Holy Spirit- A Different Experience with Josh Nelson
Welcome to the holy spirit untethered my name's amber bills and it is my job and my mission to allow the holy spirit to speak through me to help demystify who he is what his role is, and to deeply encourage you to seek a relationship with him. Alright. Let's get started. Hey, guys. Welcome back to the Holy Spirit Untether podcast.
Amber:My name is Amber, and I'm so happy that you decided to listen to this episode today because today, I have a special guest. His name is Josh Nelson, and he's a really good friend of mine, him and his wife, Charles. See, Josh, you wanna say hi?
Josh Nelson:Hello.
Amber:Awesome. And both of his kids, Zach and Caleb, are both in GenH, which is the youth group that I coordinate at Heart Church, and they're both a joy to to have. And they are it's been so cool to see see them grow up because I knew them both in, like, middle school, and now they're both in high school. And they're both super tall. Yeah.
Amber:Especially Zach, but it's really cool. And especially Caleb because he's opened up a lot more, especially since middle school. So it's really cool to kinda see his personality develop and stuff. So you guys are doing a good job at parenting. So
Josh Nelson:Yes. Working on it.
Amber:Gold star. So today, I thought that it would be awesome to have Josh on because you, Josh, have a unique perspective of the Holy Spirit and how you came to Christ, and your story is just a little different than some of the other people that have been on this podcast.
Josh Nelson:Mhmm.
Amber:So I thought it would be really cool for other people just to to hear your story, and then we'll kinda see where the conversation goes. But before we get started, let's go ahead and pray. So if you you can and it's safe to do so, close your eyes and pray with us. Alright. Dear heavenly father, I just thank you for this opportunity.
Amber:I thank you for bringing Josh onto the podcast, Lord. Holy spirit, I just pray you would lead this conversation. I pray you would speak through us and just prepare our hearts for this message that you have for us, Lord. I just pray for every single person that is on this podcast that's listening right now. I just pray a blessing over them, and I just pray that you would allow this nugget to be seated in their heart and allow it to flourish later on as they meditate on it, Lord.
Amber:And we thank you for that. In Jesus' name, amen.
Josh Nelson:Amen.
Amber:Awesome. So, Josh
Josh Nelson:Mhmm.
Amber:Why don't you start from the beginning?
Josh Nelson:Okay. I was not born into a Christian family. I got saved if you wanna, put that term when I was, like, 22 years old. And so I grew up in Colorado with my parents and my brother. Hung out with my cousins a lot.
Josh Nelson:It was really kind of a dark place. Not a lot of good spiritual influences, but I do see along the way how God tried to get a hold of my life through through people. I hate to say it, but I was actually not a good influence on Christian people that came into my life in high school that God was trying to influence me. Specifically, when I was a freshman in high school, there was, these two guys, Ivan and Lessing, and they were these Christian guys. The high school I went to, I didn't know anyone, and they befriended me and invited me to youth group.
Josh Nelson:I never went. I went one time for, like, a a New Year's Eve event. Sure. They did all these crazy things. Right?
Josh Nelson:The youth pastor is trying to have fun. And I remember we were, like, eating gross stuff, and it's just just weird, but I can see back how God was trying to get a hold of me then. Mhmm. He was working through people. Fast forward, I I didn't become a Christian.
Josh Nelson:They actually invited me to their church once I went, and and it was more of a Pentecostal church. I'd never seen something like that. So the pastor, well, the pastor was laying hands on people at the end. And I had no clue what was going on.
Amber:Sure.
Josh Nelson:And I was like, Lessing, what's going on? Why is he put his hands on people and then they fall over? And he's like, Oh, don't worry about just go up there.
Amber:And it's fine.
Josh Nelson:And it'll feel really good. And I was like, no. So I I didn't do that and nor was I a Christian. So I was just like, okay. Fast forward, I get saved.
