LIVING AWARE & IN TUNE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT (AND 5 WAYS TO DO SO)

Did you know that what you’re full of is where you’ll live from? In other words, the contents of your heart dictates the contents of your life and the soil of your life matters! Like a tree, our fruit should reflect our roots! If it doesn’t, chances are we’re living unsatisfied lives.

In this past year alone, This year alone, I have seen more of an increase in the active presence of the Holy Spirit than I have been previously attentive to in years prior. Not just in my personal life, but in my friends, family, church, and community alike. More hunger. More acuteness. More effective and accurate discernment. More tangible impact. And I believe that this is actually the new threshold because it’s the power of Christ in us who wants to do immeasurably more than we can ask, think, or imagine (Eph. 3:20-21)!

There is no life I can imagine that is BETTER than a life lived in the presence of God. No matter where you’re at in your walk with the Lord, I want to propose to you today that you can live more aware and in tune with the Holy Spirit and experience immeasurably more! Tune in to my message earlier this year and catch the 5 ways you and I can live more aware and in tune!

5 WAYS TO LIVE AWARE & IN TUNE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

If you want to be a sheep who “hears, is known, and follows“… If you want to be led into knowing “all truth” and “what God is saying to you both now and what is to come”… Then you and I need to live more aware and in tune with the Holy Spirit! (see John 10:27; 14:15-21, 25-26; 16:7, 12-14)

No matter where you’re at in your walk with Jesus, here are 5 things to consider to help you do so:

1. REMEMBER YOUR KINGDOM IDENTITY

The Christian life is not founded on the Cross, but because of the Cross! The Cross is also not the end, but rather the beginning of the Christian life.

It’s not just what he did on the cross but what he continues to do after the cross!

Jesus Christ became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). Why then should we try to become as he was, when he suffered on our behalf that we might become as he is?

The Cross changes everything! A Kingdom identity recognizes this reality and behaves accordingly!

A Good Question to Ask: Is there a mindset I need to shift? A posture I need to address?

2. ACUTENESS COMES WITH ALIGNMENT

Hearing God’s voice more acutely comes when we’re aligned with him. This is a function of our relationship! We don’t place our faith in Jesus in order to get from him, but to be with him.

The truth is some of us are struggling to hear Gods voice and have been for a while now. More often than not, I’ve seen that the reason we struggle to hear is not because God isn’t speaking. It’s because we’re not aligned with him.

It’s not about what you know, but Who you know that makes the difference! And you can’t truly know what until you know Who.

God is not a philosophy or a concept to attain, but a person to know! And nothing thrills his heart more than truly knowing Him! If you ever feel far from God, remember that it’s not God who moved.

Want to get aligned? The quickest way is through surrender. Whether its surrender of your life, your sin, your expectations, theology, or control to name a few… Surrender is the way because it is a gateway to the heart of God!

A Good Question to Ask: Is it fully submitted to God or is it still controlled by me?

3. GO BACK IN ORDER TO GO FORWARD

The thing that most often holds us back from hearing the voice of God? Ourselves and our failure to act on what he’s already said.

Sometimes we live from a place where we want God to always say something new or more clearly than before. But at times, what we actually need is to go back before we can go forward because disobedience deviates us from honoring what God said.

God is not double-minded. In fact James 1:4-8 tells us that the solution to double-mindedness is God himself who gives wisdom “generously to all”.

If we can’t honor the first word the Lord gave us, what makes us think we can honor the next? We are a people who often focus on striving for what is next that we miss what is now. Faithfulness stems from a confident trust in the person and the character of God (Heb. 1:1).

If you want to be aware and in tune of the Holy Spirit in your life, honor what he says. Honor the written and spoken Word!

And if you feel stuck, give yourself permission to go back before you go forward! And side note… this doesn’t make you a failure. It’s wisdom.

A Good Question to Ask: What is impacting my ability to be attentive to the voice of God in my every day life? Do I have confidence with God with where I am right now or is my focus on what comes next hindering my confidence?

4. EVALUATE WHAT YOU CULTIVATE

Have you ever noticed that there are some who seem to walk with “a greater sense” of Gods presence? Why is that?

I’d propose a big part has to do with the value they place on it! In other words, they cultivate it.

When we actively cultivate the presence of God, we become a people who are more active in walking in the presence of God.

You notice more of what you think about! And you become like what you think about!

If I were to tell you to clear your mind and to not think about a pink elephant, chances are you’re trying to think about everything but the pink elephant I just told you not to think about.

Yes, even though we thought about it, sometimes we try to convince ourselves otherwise.

Here’s the catch: I can tell you what to think, I could even tell you how to think! But at the end of the day, it is you who has to think!

In your thinking, evaluate and consider the value that you place on the presence of God in your life.

A Good Question to Ask: How do I consider the presence of God around me? Do I live with an awareness or expectation of him in my life?

5. TAKE RISKS

Some of us (let’s be real, probably all of us) need to take risks. We are far too comfortable!

With what we know
With who we are
With who we hang around
With where we’re at
With how we live

Some of these can be good things, but we stop taking risks when we think we have all the answers. Get out of your comfort zone and TAKE RISKS!!!

Fuel your faith and take the risk. Apply your faith and take the risk. Because faith is spelled R-I-S-K!

Many say they’re willing but never live ready. They put all the work and pressure on God and expect him to do it all, but they forget that they have a responsibility to act too!

I love Bob Goff’s perspective of risk from his book Love Does. He says: “I’ve spent my whole life trying to get less comfortable. But I don’t think Jesus wants us to be comfortable. I think Jesus wants you and I to live right on the edge of yikes.”

When we take risks, give God a chance to do what only he can do.

Don’t decrease your faith when you don’t get it 100%. Lean in more! Keep moving forward and asking in faith! Don’t strive for comfort, strive for connection!

We miss God when we live as though we have him all figured out. Chances are when we think we have him figured out, we no longer are being conformed to his image, instead, we’re probably attempting to conform Him to our image.

The safest place to be is NOT in our comfort zone, but in God’s hand! The question is will you trust him?

A Good Question to Ask: What does my level of faith today say about my willingness to “risk” for the Kingdom of God? Am I prepared to trust whatever he invites me into?

YOUR TURN... YOUR TAKEAWAY

Alright friends… It’s your turn now. I want to hear from you! What is your ONE takeaway from this message? Is there a thought you were inspired by? A question you’re wrestling with? An idea you want to try? A place you need to surrender? An opportunity you can lean into?

Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email at hello@joshgirgenti.com!