Tag: Holy Spirit

Navigating Life: Listening to the Holy Spirit

Jesus promised us a helper who would guide us in life. Are you paying attention to your navigator?

Scott and I spent almost 40 hours in the car over my last break. We listened to podcasts, sang some tunes, read, and had great conversations about future plans. We love time together in the car. Scott drives twice as much as I do, but I take my turn every now and then so he can get a break. As I was driving on a section of the road that I almost always drive where we transition from I30 to I49 at Texarkana, Scott nonchalantly ask if that factory looked familiar to me. I kinda shrugged it off and kept talking. After a quiet pause, Scott casually asked another question. “Do you think you are on the right road?” Without much thought I answered, “of course. This is how we always go.”  For the third time, Scott calmly stated, “I think we are going north.” You can guess, that I denied that was even a possibility until Scott motioned to the compass on the rear view mirror and pointed out that we were in fact going north. I still don’t know how or where I made the wrong turn, but I obviously did.

Sometimes in life, we do the same. We are traveling down the road of life: living, surviving, keeping our head just above water while possibly unknowingly making a wrong turn. It could be a seemingly insignificant decision, behavior or habit, and we might not even realize this action is placing us on the wrong path. However, the Holy Spirit is quietly pointing out to us that we need to change or we need to adjust priorities. It may not even be a mistake. It may just be the Holy Spirit quietly, discreetly nudging us to change paths. “And when he (Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment ….When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth” John 16:8 & 13.

Change is hard. Personally, once I recognize something needs to change, it usually takes multiple attempts and lots of prayer to get there. It’s not like driving down the highway and a simple U-turn gets your problem fixed. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit keeps whispering in my ear and God is there to provide strength and a path to help me get back on the right road.

Again change is hard, but just think what would have happened if Scott hadn’t been paying attention and noticed that I made a wrong exit? I would have kept going north for possibly miles before realizing I was going the wrong direction. Not only should we listen to the small nudge from the Holy Spirit, but be thankful for it. Listen and make the change as soon as you can.

Another thought, change is easier with a friend. Find someone you can trust and let them know what is on your heart. Ask them to help either by providing support or by providing accountability. Three verses come to my mind that confirm this is a good practice. I included them at the end. Yes, God is there and will give you all you need, but that just might be in the form of a friend.

Finally, consider that you might be the friend who someone else needs to help them get on the right path and stay there. Pray that God will help you be that person.

Scriptures:

 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Romans 12:2

“God is at work in us.” Philippians 2:13

“Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed.” James 5:16

Navigating Life’s Choices with the Holy Spirit

Elevators seem to elude me in hotel hallways. Sometimes the willpower to take the highroad is just as hard to fine. The Holy Spirit is here to help us.

I have a small, embarrassing confession. I hope I’m not alone. When I’m staying at a hotel, I struggle to remember which way to go to find the elevator. I walk out the door of my room, look both ways down the hall and just guess. I have a 50/50 chance of getting it right. The worse guess is when I take off in one direction and about 5 doors down, I decide I chose wrong. I about face, walk back past my door and head the other way only to reach the end of the hall and realize I was right the first time.

You know, life can be like a hotel hallway. Sometimes I feel I’m standing at the door trying to decide which way to go. We are often faced with the choice to love or to hate, to be selfless or selfish, to judge or accept. It is our choice. You can look down the hallway both directions, but eventually you have to make a decision.  There have been times where I have been hurt deeply by someone’s comments or actions. I then had to decide how to reciprocate those actions. These decisions are not easy and in my case, cannot be done without help from the Holy Spirit.

Back to the hotel hallway, my go to if available is to follow Scott out the door and follow his direction. Of course this only works when he is with me, but guess what? In real life, the Holy Spirit is right there with us at all times to guide and direct us. The Holy Spirit will lead us and guide us with those decisions and give us the strength we need if we will follow the leading.

In Galatians 5, Paul tells the Galatians they can be led by the Spirit. Specifically, in verse 16 he says, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” He goes on to explain that the flesh and the Spirit are in conflict with each other. It is like standing in the hotel hallway deciding which way to go. We may want to hurt as deeply as we’ve been hurt. We may want to judge others for the decisions they make. However, all we have to do is follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to fight those fleshly desires.

Interestingly if we are listening and seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we make the right decision and choose wisely to begin with. However, other times we go on our own and make a selfish decision or act in an unloving way only to feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit that what we did was not in alignment with God’s righteousness. John 16:8, “And when he (Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world of its sin.”

I want to take time and talk about the difference between conviction and condemnation. Conviction is from the Holy Spirit and is about a behavior that needs to change or be corrected. Condemnation is from man or Satan and says you are a bad person. That is not true. You are a child of God, made in his image. You are not a bad person. However, everyone makes bad decisions from time to time that need to be corrected. That is why the Holy Spirit was sent to help us.

Maybe you are standing in one of life’s hotel hallways right now trying to decide how to respond or whether to spread untruths to make yourself look better. Choose love, choose kindness, chose the way the Holy Spirit would lead you.