Josh Nelson:I'm not gonna go into all the details of of, you know, what led to that, but I got saved on a Thursday. Thank God, like, I feel like crying just talking about it. But anyways, gave my life to Jesus by myself in my apartment on a Thursday. You know, no one necessarily led me. My brother had been a Christian for a couple of years.
Josh Nelson:And he just asked me a question earlier that week, he said, Hey, you know, have you given your life to Jesus? And I was like, well, yeah, right. I didn't know what that meant.
Amber:Sure.
Josh Nelson:And so I was going through a tough time during that timeframe. And so what happened was, is I thought about that, and I'm like, oh, man, things in my life are crazy. They're pretty bad. And, you know, what does that mean? Have I given my life to Jesus?
Josh Nelson:And because of where I was at, I was at the point, the breaking point where I'm like, okay, God, life is bad and it's been bad and I have all my issues I've had since I was a little kid and I don't understand all that stuff. So you know what? I'm gonna give you everything. I'm gonna lay it all down. Whatever you want, God, whatever you say, I'll do it.
Josh Nelson:And I meant it. And I received Jesus, right? No one led me I just made the decision. And then I called and told my mom, she was super happy. She was like, she was a Christian
Amber:at the time.
Josh Nelson:So the time frames is my mom got saved when we're in middle school. My brother got saved in college. And then and then I got saved a couple years later. Got it. So, she was super happy.
Josh Nelson:I told my brother, he was super happy. And he's like, Oh, you gotta read this book. You know, it's really good. And you'll learn blah, blah, blah. And so I ended up reading Good Morning Holy Spirit by Benny Hinn.
Josh Nelson:There's a lot to say about Benny Hinn. He's pretty controversial. He's, not necessarily my cup of tea. I never heard him. I just read the book.
Josh Nelson:And, the main point is, he talks about this relationship with Holy Spirit. Mhmm. And I didn't have context a lot of what he was saying. We got through half of it. I'm like, god, if he can have this relationship with you, I wanna have this as well.
Josh Nelson:And so simply in my apartment on my couch, and I wanna emphasize the couch because I used to sleep on it, it's this big leather couch,
Amber:you know,
Josh Nelson:one bedroom apartment, live by myself. So I'm there and I say, well, holy spirit, I believe I can have this relationship with you, like Benny Hen's talking about. Mhmm. I just receive you right now. And to describe this is for the first time in my life, I felt the presence of God.
Josh Nelson:I heard the voice of God and it's like, God literally came through the ceiling, filled my whole room. And I immediately learned a few things. One, God had been there all my life, was always there, and I just didn't know it. Two, he was realer than I was. And, and I realized that all my life, I missed out on a relationship with him.
Josh Nelson:And I was so filled with God's presence, that all I could do was laugh and cry, and laugh and cry for like an hour. And he simply said, when he first came, he said, I'm here. That was the first time I ever heard God. So it was mind blowing for me.
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:Because when you don't believe there's a God and then someone talks to you
Amber:Shows up through your ceiling and talks to you. Yeah.
Josh Nelson:Sure. The presence of God is the best way I can describe that.
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:Then it blows your mind.
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:So after I'm done crying for, like, an hour and laughing and full of God's joy in his presence, I'm like, man, I'm hungry. Seriously. And I hear the voice of God say, I'm gonna bless your life. And so I'm feeling so good. I go to my favorite place to eat, which is the deli, which is like, you know, I lived in a small town in Colorado is like ten fifteen minutes away.
Josh Nelson:So I get there, I ordered my favorite sandwich. This might sound insignificant, but just hang on. Okay. So I ordered the roast beef hero. And you know, they're making it, I just encountered God for the first time, You know, my mind's blown.
Josh Nelson:God's just touching me and, you know, nudging me and speaking to me and showing me his love. And, and then they're like, Hey, your sandwich is ready. We accidentally made another one. We're gonna give you both. And at the moment, you're like, oh, that's not a big deal.
