I’ll start this by saying I love spending time with my bride and our kids. I love time playing games with them. Whether it be a thoughtful game of BananaGrams, a feisty game of Dutch Blitz or a bruising game of Spoons; I love playing with them. In the summer we try to play games out on the patio if it’s not too humid or warm. We’ll gather our summer beverages and turn on the firepit for an enjoyable evening together.
One Saturday night in August it was the perfect night to play games out on the patio. It wasn’t too hot. It wasn’t too cold. It wasn’t too humid. In fact, there was a faint breeze that made it the ideal night for game night on the patio. I was looking forward to it all day! You see, I had a pretty stressful day catching up on the bookkeeping for my business. I had let it slide way too long and I dedicated that entire morning and afternoon to getting everything straightened. By four o’clock, it felt like I hadn’t even put a dent in it. I decided to walk away from it and would pick it up again Monday morning.
I was on my way home for Game Night. I was excited for the evening ahead. I got home and learned there was an issue that had arisen while I was at the office. The washing machine had decided to go on strike until we replaced a faulty drain pump. The problem was that certain members of our family were almost out of certain items of clothing that they would prefer me not to mention by name here. We HAD to do laundry that night. Our only option was to go to the laundromat. But, if we’re going to the laundromat, we’re going to get EVERYTHING done. Clothes, sheets, towels…EVERYTHING.
This set off an immediate mood of disappointment in my heart that I’m embarrassed to say quickly escalated into anger. The night I was looking forward to all day was quickly pulled away from me. I was told I started walking around the house with more exaggerated steps and communicated more in grunts than any discernible language. I even kicked some shoes down the stairs into the basement because they got in my way. I hastily gathered all of the laundry I could and sat in the car and waited for my family to join me.
While sitting alone in the car, I heard the whisper…
“You’re still getting what you desire for tonight. You’re still spending time with your family, just in a different location.”
No, there wasn’t anyone else in the car with me. I wasn’t hearing voices either. That was the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart; reminding me of His goodness. I immediately felt remorse for my actions. The Holy Spirit didn’t call me an idiot, but I sure did feel like one. I just gave my family a terrible example of how to act when your expectations aren’t met. Once everyone got in the car, I apologized immediately for my inexcusable behavior.
When we got to the laundromat, we had a blast! We took it over! We had almost every washer filled. We made a fun night of it. We played BananaGrams while the washers were going. We laughed. We had ice cream from the Parlor. We had an awesome night after all. The night turned out just as I had hoped.
Romans 8:11 says that the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) lives within those who trust in God. The Holy Spirit lives within believers in order to lead us to think, speak and act according to God’s Word.
How amazingly cool is that! ?! If you have trusted Jesus as your Savior, the Holy Spirit lives inside of you!
Not only does the Holy Spirit live in us, but He speaks to us as well! I know it’s hard to grasp and understand, but He does. Sometimes it’s audibly. Sometimes he speaks directly to our hearts. There are multiple times in scripture where is says, “the Holy Spirit said…” I know I hear the Holy Spirit whisper on my heart daily. Often times it’s when I need to repent of something I’ve said, done or thought. Sometimes, it’s to pray for a specific friend at that time.
Even with the Spirit living inside of God’s children, sin can be a roadblock to hearing it. Acts 8:22-23 says in regards to sin: “Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
Unrepented sins can be a roadblock to hearing the Holy Spirit in your life. Repentance through prayer can remove the roadblock and allow the Holy Spirit to clearly communicate to you. Is the Holy Spirit showing you something you need to ask forgiveness for right now? Don’t ignore it. Don’t let it callous over. If the Holy Spirit is showing you something, deal with it immediately! Don’t let pride or arrogance get in the way of you hearing the Holy Spirit speak to you.
The Holy Spirit wants to speak to you. Are you listening for it?
