Stop Trying So Hard

Acts Chapter 1

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach. Until that day he was taken up to heaven after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. Verse 5. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. And then in verse 8, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

Can I get a good amen? Well, we are in week two of a series that I’ve entitled Demystify the Holy Spirit in real life. And the goal of the series is to show you what the Bible says about who the Holy Spirit is and what the Holy Spirit does in the life of the believer. And I want to let you know there’s this whole kind of other track of Holy Spirit teachings that have to do with, you know, what we would call the gifts of the Spirit. So these would be things like prophecy, speaking in tongues, words of knowledge. And those would be what Scripture teaches are gifts that come with what we call the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And we believe in that and we affirm all of that, but I want you to know that that’s not the thrust of this series.

This series is trying to be really practical and real pragmatic and how the Holy Spirit helps you, not just during a church service, but in your everyday life and last week we had three points that we were talking last week about who the Holy Spirit is. The three points were this the Holy Spirit is a person not a power if you’ll recall the Holy Spirit is God living in you and three is the Holy Spirit fights for you. So that’s who the Holy Spirit is this week what we’re wanting to talk about is what the Holy Spirit does what the Holy Spirit does and so if you’re taking notes my title this morning is this stop trying so hard stop trying so hard.

Stop Trying So Hard

Heavenly Father we’re so grateful for you we’re grateful for your presence we believe that you’re here with us to help us to teach us and to lead us and Holy Spirit we we lean on you today as you work in us and through us to accomplish your purposes Lord and it’s in your sons let me pray everybody said Amen.

Well years ago, my wife and I we were in the car and we were driving as you do we were driving I think we were driving to church and we were on we were on a street and we stopped at a red light behind this really old truck. It’s like an old Chevy truck. Super old it was like before cup holders were a thing you know what I mean like an old truck. And so we were waiting there the light turns green and this truck does precisely nothing and so we’re just waiting there and I’m thinking like remain calm this must be one of the trials that Jesus you know warned us about. I’m cool.

And so I just waited for a second I was ready to hit the double tap, but this guy pops out of the driver’s seat, this old Hispanic guy, maybe not that old, maybe in his 60s, tiny little fella, probably buck 20, dripping wet, and it’s become apparent that his truck has broken down in front of us. And so he has one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on the door, and he’s trying to push this truck, and it ain’t moving. And so I’m thinking, like, I’m not sure exactly what’s gonna happen here. So I put on the hazards, I park, put the car in park, and I hop in and he’s still pushing there, and I come up and I push behind the truck.

The Holy Spirit Forms You

And he can’t really see me because the truck is ginormous, and so I’m pushing, and then the truck starts to move. And so we’re going and he’s doing his, he’s doing his thing, you know, and he at a certain point he probably just feels like he’s got enough momentum. He just hops in the truck and starts steering. And so I’m pushing it, and he turns into a like a car wash right there. We make it, he slams on the brakes, I run into the back of the truck a little because I didn’t know he was gonna do that. And so we’ve accomplished the mission, and I’m expecting some sort of wave, look back, acknowledgement, but he doesn’t look back at all. And so I walk back to the car, and like to this day, I don’t know what that guy thought happened there. Like if it was like a miracle or like an angel came, or maybe, maybe it ended, maybe it had enough juice after all just to get us. I’m not sure what he thought.

But I was the gas, and he was the driver, and he didn’t even know I was there. I think sometimes in life, it becomes apparent that there are certain things that we can’t do on our own. And the Bible says, scripture says that the Holy Spirit is our helper, and he allows us to do things that we couldn’t do alone. Look at this verse, Galatians chapter 5, verse 16.

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

So Paul here is saying the antidote to the sinful nature is not to grit your teeth and sweat and bleed and stop yourself from doing what you really want to do. Paul says the antidote to the sinful nature is to live by the Spirit. And that’s kind of an interesting phrase, don’t you think? Live by the Spirit. If you’ve been coming to a church for a long time, it probably sounds super normal. Yeah, live by the Spirit. Most people though have no idea what that means. What does it mean? And most people think, well, I’ve just got to try harder to live by the Spirit. And that doesn’t work. It’s like trying harder to relax. It’s like trying harder to sleep. Anybody? I’m just laying there. Sleep, you big idiot. Sleep. But you can’t, you can’t try.