Josh Nelson:They gave you an extra sandwich, but God had just been like, Hey, I'm gonna bless your life immediately. Just things start happening. And so I couldn't believe it. So what happens next is I grabbed my Bible. I start reading and then I didn't wanna read in the New Testament first though.
Josh Nelson:So I didn't have the foundation. I think my my mom encouraged me and me and my brother. They're like, hey, you should start in the New Testament. That's
Amber:what most people tell you to do. Right?
Josh Nelson:Yeah. But I decided I wanted to start at the beginning of Genesis. And I just started reading and reading. And that's the start.
Amber:That's the start. Wow. That's crazy. That like, you didn't have and you were telling this telling me this before we started recording, but, like, you didn't have that scripture foundation. Right?
Amber:You all you had was faith at that point. Mhmm. And God showed up.
Josh Nelson:Yes. Which is an important thing to say because it's faith that pleases God.
Amber:Right.
Josh Nelson:No. We our our faith is obviously rooted in the scripture and in God himself. But without faith, you can't experience the things of heaven. Right. So
Amber:Yeah. That's actually a really crazy statement. You can't experience the things of heaven without faith, and it's impossible to please God without faith.
Josh Nelson:Absolutely.
Amber:Yeah. Yeah. That's that's a really good way to put that. I I love that because I feel like some people, they limit themselves in terms of, like, well, I don't know scripture well enough. I don't know my bible well enough, so I don't know if I can experience these things because, like, I I just don't know.
Amber:I don't know my Bible. I don't know the scripture. I don't know God's word yet. But that's just that's just nonsense. As long as you know God's heart and you have faith, you can experience him at whatever level that you're at.
Amber:He just meets you where you're at. Right?
Josh Nelson:Yeah. And, well, and the Bible's clear. It says that God's no respecter of persons. And, really, if you approach the Bible as testimonies of people's experiences with God, there's some crazy stuff in there. Yeah.
Josh Nelson:I mean, really crazy. I mean, Abraham's meeting with, you know, God and two angels.
Amber:Right.
Josh Nelson:Maybe possibly Gabriel and Michael. I don't know. I mean Yeah. Who knows? I I mean, they have these encounters, these theophanies, different people.
Josh Nelson:Samuel's hearing God's voice, like, we're talking all the time. Mhmm. I mean, that's really hard to comprehend. Yeah. We all hear, but some people can really hear very clearly.
Josh Nelson:Right. I I kinda wanna share a testimony about that regarding hearing God's voice. So one time, before we moved, I've been really seeking God with the understanding that you'll find him right. You seek you find it's a very simple principle that God makes really simple. And so I'm like, God, I'm gonna seek your face.
Josh Nelson:You know, if I have five minutes, I'm gonna spend five minutes. That's it. And, you know, life was busy, work, marriage. And so I would go do what Jesus said, go to your room, close the door, be alone. And I'd be like, God, I got five minutes.
Josh Nelson:I'm pushing aside. I'd use my hands. Like I'm parting the red sea. Push aside work, push aside family sounds bad. Push aside the distractions, entertainment, be like, God, show me your face.
Josh Nelson:You say to seek your face, you wouldn't say that unless you wanted to show me your face.
Amber:Yeah, show
Josh Nelson:me your face. Let me hear your voice. Let me know your heart. And in that season, I just kept asking, and it didn't have to be an hour, it didn't have to be, you know, fasting and all this stuff. It was just God, I have a little bit of time.
Josh Nelson:I wanna see your face. And in that one night, I was like, God, I'm about to go to sleep. Will you please just come speak to me and dream whatever you want. And so I had a dream. And in my dream, Jesus is walking down the street, like on the sidewalk, like in a city.
Josh Nelson:And I'm walking behind him with Charles, see, like a group of people, almost like like the 12. Right? There's like a dozen of us. Right?
Amber:Okay. Yeah. Yeah.
Josh Nelson:So people are walking down the street by Jesus, you know, don't even recognize him, and he has the Jesus look. Right? He has the robes and everything.
