“Shut up and listen!”
Have you ever said these words to yourself? I have.
In fact, I’ve been saying them a lot lately. After getting baptized (well…really, the whole time since I decided to do it weeks before I actually did it), I have been waiting for God to speak to me. Something profound. Like I deserve that or something. Wow, us humans can find a way to make everything about ourselves, can’t we? That’s at least true for me…
Isn’t this something: that I would think the Lord should give me some kind of acknowledgement or thank you? Like, since I got baptized, there should be some kind of big change in my life.
I ask myself, “Where does this come from?”
Ultimately, I just want to know He loves me and have some confirmation that I’m going in the right direction with my life. But I already know that I am because He is guiding me. If anything, I should just shut up and listen, be patient, and dial into whatever He has for me now and next.
The thing is, God doesn’t speak in an audible voice. Well, at least not most of the time and if He does for someone, it is an “ah ha” moment. What He does is send His Holy Spirit to live within us.
This is the life-giving gift we receive when we claim Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit is a quiet voice (or a nudge, as my Momma calls it) that speaks into us. When we are dialed into Him and His direction, only then can we confirm we are hearing and being directed from the Lord.
There are benefits to being led by the Spirit of God.
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth.” - John 16:13
This is knowing you are making the right choice and following the truth (and not worldly truth).
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” - John 8:32
When you know the truth, there is peace and freedom because you know the right way.
“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.” - John 14:16-17
When we know Jesus, we have faith in the Holy Spirit; the Spirit of God lives in us and leads us. Others will not understand because they choose the ways of the world and are not yet blessed with this connection to God. They don’t get it, but Jesus tells us they don’t get it, so don’t be surprised!
Wrapping our heads around this is beyond this world, and it is spiritual. I encourage you to ask God if He is real and to show you. Commit your lives to figuring out who He is and why He loves you so much. Understand the purpose of the cross and why He died for us and took on all our sin. I invite you into this family of believers and promise you, you are not living until you live in spiritual connection with the Holy Spirit of God. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us and can be a part of our lives.
It is something we must claim, and once we do, watch our lives become transformed.
I write these blogs to share with you my experiences and my story. I write them to encourage and to educate. I am still learning myself and still growing. I can’t imagine my life without God. I can’t imagine running fit-flavors without God to talk to or ask for direction.
My faith lies in Him and Him alone.
I am scared to death sometimes with the responsibility of the size of the company and the number of people I am leading. With God, all things are possible. When you are available, He will use you. I believe He is using me beyond what I am humanly capable of, and I am 100% convinced every success is because of Him. Not because of me, but because of Him. I just go where He tells me.
My prayer is that He uses me to bring Him glory and bless the people of this world in His name. Whatever that looks like and however He sees fit to do it.
So, Jillian, shut up and listen. Get quiet and hear Him. He will speak to you when you are not too busy with the things of this world. I find God when I have time alone. I find Him in nature. I even find Him at work when I see a need, whether it is a person or a situation. I have had so many prayers answered just recently as I have asked God to move into fit-flavors and direct leadership. I can’t do this alone, and I need others to help in this force.
I ask myself, “What would Jesus do?” How would He respond? Then I have faith the Holy Spirit will lead me to say or do. When we are nudged by the Spirit, it sometimes feels uncomfortable. It is not what “we” in our heads would necessarily do. That is how you know you are led by the Spirit. It takes courage to take action on it, and it takes time. But with each interaction or action we take, God's power comes through. We are only conduits of His power. Allow His Spirit to work in your life.
I leave you today with this. There is a Spiritual power that is as big as the Almighty God, and He allows us to have this power within us. Whether we claim it or not is our choice.
Yours,
Jillian
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