Have you ever needed direction, wisdom, or an answer to a problem that is not settled? Perhaps you’ve even semi prayed about it, but there’s still no peace. Or maybe you’re trying to work something out with someone and in your heart of hearts you KNOW you’re right. What’s a person to do?
That happened not long ago with Rich and me. He had his ideas about how to address a certain dilemma and I had mine. For a week we were in a deadlock, and I must say the longer it lingered, the more miserable we both felt. Neither of us could convince the other one why our way was the best. We were STUCK!
Walking back to my closet mulling over the issue, I remembered a book I had read years ago by Charles Stanley: The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life. I was living anything but that at the moment. I grabbed the book off the shelf, opened it, and BAM! Right before me was the chapter about how to hear from God when you can’t hear Him talking to you. Seriously? Has that ever happened to you? I love it when God does things like that.
In my online video Bible study series, “Anchored, Hope for the Soul,” the final session is about discovering our greatest life advantage: the Holy Spirit, who He is, and what He does. I’ve spent a great deal of my life pressing into learning how to differentiate between His voice speaking to me and mine. Yet I missed something VITAL in this ordeal with Rich, which happened to answer why Rich and I were getting nowhere.
The key principle was this: the Holy Spirit speaks to neutral hearts. The Holy Spirit waits for us to desire HIS will above our own. He wants us to be consumed with discovering what pleases Him rather than working to convince Him of our brilliant plan. His ultimate goal is that our hearts and minds are in complete harmony with His Kingdom agenda. What God wanted from me was to let go of my way and approach the throne of grace with my agenda in the background and desiring His will above all else, even if it meant I did not get my way.
I’m happy to say after I wrestled with the truth about the matter, I sat on the back porch and shared my new stance with Rich. As the words unfolded, God had already given Rich a “new” plan we had not considered. Then, out of my mouth came the exact words Rich was waiting for me to say (which could never have come before.)
The point is this. God loves us. He sent the Holy Spirit as God’s mouthpiece to lead us in this life. The Spirit wants to lead, but we have to get ourselves out of the way and desire HIS way above our own. If we do that, I promise you this, the Holy Spirit WILL speak.
I’m so thankful the Holy Spirit continually pursues us when we’re stuck.
About Pam Kanaly
Aloha! I’m Pam Kanaly, President and co-founder of Arise Ministries. But actually, I think Arise found me wanting to bless single moms years ago. Ministry was never on my mind as a kid. All I wanted to be was a hula dancer. So Mother enrolled me in the tiny tots’ class. Guess God knew I’d have two grandbabies born in Hawaii. I love the great outdoors. You might even find me spending time with my husband grizzly bear watching or camping. In fact, it was on a turkey hunt that God gave me the name Arise Ministries in 2002. I suppose it’s a good thing that I majored in Grammar in college since I love to write words of encouragement to single moms.