Living by the Spirit is not about trying harder. It’s about receiving the help that the Holy Spirit gives. So you’re not trying harder to love. You’re letting the Holy Spirit love through you. You’re not trying harder to be patient. You’re letting the Holy Spirit’s patience work in you. And what I’ve got for you this morning, I’ve got three ways that the Holy Spirit works when we stop trying so hard and instead receive the help that the Holy Spirit gives. If you’re taking notes, I’d like you to write these down.

Number one is this the Holy Spirit forms you. The Holy Spirit forms you. Galatians chapter 5, verse 22 and 23 says this.

But the fruit of the Spirit, I bet y’all can even quote these, is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.

So these are what we call the fruits of the Spirit. These are one of the first things that you learn when you’re in children’s church. Like I knew that since I was a little kid. And like I said last week, Paul is not saying, here’s a list of things you should try to be. Even though that’s true, you should try to be loving, you should try to be patient. But what he’s saying is not that he’s saying these are the things that naturally come out of living by the spirit. They’re the fruits of the spirit. What is fruit? The fruit is what something produces. So the fruit of your life is what your life produces. What’s different about the world because you were here? That’s your fruit. Not all fruit’s good. But your fruit is what comes out naturally.

And we see this in nature. So if you think about like an apple tree, for example, you don’t see an apple tree like sweating and squeezing and veins pop, you know, like trying to produce an apple. It’s not like it’s in labor to try to produce an apple. No, it just comes out, it happens naturally when the tree’s healthy. And so, so here’s a question what comes out of you naturally? Not when people are looking, not when pastors are around. Like, what comes out of you naturally when nobody’s looking? When you’re in the car and everybody’s driving so slow. Like, like what comes out of you naturally? Paul says that when you’re connected to the Holy Spirit, when you’re in tune with the Holy Spirit, which means God lives on the inside of you, the things that come out of you naturally are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

And if that’s not the fruit of your life, the problem is not you need to try harder. The problem is you’re trying to live by something other than the spirit. And so I’m not saying that you don’t need to try. I’m not saying you don’t need to try to be patient. You do. I’m not saying you don’t need to try to be forgiving. You do. But you won’t have the strength to do that consistently without the help of the Holy Spirit. And so as you spend time listening to the Spirit, feeding the Spirit, walking by the Spirit, prayer, Scripture, worship, you become more in tune with the Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit starts to become the fruit of your life. He forms you. I’m not, oh, you’re not doing that. As you live by the Spirit, the fruits of the Spirit start to become the fruit of your life.

The Holy Spirit Shows You

Galatians chapter 5, verse 24. Continue reading. This is the next verse.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Here he’s contrasting living by the flesh and living by the Spirit. You know, earlier this year I was on a video call with a guy I used to play music with. I was in a band with him years ago. And this guy, I don’t think this is disrespectful, but back during that time, he was a Christian, but he wasn’t a Christian Christian. You know what I mean? He was a diet Christian. He has a daughter with a lady that he’s no longer in relationship with. And so that’s been a big battle for him. And he wanted to call me and he wanted to do a video call because he wanted to tell me how God has like he knows I’m a pastor. So he and he wanted to tell me that his life has been totally transformed by Jesus. He was so excited to tell me.

And he said, David, it’s just the craziest thing that back in the day I tried to, I felt like I was trying so hard to be a good dad, but I just couldn’t. He said, I just I just couldn’t do it. He says it, but now that I now that I’m like living by the spirit, he’s like being a good dad is just the most natural thing in the world to me. It’s crazy. When you’re in tune with the spirit, you’ll live better accidentally than you ever did on purpose. It just I don’t it’s it’s not hard for me to be faithful to my wife. That’s not hard. Oh, it’s not like, oh, you know, I I really wish I’m blah, blah, blah, but I a deal’s a deal. It’s not hard for me to be faithful. People said, like, oh, Pastor David, it must be hard for you. You know, there’s all these ladies, you know, that really look up to you. No, it’s not hard. I’m faithful when I’m not even paying attention. I’m faithful accidentally. Why? Because the fruit of the spirit is faithfulness.

