Spirit, lead me: the greatest love of all time
When I look outside of my apartment window, I see a huge development of condominiums that only three years ago was a plot of dirt. When the wind would blow, dust particles would fill the air as I walked the neighborhood with our puppy.
I think of this often in a season that calls for faithfulness: a devotion + obedience to a promise that is not yet fulfilled and whose harvest is still being tended to. Perhaps this is the community building bones in me…I want to live in such a way that even if this promise goes unfulfilled, the path has been at least trail blazed enough for another to follow, take up the mission, and chart a way forward. If not in my lifetime, then hopefully in another’s. By the Holy Spirit, I pray that even if the calling + purpose He’s placed over my life has yet to be fulfilled in this lifetime, I will be remembered by my love for Him.
I think of this walk often because for the year prior to the development being built, we would guess what would eventually come to be. Our guesses were filled with infinite possibilities. And the dust that blew would remind me that we too, were formed from dust and will eventually return to Him as such. To truly live in the fullness of abundant life is to live in such a way that others can come to appreciate the miracles of His glory. And I believe that no matter who you are, what you do, and when you do it, we each have a great opportunity to be able to share His blessings + to partner with Him to do so. I used to believe that the amount of impact you could have in the world was determined by titles and status. Yet God works miracles in even the tiniest of things + the most broken of people.
There was also a time where my relationship with Him was very punitive and fearful, a very A-B-C kind of thing. As in: put A + B together and you’ll get C. If not A, B, or C, you’ll end in failure. And now, I’ve come to meet Him more deeply and find Him as a friend and a partner. Someone who I can share everything with, seek counsel from, and who believes in me for what I may not even have the capacity to dare dream of at the moment.
God gives us three ways to connect with Him: through the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
It is said that the Holy Spirit is a spiritual voice that can be felt into whispers and commits to the mind what is experienced in the heart. The Spirit is so powerful because through the Spirit, we each have the capacity to be fully led and guided in our daily living. Because of the Spirit, we know where and what to say our next “yes” to.
I want to be the kind of believer that can tell you that faithfulness + obedience is a path of rainbows + sunshine, filled with win after win. However, this has been anything but the case from my experience and sharing in such a way would be a lie. The path has been eternally joyful and also filled with some of the greatest hurdles I have ever encountered. The truth is that lately I’ve been experiencing some of the heaviest spiritual warfare, finding myself in need of healing from pains I had previously been delivered from, and wondering whether or not it’s even possible to fill the shoes of the person He says I am. The weight of all of that has been a challenge to keep an abundance mindset. From time to time, I still find myself gawking in awe at major companies + influencer success stories, making small of my current accomplishments, and doubting whether the harvest will ever come. It’s Him who brings me back faithfully time and time again.
Beyond reading Scripture, singing worship music, and even going to church, the most intimate encounters I have had with Him have been by the Holy Spirit. By the Holy Spirit, I have felt the most seen, heard, and loved. The appearance of a fluttering butterfly, a small gesture, hearing a small phrase…how great the most seemingly simple moments have radically transformed my perspective and a few choice encounters. I hear the Spirit most vividly on my yoga mat. Lately, I have been practicing backbends. I’m trying to build a flexibility in which the same spine that supports me, holds me up, and has carried me so strongly can also bend in such a way that my heart can be pulled up towards Heaven. You see another name for backbends are heart openers. And heart openers like the dancing camel pose variation encourage me to move from His heart and continue to reach out for His guidance. In that, I remember that impossible is where God does His finest works. To partner with God is like dancing with Him, a partner who constantly encourages us to match His energy and get into the same elevated rhythm + flow he operates in.
In John 15:5, Jesus said:
“I am the vine: you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Written by the "disciple who Jesus loved," this is one of the earliest accounts of Jesus's life. The purpose of this book is to encourage belief in Jesus as the King and acknowledges that through belief, followers of Jesus lead a blessed life in His name. The passage is one of faith and obedience. Through abiding in God's love, the Spirit comes unto us to reveal areas of healing and transformation. Through Him, we live a new and redeemed life. By trusting and allowing Him to remain in us, He gives His strength and power to produce fruit for a life well lived. He shows us what needs shedding, growth, and renewal.
Before harvesting, every garden needs to be tended towards that abundance. Just like a plant in changing seasons, old growth must be pruned away, wither, and transform into something else to make space for an even greater blessing to take root and blossom. God loves us so much that He only asks us to turn to Him. His love + compassion are always greater than any displays of anger + rejection. Jesus loved us so much that in His sacrifice, we could be able to develop a fiercely intimate relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit within us. Thanks to the Holy Spirit guiding us and drawing us nearer to the Father each and every day, we have eternal access to true love, joy, and hope.
Here are five ways to be guided in Spirit:
Create space + stillness. Spiritual maturity is cultivated by balancing being with doing. You need periods of margin to rest, reflect, and renew. When you rest, you allow yourself to recharge + replenish in mental alertness, physical strength, and loving kindness. When you reflect, you can celebrate your accomplishments + good works as well as areas for growth. And in doing so, the Spirit whispers renewed faith + next steps. Close the door, get quiet, and listen.
Awareness of surroundings. The Spirit latches on to your sense of intuition. Your intuition is guided from an instinctive feeling beyond rational reasoning. Combined with discernment + wisdom, it keeps you accountable to His unique plans over your life. We are each called to glorify + uplift His kingdom in our own unique ways. There are steps + decisions He asks for that are specific to you.
Seeing with eyes of love. Your circumstances and reality can be experienced as spiritual lessons. God always shows up on time. There are moments that will call for celebration and others that will call for mourning. I believe those who are victorious absorb those more challenging moments as opportunities for growth + renewal in purpose.
Check your ego. Is this for Him or for personal gain? Is this His heart of love or a heart of pain? We live in a world where success looks like riches + fame. True peace is eternal, which can be found in the internal. The most easeful paths forward are smooth and not rushed, it pulls and does not push. And it usually asks for what will crack your heart wide open. It’s usually the more challenging decision that has the most fruitful rewards.
Strengthen your community. When God wants to speak to you, He will also use the people in your life to speak through. Humans are social creatures and God intended for us to be in community. We are imperfectly formed in order to be able to support one another. Your greatest friends will tell you what you don’t want to hear and deliver it in a way you are able to lovingly receive it.
The Spirit is the key to living in faithfulness in accordance with God’s master plan for our lives. He gives us our “what” so that we can simply listen for the Spirit’s whispers of “how” rather than being consumed by the “why.” Because the why is always for His glory + goodness.
If you’re ready to be guided by the Spirit, you can schedule a 1:1 complimentary consultation here.
Kim Yamasaki is a Christian wellness coach who supports her clients in cultivating space + stillness in the mind, body, and Spirit through collaborative processes of co-creation. She provides services that create space _ stillness for deeper connection: spiritual wellness coaching for burnout, home organizing, and yoga. Her methods are affirming, grounding, and nurturing – all interlaced with playful creativity. She is a native Angeleno with Japanese and Chinese roots.
This article was originally published for the “selah space” newsletter, reclaiming abundance’s care package for go-getters that is released on a monthly basis. “Selah space” offers content to support readers looking to for greater balance by living, loving, and learning deeply to be their most calm, confident, and complete selves. In the Bible, selah means “to pause or to reflect.” It appears most heavily in the Book of Psalms and Habakkuk as musical notations at the end of verses to draw attention back to what was previously expressed.