His Spirit Guides Trust

I’m a list maker. My smartphone helps me out. It has a reminder app where I key in tasks for specific days, from house-cleaning chores to when library books are due to Bible verses I’m memorizing. It points me in the right direction and keeps me on track.

The enemy of my soul keeps lists too. He uses them to point his finger at me as he goes down the lineup of accusations. “What kind of believing Christian are you when you’re so anxious about going to the dentist that you have to take prescription medication?” and “Why aren’t you giving more at church?”

If the current inventory isn’t long enough, the enemy pulls one out from the archive. “Remember that time you lost your temper and slapped your child in the face? How about when you spent too much money and lied to your husband about it?” It’s enough to discourage and dishearten me for years, regardless of having confessed and repented.  

How wonderful to see that God points at me as an example of His great grace and mercy at work in me (Ephesians 2:7). I haven’t done anything to gain His attention, nor can I boast of anything regarding my salvation. What a relief that it’s all because of His grace and kindness toward me, along with all those who believe and trust in Jesus Christ. When Satan pulls out the list of shame and waves it in my face, I can show him my own list where God’s grace and mercy are written in red.

So, when your enemy waves the list of shame in your face, remind him that you are an example of God’s grace and kindness. 

Remember when radios were only AM? Often, the fuzz interfered with the radio. Zeroing in on the station we wanted to hear could challenge us.

Today’s FM stations work scientifically in the same basic way AM radios work. The difference lies in how the wave from the sender is altered as it goes out. AM depends on modulating the wave’s amplitude—its strength. On the other hand, the carriers of FM waves vary the frequency—the number of times per second the current changes direction. This gives FM signals an advantage over AM signals. In an AM broadcast, these amplitude changes result in static. In an FM broadcast, slight amplitude changes don’t matter. The FM receiver can ignore them because of changes in direction and speed. The result: no static at all.

This got me thinking about the sound waves that bombard us constantly. Life is on AM with constant, noisy static. I think God is more like FM—broad moving frequency. Sometimes AM is deafening. The static drowns out the music. Audible chaos. Ouch.

Opportunities to grow closer to God are clearer when we step away from the heavily amplified noise and listen with complete focus on His still, small voice (Psalm 119:10). God’s voice has a spiritual frequency only a seeking or surrendered heart can hear, and yet it is broadcast by the Spirit in all directions all the time. He is hearable if our receiver is tuned in.

On what is your communication dial set? Are you seeking God with your whole heart? God is transmitting. Take time to listen to Him alone. The heart of God is omnidirectional. Keep listening throughout the day. Stay in His Word. He will speak in waves of grace and make known exactly what He has for you. FM means focused meditation.

My heart pounded. I felt as if a crushing weight had descended upon my chest. I couldn’t breathe, and I panicked. My thoughts raced. Was I going to die? Would I see Jesus? What would my husband do? Then, a more sinister voice whispered, “You’re getting what you deserve!”

I choked and desperately prayed. “Lord, help me. Please!”

The pressure in my chest eased. I gasped for breath. This was the first time I experienced a spiritual and physical anxiety attack. At the time, I had no idea what it was. I had never heard of such a thing. It wasn’t until later that I fully understood. I was dealing with a lot, including unresolved guilt. But when my friend and I went through a study on the Holy Spirit, she rightfully pointed out the actual cause: my lack of peace.

I had not learned what it means to be content in all circumstances. Honestly, I am still not great at it. I still struggle with trusting God when things go awry. Whether it is unexpected costs, debilitating illness, or devastating loss, circumstances can pull me away from peace. But when the thorns and thistles of this life threaten my faith, I remember to look to the author and perfecter of my faith.

True peace comes from Jesus, the Prince of Peace (John 16:33). If my eyes and my attention are on glorifying Him, I will experience peace. If I trust Him despite the circumstances, I will experience peace. And if I surrender my worries and anxieties to Him, I will be at peace.

These words in John remind us that turning to the Prince of Peace is the most important thing we can do in life. Instead of letting the problems of this life turn us away from Him, we can let them turn us toward Him.

Give Jesus whatever you need to ease your anxiety. Listen to His voice rather than the voice of the evil one. Find your peace from the Prince. 

I was parked in my car, looking at white clouds seated against a soft, baby-blue morning sky. The blue weaved in and around the clouds—like a maze with no beginning or end. Exactly like the God we serve.

If we’re obedient to Christ, we will find ourselves in situations or ministries where we feel unqualified. It’s no accident, but an opportunity. We crave and need certainty in our lives. It is a cross-cultural, integral human desire.

But serving God is filled with uncertainty (Revelation 1:8). The best way to move forward with confidence in our ministries is to be sure that our eternal destination is what matters most. Our souls are most important. We must be certain we offer them to our Creator to serve the Alpha and Omega.

Some will doubt. People in the past have doubted me. They exist in the present, and they will be in my future. They have always been here. It’s a part of the maze. A part of finding the patches of blue sky where we know God is leading us to do His good and perfect will. It’s trusting that at the end of the maze will be our amazing God, waiting to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter the kingdom of heaven.”

We humbly serve the God who was and is and is to come. It is an extraordinary opportunity. God has always been here. He is here now, and He will be present in the future. Let Him guide you through life’s maze.

One day, the Holy Spirit spoke to me about exceptions. My husband and I agreed to step out in blind faith and leave a perfectly good job to follow the Lord. God’s faithfulness in the past prompted our obedience. We were excited to embark on this journey with the Holy Spirit as He guided our open hands.

Jesus tells us to come to Him. He will give us rest because His burden is light. This invitation requires us to reach for His yoke, and in doing so, He graciously reveals the exceptions we hold on to in clenched fists behind our backs, as if He could not see. My husband and I did not know, but He did.

Jesus commands us to take His yoke, and, in the process, we discover the heavy burdens we have been carrying. These exceptions unknowingly kept us from the rest He offered. This invitation carried a further purpose—to learn from Him.

My husband and I did not know that stepping out in faith would teach us that God did not design us to carry heavy loads, as they weary us. God is not a harsh taskmaster but desires closeness and nearness as we journey together. Jesus called us forward, inviting us to exchange yokes. He did this so we would encounter Him as gentle and lowly.

With Jesus, there is always an exchange. As we unburden ourselves from the heavy yokes, we pause, unsure of the exchange (Matthew 11:28). But as we receive His gentleness and lightness, understanding comes. His gift is rest as we realize that what we release to Him is safest in His Hands. This brings rest to both body and soul.

Give it all to Jesus. Reach out for the exchange. He will show you what you are holding so tightly. Release the need for control. Release your exceptions. Allow His power to dismantle pressure, fear, performance, worry, and weariness. Receive His gentle yoke of rest and freedom. As you lay it all down, He will bring new life. No exceptions.