And I haven’t learned, I haven’t learned how to be faithful so much as I’ve learned to be led by the spirit, to live by the spirit. Some people are like, Pastor David, I try to control my temple, my temper, but it’s so hard. It’s like, why? Kindness is a fruit of the spirit. And when you’re connected to the spirit, kindness comes out of you automatically. Some people will say, like, oh, Pastor David, you have so much self-discipline. I don’t know, I don’t know how you do it. It’s just so many. Look, it’s it, I’m like, it’s not hard. Self-control is a fruit of the spirit. And when you’re connected to the spirit, self-control comes out of you automatically.

When you’re connected to the spirit, and I don’t mean to just brag about me, there’s other people in the room that are like way farther along at this than me, but I’m just saying that when you’re connected to the spirit, over time, you follow God not for a week, but for five years, he forms you into a more Christ-like version of yourself. Look at what Jesus says, John chapter 15, verse 5.

I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Wow, that sounds tough, right? Apart from me, you can do nothing.

So the Holy Spirit, as you walk by the Spirit, as you’re led by the Spirit, the Holy Spirit forms you.

The Holy Spirit Sends You

Number two is this the Holy Spirit shows you. The Holy Spirit shows you. When you’re connected to the Spirit, the Holy Spirit gives you supernatural insight. I bet you’ve all experienced this. He gives you the ability to see things that you wouldn’t otherwise see. Look at this, John chapter 16, verse 13, Jesus says this.

But when he, the Spirit of truth, notice this, it’s one of the names of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. The Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.

We live in a culture that wouldn’t know truth if it smacked them on the forehead. Like that they’ve got no idea. The prophet Isaiah warned us that there would be a time when people call evil good and good evil. And you don’t have to look far to see that that’s happening. That’s why we need the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of truth. Because I know him. And I’ve got relationship, and the Holy Spirit leads me into truth. And the way that I think of it, he does it in three different ways. These are subpoints. Sub points of point number two. Ready?

Number one is this the Holy Spirit shows you truth about yourself. Just like we said, you know, we were, Jordan and I were driving, and we were we laughed at this guy to ourselves because there was a mirror, and the mirror was like still on the car, but it was just like hanging by a tiny little wire. You know, it like had clearly been knocked off, but it was just bouncing around. And it’s like you don’t want to get too close to that guy. Why? Because he can’t see his blind spot. So don’t drive to the left of that guy because he’s not gonna know you’re there. Right? That he we have we have blind spots in the same way. That there’s things about you, there’s things about how you process the world, how you treat people, how you talk to people that are wrong, and you can’t see it. Because it was how maybe how you were raised, it was how you were taught, it’s how you have allowed yourself to be. Well, the Holy Spirit comes and shows you truth about yourself that you otherwise wouldn’t see.

Look at this, Psalm chapter 139, verse 23 and 24.

Search me, God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. Listen to listen to this. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.

This is how I like to think about it. The Holy Spirit holds up a mirror. And he’s very kind about it. He’s very kind, he’s a very kind mirror. But he but he causes you to look at yourself, not to shame you, but to heal you. Sometimes you’ll say something harsh, and the Holy Spirit will whisper to you, like that wasn’t love. Maybe like you realize that you’re angry at something, or you realize, man, that’s not, it’s not, it’s not because of what they did, it’s about something that’s unhealed in me that the Holy Spirit can show you. Sometimes he’ll bring up something years ago, not to condemn you, but because it’s time for you to finally deal with the issue and to move forward.

I have them often, where everything and everyone just bugs you. You know what I mean? It’s just like you know what I mean. It’s like you’re annoying, you’re dumb, you’re driving too slow, you’re taking forever. But if you’re in tune with the Holy Spirit, maybe the Holy Spirit will come and tell you, like, that’s more of a you thing than a them thing. But the Holy Spirit will show you things, show you truth about yourself.

