I open by welcoming everyone and setting the tone: we’ve been learning how to stay tuned spiritually, and tonight we’re going deeper into what it means to live with the Holy Spirit. I start with Acts 2:17 to remind us that the Spirit is still active, God pours out His Spirit, and people will prophesy, see visions, and dream dreams. After praying, I explain a key foundation: the Holy Spirit is not just power, He’s a Person. He has mind and emotion, and Christianity is relational. Living with the Spirit means having real “heart-to-heart” moments with God, not treating Him like something we command.
From there, I introduce the first major point: God can speak through sleep and dreams. I talk about how we live in a world full of distractions, especially our phones, and how sleep is one of the few times we’re truly quiet and undistracted. I use Job 33:14–15 to show that God speaks “now one way, now another,” including through dreams and visions of the night. I explain the context: Job is suffering, feeling like God is silent, and one of the speakers in that passage points out that dreams can warn, guide, protect, and humble us.
Then I share my personal story: when I was in high school leading a Christian club, I would pray after school by my locker. One day after taking a nap, I had a dream where everything was pitch black, something covered my mouth, and I couldn’t speak. I had to call on Jesus internally, and when I said His name, I woke up. I use that to teach that not every “nightmare” is meaningless, sometimes it’s spiritual, sometimes it’s preparation, and sometimes it highlights an attack or a threat. I tell them: the enemy wants to silence our voice, but Jesus gives us authority and awakening.
I also explain that not all dreams are the same. Some are simple and direct, but others are symbolic and require discernment. I use a funny example from my own life: I had a weird dream like a “Temple Run” maze with spider webs and avocados that I was collecting for points. It didn’t make sense at first. But then at work in produce (where I literally deal with avocados), a customer approached me and started a deep conversation, about hope, the Bible, imperfect people, and the need for real human connection that technology can’t replace. I explain how that moment felt like confirmation: even if the dream seemed silly, it heightened my awareness that God may have been preparing me for a specific encounter where I could plant seeds and represent Jesus well.
Next, I move into the second way God speaks: circumstances. I read Genesis 50:20 and walk through Joseph’s story, how Joseph had dreams, was rejected by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, forgotten, and still remained faithful. I emphasize that Joseph didn’t control his circumstances, but God shaped him through them. Even the painful parts became part of a bigger plan that saved lives. I bring it home by saying that sometimes a broken friendship or a closed door becomes clear later: what felt unfair might actually be protection or redirection.
Then I teach the third way God speaks: impressions, inner checks, promptings, “notifications” from the Spirit. I use Acts 16:6–7 to show Paul trying to go one direction for ministry, but the Holy Spirit blocking it. I explain that sometimes God stops what we want to do, not because it’s bad, but because He has a different assignment that matters more in that season.
I share personal examples: when I was newly saved, I went to a party and got a strong impression to leave. I didn’t want to, especially because it was raining and I had to walk home, but I obeyed. Later, when I was older and more mature in my faith, I went to another party with friends and again got a warning impression. We left, and soon after someone texted saying the police showed up because things got dangerous. I don’t claim I know every detail spiritually, but I emphasize that sometimes God gives impressions to protect us, redirect us, or keep us from outcomes we’d never see coming.
After that, I shift the message into posture: how do we respond when God speaks? I use 1 Samuel 3:9 “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening”, to show that listening is a mindset. I remind them it’s amazing to read the Bible and be inspired, but inspiration without obedience isn’t the goal. I give an analogy: we’re not meant to stay “charged” like batteries forever, we’re meant to be empowered so we can power up others through the gospel.
I close with Jeremiah 33:3: “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” I explain that I can only be limited in what I know about them, but God knows them completely, how He wired them, their calling, their gifts, their future. So I challenge them: Are you listening? And I clarify: listening isn’t just feeling spiritual, it’s making decisions, handling friendships wisely, resisting temptation, and asking, “How can I make an impact?”
Finally, I pray that the Holy Spirit would increase our awareness of Him daily, speaking through rest, guiding through circumstances, warning through impressions, and shaping our attitudes so we respond with love and grace instead of hate and gossip. I pray for true safety in a chaotic world by staying in His hands.
My Faith Journey 