Blog | Greater Formation

“Learning the Language of the Holy Spirit”

clarity decision making discernment holy spirit plan scripture wisdom Jan 31, 2026

Are You Drowning in Decisions? There’s a Better Way to Be Led.

Do you feel mentally tired before the day even really starts, feel like you are living without traction or sense of growth? You are not alone. We are making far more decisions than any generation before us.

What to buy.
What to say.
How to work.
Where to work.
How to rest.
What to believe.
What to ignore.

The sheer volume is exhausting—and it quietly erodes clarity. Not because you’re incapable, but because no one was designed to navigate this much noise alone.

Here’s the good news: you’re not meant to.
God has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us.

But clarity requires learning His language.

The Spirit’s Primary Language Is Scripture

The Holy Spirit speaks in many ways—promptings, convictions, encouragement, restraint.
But His foundational language is Scripture.

Paul puts it plainly:

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true… and to prepare and equip His people to do every good work...

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Listen to Learn and Be Changed

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Listening Is the Primary Pathway of Personal Transformation

God shapes us more through grace than striving, more through reception than toil.
Listen well to those who are speaking.
We cannot be formed by what we refuse to hear.
“… Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak …” James 1:19 NIV
Selective listening leaves us stuck and unchanged.

Poor Listening Protects the False Self

We often listen to confirm what we already believe.
Defensive listening protects what we believe and resists exposure, correction, and growth.
True listening requires humility and surrender.
What we won’t hear determines where we won’t grow.
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding…”
— Matthew 13:14–15

Jesus Models Listening as Submission, Not Passivity

Listening precedes clarity, authority, and fruitfulness.
Jesus listened to the Father to align His actions.
Listening is active alignment with God’s will.

Listening Requires Slowing, Softening, and St...

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Listen Up ... God Still Speaks

discernment growth guidance listening to god obedience scripture Jan 17, 2026

Does God Still Speak? … And Can You Hear Him?

Have you ever met someone who says they hear from God?

Maybe they talk about sensing His direction or making decisions based on what they believe He’s heard Him say.

Sometimes those people feel a little out there.
Other times, they feel intimidating—as if their closeness to God highlights something you’re missing.
And if you’re honest, you might feel tempted to quietly dismiss the whole idea.

Don’t.

Jesus was clear: “My sheep listen to My voice” (John 10:27).
That statement wasn’t reserved for prophets, pastors, or the especially spiritual. It was spoken to ordinary followers. To people like you.

God speaks. He always has.

Scripture is filled with His voice—thundering in Psalm 29, guiding prophets, stirring hearts through dreams, signs, and moments of revelation. Ultimately, He spoke through Jesus and through the written Word. And today, He still speaks—through Scripture, people, prayer, worship, images, thoughts, and gentle in...

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When Life Feels Aimless

design direction discernment perspective reflection wisdom Nov 22, 2025

Do you ever feel a little aimless—like you’re going through the motions, but the motions no longer mean much? It’s easy for weeks to blur into months of treadmill living: lots of activity, not much direction. And … wouldn’t it be nice if our path was simply marked out for us?

Most of us long for wisdom—the kind that blends knowledge, experience, discernment, and the ability to put it all into practice. We want to know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it well. We want to be effective and grounded.

But how do we actually get wisdom?

Scripture tells us we begin by believing wisdom exists outside of ourselves. There is a reason, a design, a deeper logic woven into this world and into our lives. And that wisdom isn’t hidden. It’s found in relationship with God.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” —Proverbs 9:10

Wisdom doesn’t originate with us. It resides in God. He is its source and author.

Moses understood t...

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How Jesus Lived and Invites Us To Live

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What Are You Missing Right Now?

Have you paused lately to notice what’s happening around you?

It’s easy to get so wrapped up in our own lives—the next task, the next goal, the next “important” thing—that we overlook the bigger picture. We become so focused on our own activities that we forget: life is bigger than us.

There’s a whole world, even a whole universe, moving around you right now. And more importantly, God is already at work in that world.

The Kingdom Doesn’t Start With You

Here’s a vital truth: the Kingdom of God doesn't begin with you. It doesn’t depend on your plans, your efforts, or your creativity. The Kingdom is the result of God’s will in action, a manifestation of His purposes unfolding all around us.

It’s been said that God most appreciates what He initiates. That means our role is less about trying to force something to happen, and more about learning to recognize and respond to what God is already doing.

Shift From Striving to Respondin

...

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The Danger of Assumptions and Presumptions

discernment evidence obedience plans prayer prejudice racism stereotypes Jun 14, 2025

We’ve all heard the saying: “Don’t make assumptions.” And for good reason. When we assume, we act as though we fully understand a situation—without actually taking the time to investigate or discern the truth. Assumptions are conclusions drawn without sufficient evidence, and they’re often wrong.

Wrong assumptions fuel prejudice, racism, and harmful stereotypes. They fracture marriages, disrupt neighborhoods, and create tension in workplaces. When we think we know something we haven’t taken the time to understand, we often alienate others and make poor decisions.

Even Jesus experienced rejection based on false assumptions. Many believed He was a threat simply because He didn’t meet their expectations of how the Messiah should act. They didn’t pause to truly understand His mission—or His heart.

But if assumptions are dangerous, presumptions can be even more damaging.

To presume means to take something for granted. It implies an even greater level of certainty—often without any more ...

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Are you seeing the Kingdom of God around you?

attention blindness discernment insight kingdom of god motivations Apr 05, 2025

Sometimes, my wife can’t believe how blind I can be – especially when I’m searching for something in the refrigerator. There are many moments when I miss things that are right in front of me – clothes that need to go upstairs, trash that needs to be taken out, dishes that need washing. It’s rarely intentional, I promise.

But there’s a different kind of blindness that Jesus talked about – one that goes beyond missing something on a shelf. In Luke 17:20-21, He said, “The coming of the Kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the Kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Jesus was pointing out that God’s Kingdom isn’t always obvious. It’s not something you can just see on the surface. It’s something that requires attention, discernment, and spiritual insight. It often works quietly beneath the surface, in ways that are easy to miss if we’re not paying attention.

Take, for example, the moment when Jesus was watching peopl...

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You May Have More Authority Than You Realize

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Does it ever seem to you like nothing much is really happening in your neck of the Kingdom of God?

How long has it been since you have seen significant transformation in the lives or health of people you personally know?

Does it feel like you are just going through the motions of faith – which quite possibly is not faith at all?

Jesus lived an expression of faith that made a difference. He seemed to engage heaven and earth - the spiritual and relational, to great affect and effect. Paul referred to Jesus as the second Adam because He walked in the purposes of God’s created order.

God formed people in His own image, and intended them to rely upon His wisdom and direction, and to represent His will, in His authority, on the earth. (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-20) Jesus understood this and lived accordingly, saying,

“By Myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and My judgment is just, for I seek not to please Myself but Him who sent Me.” (John 5:30)

He had an intimate relat...

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