Led by the Spirit – Walking In Power with Nate Ortiz

Hey, what's up my name is Nino Ortiz and this is Walking in Power.

So I have the great privilege of bringing this word to you today from the beautiful background

that God has created.

Just right here in the middle of the woods, I do this camp and we see so many teenagers

that will come, be a part of this camp and many of the different ways if you're watching

this, but if you're listening, that's why I maybe if you're some birds in the background

or some different sounds like that.

But I want to talk to you today about being led by the spirit.

Now we hear a term like that and we might ask ourselves, what does that really mean?

There's times where in the Bible where God's Spirit has led people to different spaces

in their life where maybe they really want to share what the purpose was, maybe it was

a town, maybe it's to a group of people, but being led by the spirit causes us to step

out of our normal routine, our normal rhythms to say, Lord, what are you speaking to me?

I like to tell people, you know, we love our routines, we love our rhythms, you know,

we get into a flow and I know I love it and that's a place that we should be because

it creates order, creates structure to our days, we're not just flippantly going about

it, but there's something about saying, Lord, if I want to be led by the spirit, I have to

be ready for interruptions.

So my first thought being led by the spirit is, are we open interruptions from the Lord?

Because we understand when the Lord's interrupting us, it's going to be good, right?

There's people in our lives even that, right, if they give us a phone call or if they come

and say, I need to talk to you, you know the interruption is going to be worth it or

it's going to be important for myself or for yourself, but you say, I got to take this

because I know it's important.

We need to have the same type of mentality with the Lord.

Something's being spoken to us, are we willing to say this interruption can mess up my rhythm

or my routine because it's important?

I'd like to think about it in this way that if you're driving to work or you're driving

somewhere, maybe you have a certain agenda that you have in your mind, but this thought

comes to your brain or to your spirit and you feel like, I need to call this person, just

checking on them.

I need to shoot them a text.

Maybe not thinking anything of it, but maybe that's really the spirit nudging you into

something that you need to do.

So I encourage you, think about the times that you've maybe felt something like that,

you know, hearing from the Lord, are you ready to be interrupted?

When you're walking with the spirit, I also think there has to be an element of being ready.

We could be interrupted, but then it's time we're not ready for these interruptions because

we've so been engaged in our routine.

I'd like to read to you out of Galatians chapter 5, verse 16.

It says, but I walk by the spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.

For the flesh sets its desires against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh.

For these are in opposition to one another, so you may not do the things you please.

But if you're led by it, but if you're led by the spirit, you're not under the law.

So I'm going to stop right there in reading.

But when I think about our, we go from interruptions to we say, am I ready?

Sometimes we aren't ready because our spirit and our flesh are truly at battle with one another.

And sometimes our flesh is winning out.

I'm not ready because I got this to do and I got this to do.

Or I haven't been where I've needed to be.

And I'm just not ready for the Holy Spirit to interrupt me to help someone else.

Or I'm not ready to get involved in my church.

I'm not ready to start that Bible today.

I'm not ready to pray in the morning because I got other things to do.

And we make ourselves not ready and our spirit continues to suffer because our flesh continues

to wind out, whether we're not getting up earlier or we're not making the disciplines

at night or during the day, whenever to get those times with God.

So I want to challenge you that when you're walking by the spirit, is the flesh winning

out?

You know, the verse in the Bible where it talks about, our spirit may be willing, but our

flesh is weak.

When you are ready to be lepus, your flesh is going to have to die to some degree.

There's a part of you that the things that you naturally want to do are going to have

to take a back seat to what God's asking you to do.

You have to be ready because when you, it's not always going to be in your timing, but

it's always going to be in God's timing.

And I want to continue just reading on this verse here in my last thought.

In verse 19, it says, now the deeds of the flesh are evident which are immorality, impurity,

sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, and an emity strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes,

dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, quarousing and things like this, which I forewarn you,

just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the

kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith

always, a gentleness, self-control, again such things that there is no law.

What are you practicing in your life?

So being led by the spirit will create practices.

Our flesh is always going to want to please ourself in sin gratification, but what are we practicing?

Are we practicing the things that is outlined in here in the scriptures where we say, are

we practicing love?

Are we practicing patience and peace and joy and just other elements of the Christian

faith that we aren't just saying, Lord, it's about me and blessing me, then that will

basically just my response to you.

But are we practicing these things daily?

I know for one, practicing patience can be a challenge, where are we patient with people?

Are we patient with situations that when we're in the middle of something, are we just

wanting to get through to the end and we push through?

Are we saying, Lord, allow me to really trust you in this moment?

So walk by the spirit, learn how to develop this practice.

I know it's something that I've grown insurmendously and continue to grow in.

I don't want to live my life just saying it's about me and there can't be these interruptions,

these can't be these moments that don't fit into my schedule, but I know every interruption

from God is going to be good.

Now I want to be ready when those interruptions come and also I want to be practicing so

I am ready.

And that's the only place, that's the only time that you get there.

It takes daily disciplines to get to that place.

So I just want to pray with you in this moment that you think about this word today and

what you're practicing.

Are you pleasing your flesh or you say, Lord, let my spirit grow and being able to hear

more what you're speaking to me.

So right now Father, I thank you for every person that's listening to this.

Or whether they be in their car or at their house, I just pray God that you would speak

life over them, that you would encourage them, that you would just allow them just to hear

your voice in the middle of chaos and the middle of maybe a stressful situation.

Lord, be with them.

Help them to grow in you, help them to know your voice in every situation that they're

in.

Lord, we love you Jesus and we thank you for what you're doing in their lives.

I'm in prayer.

Amen.

Thank you so much for listening.

I'll see you next time.