Tune Into the Holy Spirit | Discernment, Trusting God, Biblical Encouragement, Faith, Prophetic

I know the feeling. Hard to get out of bed... Don't want to be alone, but don't want a lot expected of you... Feeling unmotivated... I get it.
In today's episode, I share encouragement and a practical framework for how to bring your depression in daily prayer to the Lord. You may find yourself today wanting to grow in relationship with God, wanting to spend time in God's Presence, communing with the Holy Spirit in your quiet time, only to find that it all feels overwhelming and just so hard. Well, girl, Paul has some incredible Biblical encouragement for us today.
We will spend time in Ephesians 6 together, looking at what the Bible says about standing strong, all while taking a gentle approach -- because depression is a tough thing to wrestle with, and God is a kind, merciful God who understands our weaknesses.
If you're looking to get free and want to walk through depression with the Holy Spirit, and to continue to grow in trusting God, let's get practical.
 
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Resources:
23 | What is Speaking in Tongues? What the Bible Says About Prayer in the Spirit https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/23-what-is-speaking-in-tongues-what-the-bible-says/id1816381080?i=1000725498061 
14 | Nervous About Praying in Tongues for the First Time? Demystifying Praying in the Spirit -- Jason Hwang https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/14-nervous-about-praying-in-tongues-for-the-first/id1816381080?i=1000721024256 

Sometimes daily prayer feels hard. There I said it! Let's just be real. Sometimes daily prayer -- talking to the Holy Spirit in our quiet time -- feels forced, feels awkward, and just plain feels hard to do. So let's talk about.
In this episode, I share the #1 hindrance to the "pray without ceasing" exhortation from Paul. Often we can feel that God is distant from us or that He doesn't want to talk to us, maybe God's Presence feels like an elusive thing... But, today, I share how doing a little heart work on our own can make all the difference to deepening our relationship with God and to hearing God's voice.
If you want to pray without ceasing, make daily prayer a part of your regular walk with Jesus, or you just want to feel closer to God when you pray, then this episode is for you. Let's get practical.
 
Related content:
1 | How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Daily Prayer https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1-how-to-pray-a-simple-guide-for-daily-prayer/id1816381080?i=1000709671102 

Sometimes discerning God's voice isn't even the biggest hurdle to hearing God. Sometimes the biggest hurdle to hearing God is all the fear, anxiety, confusion, and the big question: "Can I hear the Holy Spirit at all?" It's that big mountain of swirling thoughts that can come before we even reach the "discerning" stage of hearing God.
In today's episode, I share 3 things that you can do in the moment when that accusation and mental spiraling comes to CUT IT OFF. This is discernment meets spiritual warfare! We are taking your quiet time, that sweet time in the God's Presence, to the next level.
We often think that we can pick through each accusation and lie and come to a place of peace after untangling all the swirling thoughts. But, today, I am going to show you a quicker, better way. These tips get right to the heart of the matter, the root of the issue.
If you're ready to throw off confusion, partner with the Holy Spirit, and hear God's voice in your daily prayer life with clarity and joy, let's get practical.
 
Resources:
8 | How Does God Speak to People? (How to Hear God's Voice - Part 1) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/8-how-does-god-speak-to-people-how-to-hear-gods-voice-part-1/id1816381080?i=1000717691658 
 
9 | Is that God, Me, or the Enemy? (How to Hear God's Voice - Part 2: Discernment) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/9-is-that-god-me-or-the-enemy-how-to-hear-gods-voice/id1816381080?i=1000718295142 
 
10 | Remove Confusion and Confidently Discern God's Voice (How to Hear God's Voice - Part 3) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-remove-confusion-and-confidently-discern-gods/id1816381080?i=1000718837488 
 
11 | No More Self-Doubt: 3 Simple Ways to Hone Your Discernment (How to Hear God's Voice - Part 4) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/11-no-more-self-doubt-3-powerful-discernment-tools/id1816381080?i=1000719481170
 
24 | Hard Time Hearing God's Voice? 5 Things Hindering Your Ability to Listen  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/24-hard-time-hearing-gods-voice-these-5-things-may/id1816381080?i=1000726147763
 

Feeling accusation that you're too young to make a difference in the Kingdom of God? Feeling like you were born into the wrong generation? I remember being in my early and mid 20s feeling like I couldn't do anything of meaning until I reached 30. Where that lie came from, I can't tell you! But, let me tell you, girl, you are not too young.
In this episode, I share from 1 Timothy 4 and 2 Chronicles 34 about how God can use us in our youth, in our teen years, and in our 20s. There is no such thing as "too young" in the Kingdom of God. It is the blood of Jesus that qualifies us and cleanses us to be a pure home for the Holy Spirit to dwell on the inside. You're not disqualified from hearing God's voice in daily prayer and in your quiet time, and you are equipped to do something of meaning in this world.
If you've got dreams on your heart, and you want to be the hands and feet of Jesus, ministering to the lost and broken, then this episode is for you. Please share it with a friend who needs to be encouraged. And, let's get practical!
 