Number two is this the Holy Spirit shows you truth about other people. And you might be thinking, that’s an invasion of privacy. Well, that might be true if God wasn’t all knowing, but also all loving. So his motivation as he communicates to us about ourselves and about other people is always to heal and to bring about the best for everyone. The Holy Spirit will show you things about other people, not so that you can judge, but so that you can love them better. And listen to me, stay wise around them.

That happened. You know, last week I told you the story of when the Holy Spirit woke me up in the middle of the night to pray for a friend whose brother was in the hospital. And I didn’t know it at the time. You told me later that the brother had died in the hospital, like right at that very moment. And the Holy Spirit prompted me. I wouldn’t have known that about them had the Holy Spirit not prompted me for it. There’s people, you know, I’ll do counseling, and people are like, you know, they’ll get in a relationship and it’ll totally destroy their life. That can happen, by the way. So choose carefully. They can get in a relationship and then they’re talking to me, and then their life blows up, and they’re trying to like pick up the pieces, and they’re like, Man, you know, I should have known. I just knew there was just something on the inside of me. I just knew it wasn’t right. Our pastor David, I really should have listened to that, and I’m like, yeah, you should have. Because the Holy Spirit knows things about people that you don’t know. And so he’ll communicate to you not to harm them, but to protect you.

The Holy Spirit shows you truth about yourself. The Holy Spirit shows you truth about other people. And lastly, of the subpoints, number three, the Holy Spirit directs you based on things you couldn’t possibly know. He directs you based on things you couldn’t possibly know. Isaiah chapter 30, verse 21.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears, listen to this. Whether you turn right or left, you will hear your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, This is the way. Walk in it.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit will give you direction that makes no sense in the moment, but makes perfect sense later. You’re like, I don’t know. You know, maybe, maybe for this is this is true of me. It’s like maybe you just feel if you’re in tune with the spirit, you just you just feel like maybe I’m not supposed to take that road. You know what I’m saying? Like I’m just not supposed to, and then late it doesn’t make any sense at the moment, but then later you there was like some terrible accident or something crazy that happens, and you were able to avoid it because the Holy Spirit knows things that you don’t know.

Or maybe there’s an opportunity that presents itself to you, like maybe some job or something, and you’re like, Man, it looks pretty good. On paper, that’s pretty good, but I don’t feel right about it. And then come to find out later that it would have been a terrible thing for you, or maybe maybe God had something even better for you. I think and I think this is important for us because we live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s a very dangerous city. If you didn’t know that, I love I love Albuquerque. I’m commanded to Albuquerque. I will I will live here my whole life. I’m an Albuquerque through and through. But this is a dangerous city, right? And so so you have to you have to pay attention to when the Holy Spirit says, hey, don’t do that. You gotta do that. That’s one of the that’s one of the ways that I move about this city without fear. Because I know that the Holy Spirit knows things that I don’t know. I do pay attention, you know. I fill up with gas and I look around. I live in the yellow, like they all say. You know, like, but I also know that the Holy Spirit knows things that I don’t know. Right? And so maybe the Holy Spirit says, like, don’t go to that gas station right now. If he says that, don’t do it. The gas can wait. You can find another gas station. Get gas in the morning. But you have to listen to the Holy Spirit.

Young people, maybe like you got friends, and they’re like, hey, hey, so here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna we’re gonna go to this park and hang out really late. And it’s like, that’s kind of sounds fun, but there’s just something on the inside of me that just feels like maybe I shouldn’t do that. Don’t do it. We always say when we were youth pastors, we always say it, nothing good happens after midnight. Jesse can attest to that. Nothing good. Just go to bed. Now it’s 10. You want to? Yeah, now it’s 10. Nothing, nothing good happens after 10 p.m. Just go to bed. Friends want to hang out at 11 p.m., just say no. But you gotta be in tune with the Holy Spirit. It is so important because the Holy Spirit knows things that you don’t know.