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:And so we're walking down the street, Jesus cuts left into a building. So we go into this building in the dream. And we all get in a circle sitting down on the floor. And Jesus is teaching us. He's talking to us as a group.
Amber:That's cool.
Josh Nelson:And in my dream, I'm like, wow, this is awesome. I can't wait till this is done. So I can, like, you know, have a q and a with Jesus. Right?
Amber:One on one.
Josh Nelson:Yeah. Everyone leaves. I'm like, this is great, but I wanna talk to Jesus. So the meeting ends, everyone leaves. And so it's me and Jesus.
Josh Nelson:So we're about, you know, same distance, maybe a little closer. You know, we're probably like three feet apart. And I'm like, Jesus, I have so many questions about everything in the universe that you could ever think about. You know, here's a question. So I ask a question.
Josh Nelson:I don't know the question. You are. But Okay. The the point is I asked him a question.
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:He's like, oh, yeah. Josh. Yeah. Yeah. So so here's the answer to that.
Josh Nelson:And they start talking. He's like, yeah. So You've got it. And they start whispering. Uh-huh.
Josh Nelson:And in my dream, I have to lean in close to his face, like, right in his face.
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:And I'm like, oh my gosh. That's amazing. I'm like, Jesus. What about this question? I give him a question.
Josh Nelson:He's like, Oh, yeah. Yeah. Let me tell you about that. He's like, so basically, what happened is that he starts whispering. Yeah.
Josh Nelson:And so quieter. Oh, yeah. He gets quiet. So I have to lean into his face where, like, he's almost like in my ear. Right?
Amber:Mhmm.
Josh Nelson:And then I wake up.
Amber:Mhmm.
Josh Nelson:That's it. And I realized that God speaks in whispers in the still small voice. Yeah. You know, he does the big things too. He does the moment of destiny.
Josh Nelson:Right?
Amber:Right.
Josh Nelson:But, you know, he wants you to get close to him. And he'll speak. Yeah. And it's not just me just saying that, like, hey. This is a good idea.
Josh Nelson:It's supported by the word of God.
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:So God wants you to get close to him.
Amber:Mhmm. I love that. I feel like I've I've only ever heard the actual, like, audible voice of the Lord one time, and he said something, and it was, like, kind of, like, stern of, like, kind of frustrated. And I was like, okay, I'm sorry. Why?
Amber:Because I kept, like, praying the same prayer over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. And he was just like, just wait. And that's all he said. And I was like, okay. I'll wait.
Amber:I'll stop asking. Wow. He did the same thing. But that's the only time that I've I, like, audibly heard it heard his voice. Every other time has been, like, through either praying in the spirit and he'll speak to me once I'm, like, quiet, but it's more like through thoughts and
Josh Nelson:Mhmm. You
Amber:know, through things like that. So being able to hear him audibly like that, like, I've only experienced it once, but it wasn't a very it was kinda like, okay, stop asking, you know, type thing. But
Josh Nelson:Well, it's crazy because the voice of God is he has no limits. Right? He can talk through anything.
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:I think it's Job. I don't know which character in Job says God speaks in one way or another in a dream or a vision of the night. But it really, I think, translated into in many various ways. So for example, last week, with me and the boys, I'm like, alright, we got to learn about something. Feel like God's saying we gotta learn about body, soul, and spirit.
Josh Nelson:First Thessalonians five twenty three. So I do the egg diagram, right? Because it's very important to to understand how God created us as body, soul, and spirit.
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:So I did the egg. The shell is the body. Right? The the white yolk is the soul, and and the yellow yolk is the spirit. Mhmm.
Josh Nelson:And then, of course, they're like, no. That's an avocado. And then so anyways, so I'm, we're going over that a little bit and why that's important, and why your mind and your thoughts are important to take captive. And then this weekend, Shane, you know, he brings that up, and they're just like, oh, you know, like, it's like
Amber:He did bring that up this, yesterday. Yeah.
