Is that you God?
Our minds are filled with a million voices a day. Voices of doubt, fear, confidence, love, insecurity… the list goes on. We allow these voices to rule our minds. They influence the way we think and perceive the world and ourselves; these voices control our actions and often create unnecessary harm. So when someone tells you to be silent, to listen to God and hear what He has to say, how do you know it is really Him? How can you trust that His voice is the one speaking to you?
Training camp was a 12 day emotional intensive on how to hear God. We covered a multitude of big topics. I walked away from our week with a much better understanding of whom God is, how to hear His voice, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
God speaks to us through The Word, or the Bible.The Bible allows us to encounter learn about God’s character and grow in closer relationship by understanding the qualities of who He truly is.
God speaks to us through His Spirit.
God speaks to us through His people.
I learned that we have two versions of our voice; the flesh, which is self-gratification, and the Spirit. God’s voice is not the only voice that is fighting for our attention. There are lies and messages all around us that capture our minds and twist our view of who we are. God wants to speak with us; He wants to have a deep, intimate relationship with us. The closer we get, the more we can enjoy open communication with Him.
The Bible verse that spoke to me during this week was Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” We can invite the Holy Spirit to renew our minds every day and God will cleanse us of these false beliefs and attitudes.
Okay… so what does it mean to invite the Holy Spirit to renew our minds?
I had heard many of these messages before but I never truly understood what it meant to have the Lord’s presence with me at all times. I didn’t think that was possible. Sure, I have heard from God before. He’s sporadically provided me with scripture or shown Himself to me through other instances. For example, I turned to verses like Matthew 6:33-34 to guide and soothe my anxiety before a big test or presentation.
“ Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” before a test or big presentation
However, there was one session at training camp that completely blew my mind; I learned that God desires to not just guide us in desperate times of need but to rest within us at all times.
God’s presence challenges us; it can feel inconvenient and take us out of our comfort zone. God can give us a fresh perspective or the momentary comfort we need. And yet, God is looking to do so much more than that. He is looking for a resting place (Isaiah 66:1). He is looking for believers who welcome Him and offer place for habitation.
How does this happen?
When we start to understand what pleases the Lord and what it takes to become a place of habitation, our entire life changes. God’s presence fills us with a fire, a hunger, and a spirit that desires to outpour the same. We don’t need to get more His presence because we already have it. Instead, we need to grow in our awareness of and sensitivity to His presence. God found a resting place and dwelling in the person of Jesus. He desires to find that same resting place in us. The Spirit is meant to wake us up, to renew and refresh us so that we can be a place of habitation.
With God dwelling in us, we are invited build for Him. This revival is not sudden; it is a constant surrender to Jesus and His power. Revival was not meant to be a season—it’s a lifestyle. This is a life I want to live. A life where I don’t just get goose bumps from a song or sermon at church but have an ever-deepening relationship with the Lord. I want to be filled with the Spirit, with an outpouring of love and glory. I pray to carry His presence everywhere I go instead of seeking it. Training camp allowed me to open up my mind and to invite the Holy Spirit to live within me.
I received a vision that night. I was dancing in a big white room. Jesus and the Spirit were dancing there too. The Spirit was like a beautiful white mist moving all around me. I was almost trying to catch it, to hold it tight and never let it go. I was filled with such peace and could feel God’s presence above me. Soon enough all the people from my squad and people from around the world were dancing with me in this white room as well. There were hundreds of white spirits moving and dancing around us. Everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit. This vision felt like a glimpse of Heaven—an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and peace. Everyone together in unity, full of love, joy, and God’s presence.
I can’t wait to spend the next year hearing from God in all types of ways. I know that He will come in different shapes and sizes, voices and images, people and scripture, even in other languages. I will continue to share the lessons I learn and how the Holy Spirit works in me while on The Race. I pray that whoever is reading this looks deeper into an intimate relationship with God so that they may become a dwelling place for the Lord as well!