And we’ve got a fancy Bible word for it, a fancy Christian word, and it’s called discernment. And I it’s the word that over the last few years, it’s the word that keeps coming back to me. Discernment, discernment, discernment. And I think there has never been a time where discernment is more important than it is right now. You need discernment to be a Christian that survives and thrives in 2025. You have to have discernment. And discernment is how the Holy Spirit helps you tell the difference between what sounds right and what is right. Not every open door is from God. Not every opportunity is an opportunity from God. Right? That just not every voice that sounds smart is a voice that you’re supposed to listen to. As we’ve talked about before, you can be forensically and technically correct, but from the wrong spirit, and it’s still wrong. So you need the Holy Spirit to tell you the difference.

Honestly, when he tempts Jesus too, the temptation comes in the form of something that sounds like a pretty good idea. He’s not like, worship Satan. Why don’t you try worshiping Satan? Like it’s not that’s not the temptation. The temptation, the response to the temptation could be, you know, actually, that’s a pretty good idea. And so part of the challenge is to recognize the devil as the devil instead of a good idea. And so how are you gonna do that? Well, you’re gonna need the Holy Spirit. And know this that the Holy Spirit is motivated to help you, and the Holy Spirit knows things that you don’t know. And so you need him.

So if you’re thinking like I don’t know about the whole Holy Spirit thing, you’re crazy. Imagine having a counselor, a helper who’s helping you and showing you things that you would never know so that you can be the best version of yourself and bring the most glory to God. It’s one of the greatest gifts that we have as Christians. So you have to learn how to walk by the Spirit and be in tune with the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit forms you. Number two, though, is the Holy Spirit shows you. Lastly, number three, and I’m done, the Holy Spirit sends you.

The Holy Spirit Sends You

Acts chapter one, verse eight.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the world.

So when the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples, just know this, it wasn’t so that they could get goosebumps. You know what I mean? That wasn’t why the Holy Spirit was sent. The Holy Spirit was given to them so that they could be sent. That’s why. That’s why. And so you might be thinking, like, are you talking about being a missionary in Africa? Because I don’t want to be a missionary in Africa. No, I’m not talking about this. In fact, look, look at Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 7.

This is what the Lord Almighty says. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you, where I have sent you in exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf. On what’s behalf? Your city’s behalf. And pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare, you will find your welfare.

So the Holy Spirit, He sends you locally to your actual city, to your actual neighbors, to your actual job, to your actual school. Right? And so you’re not just going there, you’re sent there. I just think someone in here, I was praying about it yesterday. I just feel like someone needs to hear this this morning, is that you’re not in the wrong place. You were sent there. You don’t need a new place, you need a new perspective on where you are. Like the Spirit doesn’t just prepare you, the Spirit also positions you. I’m sent here. Oh, this is a dead-end job. Yeah, well, being sent is not about you. He doesn’t send you somewhere for your sake. He sends you somewhere for the city’s sake.

And so, so you can always say it’s just some there’s something amazing about letting the Holy Spirit move through you to reach the world for Jesus. It’s not it’s not your mission, it’s his mission, and he lets you be a part of it. Look at this, 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 9.

For we are co-workers in God’s service. You are God’s field, God’s building.

Isn’t that interesting? You are God’s field. You are God’s building. You are where God’s work gets accomplished. And so you might be feeling like, yeah, I’m not doing anything important. No, if you’re connected to the Spirit, He’s sending you, He’s sending you out to every corner of the city, every corner of the earth. And it’s a totally different perspective. Because you might be thinking, like, well, what job’s best for me? Whoop, you know, it’s you can have a new perspective, which is this wherever I go, the Holy Spirit is sending me here to be fruitful here, to bring the gospel here. And I’m not saying you need to be like, you know, handing out tracks at work, I’m not saying that. But I’m saying that wherever you go, you can be an ambassador of Jesus, a representative of Jesus. And for a lot of people, you are the closest thing they’ll ever see to seeing Jesus.

