I confess I’m writing this post today for my own sake. I have a couple of older men in my life who walk with what I call “Holy Spirit confidence.” That is, they simply know God, hear from God through His Word and His Spirit, and trust Him with abandon. These are the traits in them I prayerfully long for in myself, too:
- The Word of God seems to drip from their lips. They’ve planted it deeply into their hearts, and they can quote it seemingly with each breath. That Word gives them strength and perseverance.
- Their talking to the Lord is both natural and reverent. They fall on their faces in awe of God, but they also talk with Him as with a best friend. Nothing blocks their prayer channel.
- They have no reservation with saying “The Lord spoke to me today.” I understand concerns raised when folks make this statement, but these men I know would never separate this statement from their study of the Word. They devour the Scriptures—and listen.
- They deeply trust the promises of God. No matter what they face, they turn to God’s promises for hope. They know them, quote them, believe them, teach them, and walk in light of them. Abiding joy is the result.
- They don’t second-guess their decisions. This trait in these men was one of the first that caught my attention. When you seek the Lord, hear from Him, and trust Him, you don’t question your decisions. You just press on under the Spirit’s leading.
- They’re Holy Spirit-sensitive to the sin in their lives. In fact, they recognize even their smallest sins—and they repent almost before the sin is brought to fruition. Men living in Holy Spirit confidence strive hard for purity.
- The supernatural intervention of God in their lives seems almost normal. I’m not at all surprised when these men tell me about God’s incredible answer to their prayers. They expect God to work.
- Humility marks their lives. They’re living examples of the statement, “The closer you get to God, the more you know you need Him.” They’re great men of God who would vehemently deny their greatness.
- They talk about Jesus. A lot. You can’t help but talk about Jesus when you live under the control of the Spirit who points to the Son. Evangelism just happens.
- They rest well at night. That’s because they lay everything at God’s feet, and they sleep in the care of His sovereignty. They may be righteously concerned about something, but they don’t allow themselves to be consumed by worry and sleeplessness.
May God help us live in the confidence of the Spirit!
This post first appeared here.
