Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

We all need direction in life.  We want to know the future, our destination, where we are going. What better help could we ask for than an all-knowing compass in the Holy Spirit?  The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity and is equal to God and Jesus.  They are one and the same Being. So how are we led by the Holy Spirit?  We let Him!  To be a follower, we must be willing to be led.  It may seem a simple explanation, but unless we lay down our "rights" and also the belief that we know best, we cannot truly follow Christ via the Holy Spirit. The Spirit testifies to Truth.  Always.  He will never steer you wrong. But how do we know when it's the Holy Spirit leading us, and not someone else or even ourselves? Practice. As we listen to the Holy Spirit, at first it may be hit or miss.  And that's ok.  You hear among Christians all the time, "I thought God told me..."  I'm not sure why this happens.  To keep us humble?  To make sure we keep listening

Christ lives in our hearts by faith once we receive Him as Lord of our lives.  So it would stand to reason that since He lives in our hearts, that if we "follow our hearts," we are following Him.  But that is not the case. Scripture tells us that the heart is deceitful above all else. (see Jeremiah 17:9 ) The heart is the seat of our emotions.  God gave us emotions as gifts.  But they are not to be trusted as gods or sources of truth and wisdom.  Emotions are ever-changing and unreliable.  No, we need more than our hearts to guide us. For truth and wisdom there is only one place to consult: God's Word.   We know that what our heart "tells" us can be the furthest thing from God's Word.  "But I feel  like this is the right thing to do."  "I am overwhelmed with emotion, so it must be God's will."   As women especially, our emotions run deep.  They can also be all over the place! That is why it is crucial to know and study God's Word.