Resources:
8 | How Does God Speak to People? (How to Hear God's Voice - Part 1) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/8-how-does-god-speak-to-people-how-to-hear-gods-voice-part-1/id1816381080?i=1000717691658 
 
9 | Is that God, Me, or the Enemy? (How to Hear God's Voice - Part 2: Discernment) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/9-is-that-god-me-or-the-enemy-how-to-hear-gods-voice/id1816381080?i=1000718295142 
 
10 | Remove Confusion and Confidently Discern God's Voice (How to Hear God's Voice - Part 3) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-remove-confusion-and-confidently-discern-gods/id1816381080?i=1000718837488 
 
11 | No More Self-Doubt: 3 Simple Ways to Hone Your Discernment (How to Hear God's Voice - Part 4) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/11-no-more-self-doubt-3-powerful-discernment-tools/id1816381080?i=1000719481170
 

It can be so difficult to sit still in God's Presence, to wait quietly for Him to speak... I know, because I really struggled with this myself when I was first trying to hear God's voice. After some time, I was able to unpack some of the culprits, and I want to share those with you today.
In today's episode, I will unpack five things in our life that are creating extra noise, and how that noise is actually making it hard to sit down and hear God speak. These things not only make it hard to sit and listen, but they can also hinder our spiritual discernment, which can reaaaally negatively impact how accurately we hear the Holy Spirit.
After taking care of these things, I saw a lot of improvement in my ability to hear God during my quiet time, AND I had a LOT more peace in my life.
If you want to be able to sit down and ask God questions and hear Him speak, let's get practical.
 
Referenced in today's episode:
8 | How Does God Speak to People? (How to Hear God's Voice - Part 1) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/8-how-does-god-speak-to-people-how-to-hear-gods-voice-part-1/id1816381080?i=1000717691658 
 
9 | Is that the Holy Spirit, Me, or the Enemy? (How to Hear God's Voice - Part 2: Discernment) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/9-is-that-the-holy-spirit-me-or-the-enemy-how-to/id1816381080?i=1000718295142 
 
10 | Remove Confusion and Confidently Discern God's Voice (How to Hear God's Voice - Part 3) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-remove-confusion-and-confidently-discern-gods/id1816381080?i=1000718837488 
 
11 | No More Self-Doubt! 3 Simple Ways to Hone Your Discernment (How to Hear God's Voice - Part 4) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/11-no-more-self-doubt-3-simple-ways-to-hone-your-discernment/id1816381080?i=1000719481170 
 
Related Topics:
19| How Asking for Signs Destroyed My Discernment and How the Holy Spirit Helped Me with My Confusion https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/19-how-asking-for-signs-destroyed-my-discernment-and/id1816381080?i=1000723419976 
 
20 | "I thought I was Hearing God!" What to Do When You Hear the Holy Spirit Completely Wrong https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/20-i-thought-i-was-hearing-god-what-to-do-when-you/id1816381080?i=1000723860605 

Speaking in tongues, praying in tongues, praying in the Spirit... all of that can sound intimidating if you've never experienced it before. I know that I had a LOT of questions about praying in tongues when I was in my early to mid 20s. I spent years asking God to give me the gift and then being really terrified that He might actually give it. And what would it be like!? What was it even?!
In today's episode, we'll peel back the layers and get into what Scripture actually says about praying in tongues. Having the Holy Spirit on the inside is one of the most amazing gifts from God, and praying in tongues is a wonderful addition to your quiet time and daily prayer life. So, I hope this answers your questions and takes away some of that nervous-ness so that you can confidently ask the Lord for this incredible gift.
If you're ready to dive into God's Word and seek the beautiful spiritual growth gift that is praying in tongues, let's get practical. 
 
