A friend is someone whose voice you can hear in the middle of a crowd, someone who guides and brings you security, someone you value. A friend is someone you always can depend on.
These characteristics of a friend are exactly who the Holy Spirit is for us. Learning how to create a relationship with the Spirit is vital to understanding the nature of Jesus. But when we let fear operate inside us, it messes with the way we hear things.
The Spirit helps us hear the Lord’s voice
I often find myself struggling to discern the Lord’s voice in the midst of fear and complete chaos. This happens because I let anxiety take the Father’s place in my heart. Anxiety fogs out his words to the point I can’t discern if he is speaking.
I struggle with letting down my pride and asking my Father for help, because I’m dependent on myself to find the solution to my problems.
Creating a relationship of dependency with the Holy Spirit teaches our hearts to release the burdens we never were meant to carry alone, because our flesh will fail us every time.
In those moments, the Lord sends his Spirit to be your friend.
John 14:26 reads, “The Holy Spirit will teach and remind you of everything I have said.”
God’s Spirit brings his presence from heaven to remind his children of the goodness of their Father.
The Spirit casts out fear
Being able to have total dependency on the Lord and on his Spirit is absolutely necessary if we want to access the true power of the love of Jesus Christ.
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1 John 4:18 reads, “There is no fear in love, and perfect love casts out all fear.”
If we let fear control what we hear, fear is going to press our hearts to rely only on ourselves. But the Lord’s voice has known only love in the purest form. So, when he speaks, fear cannot be present.
The way to discern our Father’s voice in the midst of fear is to listen to his Spirit. When the enemy is speaking, every word out of his mouth will cause our hearts only to fear.
Becoming dependent on the Holy Spirit
To form a relationship with the Holy Spirit means teaching ourselves to be aware of his presence.
John 14:26 reads, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.”
If we practice replacing fear with being aware of his Spirit, it shapes our relationship with Jesus to be more dependent on him and not on ourselves.
John 8:6-8 is a perfect example of what dependency looks like in a relationship. Jesus bent down and wrote in the dirt with his finger, because he was waiting for his Father to guide him.
If faced with a difficult decision, practice being dependent on the Spirit instead of letting fear control the situation.
Speaking and listening to the Spirit
Learning how to speak to the Spirit and how to listen is another part of forming a friendship.
Start practicing boldness by praying out loud and saying, “Thank you,” because by doing this, we are creating a love for the Spirit by talking to him like a friend.
Begin to pray that the Father will give the eyes and the heart to notice when his Spirit is speaking, then let his Spirit lead. Doing so teaches our eyes to be aware of what’s going on around us.
The Spirit always is with us
Psalm 139:7-10 reads: “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me” (ESV).
Jesus gave us direct access to his power and to his heart through his Spirit. The way to form a friendship with his Spirit is to ask Jesus what is on his heart today and ask him to shape our hearts to have total dependency on him.
Let his Spirit guide and reveal to you what you are going to do for his kingdom today.
Anna Shannon is a junior in high school and is homeschooled. She is an Acteen at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in Abilene, Texas.
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