And so that’s why our witness is so important. That’s why being led by the Spirit is so important, right? Because if you say, like, yeah, I’m a Christian and you look exactly like everybody else, you’re not helping them. You’re certainly not helping me. You’re not helping people who have given their life to spreading the gospel. Instead, the way the way that the gospel advances is not just through pastors, it’s through ambassadors, it’s by being sent every in little places wherever you go, being sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, I’m going to work today, and it just feels like I’m just at this job and I don’t really love it that much. But you know what? I believe that I’m sent here, and you’re sending me out today to spread the gospel, even in just how I act and how I respond and how I talk. And I thank you, Lord, that you’re that you’re filling me with the Holy Spirit. So you’re not just calling me, you’re also equipping me to do it.

John chapter 3, verse 6 says this. I love this verse.

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

Isn’t that weird? Isn’t that a weird verse? The wind blows wherever you want. You don’t even know where it’s going. That’s how it is when you’re led by the Spirit. And so when you follow the Spirit, he’s going to take you places you never thought you’d go. Pastor Cindy, do you ever think you’re going to end up in Albuquerque, New Mexico? Probably, probably not. But the Holy Spirit sends you. I never thought, I never thought I’d pastor a church. I never had any ambition to pastor a church. Like all, you know, it’s crazy. All these young people are like, I think I want to be a pastor of a church. I’m like, why don’t you go do something fun? This wasn’t in my 10 year plan. But the Holy Spirit sends you. And when you’re sensitive to Him, you will find yourself in situations and in places you never thought you would be. But it’s places where He can uniquely use you.

And the good news is this is He doesn’t just send you, He also empowers you to do what He wants to do. So he so he can be the person behind the truck pushing you. You’re doing your best, you’re steering, you think you could push it, you know, and he’s not all about who gets the credit. But but but he’s helping you. And so where he sends you, he empowers you. In fact, those are my first tattoos, these old faded ones right here. I got them as soon as I was 18, huh, Mom. Bring. Oh, what were they redeemed and empowered in Aramaic? That’s what they are. Right where Jesus got his his nails. And that’s what we become is that we become redeemed from the curse of the law, but we’re also empowered to do the things that he wants us to do.

2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 7 says this.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Right? And so wherever you go, just know this. You don’t have to be afraid. Like the the Holy Spirit is not a Holy Spirit, it’s not the spirit of fear. Right? What is what does the Holy Spirit give you? Power, love, and a sound mind. It’s the one of the gifts that the Holy Spirit comes to bring. Three points. The Holy Spirit forms you, the Holy Spirit shows you, the Holy Spirit sends you.

And I have a closing challenge for you this morning. It’s I wrote it down. It’s actually three things, and so maybe you could focus on just whichever one resonates with you, or maybe you can do all three if you’re big-brained, like Pastor Cindy. You can remember all three. We’ll see. This is what I wrote. This week I want you to notice three things. I’m sorry, I don’t have them on the screens. One, notice when the spirit is forming something in you. When you feel patience rising up and it feels like it’s coming from somewhere else. When you feel kindness rising up that feels like it’s coming from somewhere else, don’t take credit for it. Thank the Spirit. Two, pay attention when the Holy Spirit is showing you something. Maybe it’s like a little nudge or a little warning or someone pops up into your head. Don’t ignore that. Or three, respond when the Spirit is sending you. That conversation you need to have, that person you need to help, that place you need to go. And again, it’s not about trying harder. It’s about learning to be in tune with what the Holy Spirit wants to do in and through you.

Last verse is this Ephesians chapter 3, verse 20.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. How might he do that? According to his power that is at work within us.

Here’s my closing statement. The Holy Spirit isn’t asking you to work harder, he’s offering to work through you in ways you never could on your own. One, the Holy Spirit forms you. When you’re connected to when you’re connected to the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control flow naturally from you like fruit from a healthy tree. Two, the Holy Spirit shows you can love them wisely, and direction based on things you couldn’t possibly know otherwise. Three, the Holy Spirit sends you. You’re not where you are by accident. You’ve been strategically positioned and empowered to be Christ’s witnesses right where you are. Can I get a good amen?