Referenced in this episode:
14 | Nervous about Praying in Tongues for the First Time? Demystifying Praying in the Spirit -- Jason Hwang https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/14-nervous-about-praying-in-tongues-for-the-first/id1816381080?i=1000721024256 

Ever feel like God is distant? Does it seem like God showers love on other people while you feel like you're in a dry and weary land? Maybe you hear of other people having a rich time in God's Presence, but your quiet time feels like a swirl of self worth questions.
A couple years ago, I discovered that there were 3 key components to falling in love with a person and accepting their love, and I realized that those same components could be copied and pasted into our relationship with God. We were made to be loved, and we are loved by God.
In today's episode, I'll share 3 super simple daily prayer prompts to help you notice more of God's love -- and more of the Holy Spirit moving -- in your life. These are also great prayer journal prompts for those of you who love to prayer journal in your quiet time!
PS -- This is also great for growing your discernment, because we need to know how the Lord feels about us to accurately discern what God's voice sounds like.
If you're ready to grow in confidence of God's love, let's get practical!
 
Referenced in this episode:
21 | Finding Confidence in God's Love and Trusting God in Hard Seasons -- Esther Chen Bowell https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/21-finding-confidence-in-gods-love-and-trusting-god/id1816381080?i=1000724365182 

Ever find yourself questioning if God really loves you, sees you, or cares about you? Do you second guess the decisions you made in faith when things get hard? Well, girlfriend, THIS EPISODE IS LOADED!!
My dear friend and mentor Esther Chen Bowell joins the Practical Abiding fam today to share some absolute GOLD. She shares how she grew in seeing God's love notes to her -- the little kisses from heaven -- and how her spiritual growth took off in a really difficult season. We talk about experiencing God's love, sitting in God's Presence in quiet time, taking leaps of faith into the unknown, filling our bodies with His Light, and so much more.
If you wrestle with trusting God loves you, this episode is for you! Let's get practical.

Misheard the Lord? Did you follow a prompting you thought was the Holy Spirit, only to discover that it wasn't. The wake from that can be so painful and confusing. It can disrupt our daily prayer life, cause us to feel we lack all semblance of discernment, and make us not want to sit in God's Presence in our quiet time. And that, sis, is why I created this episode.
In today's content, I cover what to do step by step to stay in relationship with God after mishearing Him. This can be a time where the enemy can really try to attack your identity as a child of God, so it is imperative that you stay anchored in the Lord. This is when trusting God goes from sweet words on a page to actual spiritual warfare.
As we love the practicals on this podcast, I'll cover hands-on ways that you can anchor yourself in the Lord, how to tangibly keep communication open with the Lord, and how to start the conversation back up when it feels like "discerning God's voice" is difficult to do. Discernment isn't grown over night, so, sis, take this biblical encouragement. You are His sheep. You can hear God's voice.
If you're ready to keep reaching for the Holy Spirit and to grow in daily prayer in God's Presence even after a discernment mistake, let's get practical.

"God, if it's you, please confirm what You've said with _____." Sound like you? Girl, you're not alone.
In this episode, I share about a season where I asked the Holy Spirit coooonstantly to confirm His word to me about my future husband. The bulk of my daily prayer and quiet time was spent absolutely spiraling... I really struggled with discernment in this season, and I did so many things wrong. Instead of seeking God's Presence, I was desperate for immediate answers. Instead of resting on Biblical encouragement and what I knew to be true about God, I fell into anxiety and confusion. I hope that this story and the things that I learned will give you second-hand knowledge and wisdom, so that you don't have to walk through what I did.
What you'll get: a vivid picture of what not to do (but why asking for signs is so alluring), what the Bible tells us about discerning God's will and about Biblical wisdom, and hands-on practicals for what to do when you are confused and in a spiral around hearing God.
God's voice is something He wants you to hear! Sis, be encouraged and keep trusting God, even in the waiting.
If you want to grow in discernment and learn to hear the Holy Spirit for yourself, and to trust in God more, this episode is for you. Let's get practical.
 
Resources from today's episode:
8 | How Does God Speak to People? (How to Hear God's Voice - Part 1) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/8-how-does-god-speak-to-people-how-to-hear-gods-voice-part-1/id1816381080?i=1000717691658 
 
9 | Is that God, Me, or the Enemy? (How to Hear God's Voice - Part 2: Discernment) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/9-is-that-god-me-or-the-enemy-how-to-hear-gods-voice/id1816381080?i=1000718295142 
 
10 | Remove Confusion and Confidently Discern God's Voice (How to Hear God's Voice - Part 3) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-remove-confusion-and-confidently-discern-gods/id1816381080?i=1000718837488 
 
11 | No More Self-Doubt: 3 Powerful Discernment Tools (How to Hear God's Voice - Part 4) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/11-no-more-self-doubt-3-powerful-discernment-tools/id1816381080?i=1000719481170