Walk the Walk
Whether you are a new believer, a long-time believer or a pre-believer this podcast is for you! Walk the Walk will help answer some questions you may have. I will talk about the Bible...and what it means to me. Not only will I share, but guests will be invited to share their own stories on how God is moving in their lives. You will be encouraged, uplifted and hopefully you will want to seek God to be a part of your life. You are welcome here.
Walk the Walk
The Art of Divine Residence: Opening Your Heart to the Holy Spirit
Inviting the Holy Spirit into our very being is more than a courteous gesture; it's about embracing a constant divine presence with sincerity. In today's talk, I encourage you to open your heart to the Holy Spirit's residence, a move that promises to reshape our understanding of sovereignty and trust. Together, we explore the art of being still, listening for that gentle guidance, and the courage it takes to follow a path veiled from our view. Join me as we reflect on the spiritual journey of a lifetime, welcoming the Holy Spirit into every facet of our lives.
Hello and welcome to Walk the Walk. Have you ever heard the song Holy Spirit? You are welcome in this place? Every time we sing that song we're usually in a church well, unless I'm singing it at home, which I'm not going to do for you today, but usually we're sitting in a church singing Holy Spirit, you are welcome in this place and I love that song. I just love the whole sense of welcoming in the Holy Spirit. But as I was thinking about it, I thought I don't think we're actually saying you are welcome in the physical place of the church, but within us. You are welcome in this place. Are you welcoming the Holy Spirit into your place? And I don't mean your home, your car, although those are options, but I think the most important place is in your heart. Are you welcoming the Holy Spirit there?
Speaker 1:You know we have those remote controlled cars and planes and they were really popular at one time. I don't know if they still are. They may be, but I don't keep up with that but the remote control cars controlled by a person or the remote control plane is controlled by a person and I have watched people play with those and you know they've got it going straight and going straight and I don't know one false move and they crash the vehicle. So they're being controlled by a man and when I say a man, I'm talking about humankind, somebody who has or is able to make mistakes. Are we being guided by our own remote control or are we allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us? This is a really hard thing. I believe it's hard. I believe it's hard for me to be still and to allow the Holy Spirit just to say let me be in control of you Now, on a daily basis. Maybe it's easier, but then there are days where I'm facing turmoil, troubles, worries, fears, and I just wish that I could just say Holy Spirit, you are inside of me, you reside in my heart. Allow me to rest enough to allow you to guide me Now.
Speaker 1:I know there are some people who are very, very good at this and will not move without the nudging of the Holy Spirit. I, for one, am not that person. I have done it, but I think it really depends upon the situation. My tenacity or my desire to make something happen right away will determine how much time I give the Holy Spirit, and you may you may understand that. Like, how much time do I give you Holy Spirit, because, if you're in me, I need you to make a decision right this moment. And the Holy Spirit is in you if you have so allowed the Holy Spirit to be welcome in your place. But we just don't seem to talk toward the Holy Spirit or to give the Holy Spirit the time to work in our lives. I'm speaking you to you today from someone who understands the struggle. I wish I could come to you and give you a list of things that you have to do to allow that Holy Spirit to move within you.
Speaker 1:The other part of this is, sometimes the Holy Spirit has guided me, but my flesh says, no, that's not. That's not what I wanted. I needed this and I was expecting you, holy Spirit, to do that. That is, um, you know, I don't know that this is going to be harsh, but that might be blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit nudges you and tells you what it is that he wants you to do and you say, no, I really want what I'm trying to get you to tell me to do. I want to do it. I know it may not be the best thing, but I, but I me, my brain, my heart says it is. And I can just imagine the Holy Spirit saying then why did you ask? Why did you call upon me If, if you were going to do it anyway? That's the part that I need to change. I need to be still and know that God is working within me.
Speaker 1:But my physical, human side says look, here's what I want, here's what I want to get, and I'm hoping you Holy Spirit will, will say okay. But that's not always how it works. The Holy Spirit doesn't always say okay. The Holy Spirit knows what's best for us, knows what's coming, knows where we've been. We know where we've been, we know where we are, but we generally don't know where we're going. And let me tell you this because I have ignored the nudging of the Holy Spirit or the advice of the Holy Spirit, I have made some horrible mistakes, thinking that's what this is, but this is what's best for me, it's what I want, it feels right, the stars have all lined up, it all looks good. Look, I asked for a blue bird to come and sit on my banister on my deck. Well, it was a red bird, but it was a bird, and so I figured it was time to move on, because that's what I asked for and it happened.
Speaker 1:It's almost like when you go buy a new car. I don't know if you've ever noticed this. You buy a brand new, shiny red car, I don't know whatever type it is, and you pull out. You're thinking you're the only one that has it. And you pull out and everybody has it. But you're like, yes, that's a sign.
Speaker 1:We use these physical things as signs but we often don't look to the spiritual side. Jesus, he gives you the signs, but I think we are so quick to overlook those because we're so focused on what it is that we want that we ignore the Holy Spirit. And it's just the way we are. We want an answer and we want it today because everything else in our life is very reachable in a matter of minutes. You can order food, you can order clothes, you can, you can get anything you want today, unlike back when I was a kid. You could get anything you want today with a computer, a cell phone, a couple clicks and it's at your door in no time. We're about I want it right now kind of a culture and we have expected or pushed the Holy Spirit into. Okay, you got five minutes. Five minutes to tell me what it is I need to do, and the Holy Spirit doesn't work on our timeline and we all know that. So how do we, how do we depend upon a whole or the Holy Spirit? How do we do that? Well, I said it earlier be still and know that I am God.
Speaker 1:And when you put that welcome that out for the Holy Spirit, mean it. Holy Spirit, I welcome you in this place. You don't invite guests into your home only to lay all these rules on them when they come in. I mean, some of you might, but I don't think you should. If a guest is a guest, but you know, the Holy Spirit really isn't a guest. He resides in this place.
Speaker 1:I am his home and because he lives within me and I've asked him there, because I asked the Holy Spirit into my heart, he doesn't just come because he wants to. He comes because I want him to. And if I want the Holy Spirit to be in me, I need to learn how to rely on him. So the next time you sing, holy Spirit, you are welcome in this place, mean it. The next time you find yourself praying and asking the Holy Spirit to guide you, be still and know that he is God. He knows what's ahead of you. You do not be still. I know it's hard, I struggle with it too, but I'm encouraging you today to be still Into that Holy Spirit nudging and don't move until you know that you have heard his voice.