced the Holy Spirit or can’t tell the difference, that’s okay.” But biblically, that is not okay. Romans 8:9 is unflinching: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” The verb echei (ἔχει) is present active indicative—he does not possess, grasp, or hold the Spirit—he does not belong to Christ. This is not an optional layer for mature Christians. This is the dividing line between life and death, between indwelling and alienation. The Spirit is not an accessory to salvation but its seal and guarantee (Ephesians 1:13–14, esphragisthēte, ἐσφραγίσθητε—you were sealed). If someone lacks the Spirit, they are not in Christ, period.
You said, “There is no shame in that.” But Scripture says there is urgency in that. Paul doesn’t pat the unregenerate on the back. He pleads with them: “Examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). The verb peirazete (πειράζετε) means test or scrutinize, as metal in fire. He follows it with dokimazete (δοκιμάζετε), “prove yourselves.” The presence of the Spirit is not some mystical sensation we chase—it’s the transforming, sanctifying, illuminating, fruit-bearing power of God in the soul of the believer. If He is not there, Christ is not there. If Christ is not there, salvation is not there. This is not shame. This is a call to repentance and life.
You said, “Only some churches believe you must receive the Holy Spirit to be saved.” But that is because only some churches read Romans 8. The Spirit is not a denomination’s dogma—it is God’s own doctrine. The early church was not divided on this. In Acts 19:2, Paul asked disciples at Ephesus, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (elabete, ἐλάβετε—an aorist active verb indicating a real event). They hadn’t even heard of Him, so Paul preached the gospel again, baptized them in Jesus’ name, and then they received the Holy Spirit. Faith in Christ, regeneration, and receiving the Spirit are inseparable. That is apostolic Christianity.
Lastly, you said, “Very few believe you always have some kind of experience.” But let’s be careful with how we define “experience.” The Bible does not promise tongues or trembling for every believer, but it does promise the Spirit will bear fruit (Galatians 5:22–23), produce conviction (John 16:8), empower prayer (Romans 8:26), flood the heart with love (Romans 5:5), and conform us into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). These are not optional extras. They are the signs of life. Paul told the Thessalonians, “Our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5, plērophoria, πληροφορίᾳ). Not a fleeting emotion, but a Spirit-wrought assurance.
In short, the difference between conscience and Spirit is the difference between creation and new creation. The conscience responds to law. The Spirit writes it. The conscience feels guilty. The Spirit leads to repentance. The conscience may accuse. The Spirit regenerates. So the real question isn’t “can you tell the difference?” It’s “do you have the Spirit of Christ?” Because if you do, the difference won’t be a guess. It will be a witness, a fruit, a fire, a voice crying “Abba, Father” from within your soul.
J.
Scripture is important, beloved. But we are asking for your personal experience. Your personal understanding. How do YOU tell the difference between the two IN YOUR DAILY LIFE? And you have still neglected to give an answer. Which predisposes one to believe you have no experience whatsoever on this subject. You only have words. From a worthy source yes. But they are not your words. They are God’s Word. And your use of those words, wrong or right.
Thank you for stating the importance of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps pursue it?
Great! Are you charismatic? Which church are you affiliated with @Tillman ?
Pentecostal?
J.
@Tillman
The difficulty responding to your question lies not in any inability to tell the difference between the two, but in finding a kind and gentle way to explain it to someone who thinks they are similar enough to pose the question. It is like trying to respond to the question
“Can you tell the difference between a potato and a tornado? "Maybe someday, if you grow enough, you will be able to.”
I think your remarks were intended to be insulting, and if so, I can see why you are asking about these influences, both of which you are obviously able to easily disregard.
KP
A potato is a root, a tomato grows on a vine.
I have a hard time believing the religious words of others who do not offer real life witness with examples from their lives. Which is often what I find on this site. A script of religiosity with no real experience lived to back it. For all I know, you could all be false teachers, members of cults, covertly twisting God’s Word and the minds of those reading your words and pouncing on anyone who defies you. But I do hope for better.
A while back, in the 70s or 80s, people were afraid of Satanic messages being placed backwards on to recorded music so quietly that you could barely hear them.. As if to say the devil speaks backwards, in a whisper.
Well, DOGMA spelled backwards is a secret declaration of being God. ( ) AM GOD. But its a covert declaration. Covert because the person declaring Godhood is missing. Hiding behind the pretense of being supported by God while twisting the Word of God. Where as God says, I AM. God does not hide. God is always present.
The devil is in the details, including the dogmas you live by when they are not actually of God, like those twisted by cult leaders and false teachers. God does not need to back His promises with threats through his followers. But you will fear God when you stand before Him.
I personally admit my stance and my experiences. And I tell you to think for yourselves, which I believe is Christ like and humble. I don’t know everything there is to know and I could be wrong, and I admit to it . i see no such hunility in you.
If you choose to be insulted, I cannot control that. But consider growing as a person instead.
Thank you, @KPuff you are two steps ahead of me with sharp discernment and a clear sense of the command to test the spirits. That kind of vigilance is rare but vital, and your awareness of it stands out. The call to test the spirits is not just wise advice, it is a biblical imperative given to guard the flock and protect the truth. Snide remarks often surface in these conversations, and they are sadly a common occurrence when deeper issues are being exposed or challenged.
J.
Haa haa
I said:
[Chuckling]
KP
@Tillman can you elaborate on your experiences?
J.
One is full of air. Like the Prince of Air.
God Bless.
Now that we have distinguished between a potato and a tornado, could you elaborate on your ἐμπειρία (empeiria, experience) — or, as the Hebrew might convey, your נִסָּיוֹן (nissayon, tested experience or trial)?
J.
I share all the time from my life and experience and my thoughts. Sure wish you would. Perhaps by getting back to the subject of this thread instead of playing games.