Josh Nelson:And so then you have to understand that when God is speaking, it's it's not always, you know, something sometimes things just happen. Yeah. And I was just had that verse, first Thessalonians five twenty three in my mind, and I knew I wanted to talk to the boys about it. Yeah. And now they know, like, oh, you know, it's more than just dad, like, trying to do dad stuff or or get his point across like God's talking.
Amber:Right. That's awesome. Yeah. God uses spiritual echoes. Right?
Amber:Those, like, where he says it again and again and again, like, confirming the things that you're you think you're hearing. He's like, yeah. No. That's what I'm that's what I'm trying to get to you right now.
Josh Nelson:It's funny. John 12. Do you remember where Jesus is praying and John 12, he said? John 12, the father speaks audibly. And John twelve twenty seven, now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say?
Josh Nelson:Father, save me from this hour, but for this purpose, I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name. Now here comes the voice of God. Then a voice came from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. Therefore, the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.
Josh Nelson:Others said, an angel has spoken to him. So this is really important because, therefore, the people who stood by and heard it, I mean, some of the people didn't hear it. Yeah. Some of the people did. Some heard the voice of an angel, and some just heard thunder.
Amber:Wow. Isn't that strange? It is strange.
Josh Nelson:So it's like when God speaks, you know, and he was speaking to Jewish people, you know, who knew God
Amber:Right.
Josh Nelson:Who knew the law and and some of them heard it and some didn't. So it's very mysterious. I I always thought that, man, God, if you speak, am I gonna hear? And then the realization that not everyone's gonna hear and understand when you speak. And it's always a mysterious thing, especially when someone's like, God told me this, right?
Josh Nelson:And sometimes I'm like, okay, like, you know, you want to have faith, right? Right. Obviously test words. But I'm always like, man, God, I got to hear too.
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:So
Amber:Well, I think there's that discernment too of, like, is this for me or, you know, that you're just saying that or they're practicing or, you know, whatever. But then there's also, like, can you confirm that, like, in my life? Can you and if somebody else says it, okay, then maybe. Because, like, for me, I had there was a season in my life where five people told me the same thing, and I was like, okay. Like, I get it.
Amber:Thank you. Thank you. Got it. You know, type thing. So but sometimes it's just hard for us to be in a season to actually hear him or, like, believe that that's him.
Amber:Because at least for me, it was just kind of like, okay. Yeah. Okay. But then, like, after the fifth time, I was like, okay. I'll really do it this time.
Amber:Like the fifth time it broke me and I was like, okay. Now I need to do something about this. I'm sorry. Like, but yeah, I love getting those spiritual echoes. And I think like this year, especially for me, has been, like, being on the word of God through church too.
Amber:Like, Shane in our life group, you know, we normally go through a book. We don't go through scripture. Or in the beginning, very, very, very beginning, six years ago when Heart Church first was formed, we did scripture. But then after that, he started doing, like, Christian books for the life group seasons. And then this time, he was like, yeah, I think I would say I have this book, but, what about scripture?
Amber:And then everybody in the text thread was like, yes, scripture. Let's go through scripture. And so I was like, yeah, that's like sign number one. Two was, like, I did a talk on fear and like because I I struggled with that a lot last year. And the thing that got me through it was subjecting my emotions and, like, my fear through the word.
Amber:So, like, using the word as a filter and being like, okay. This is how I feel, but this is what the word says. And then saying that over my life. And that's the only thing that helped me through it was was doing that. I tried all the all the other things, and the only thing that worked was that.
Amber:Like, I tried to just give it to the Lord. Didn't work. It maybe worked for, like, an hour, and then I was afraid again. So, like, standing on the word of God. And then this weekend too, I mean, he touched on body, soul, and spirit, but then he also said, like, what are you speaking over yourself?
Amber:Like, what are you saying? And that has been, like, the the spiritual echo for me this year is, like, what are you saying over yourself? Are you trapping yourself? Are you putting yourself in a box? Are you putting the holy spirit in a box for him to not use you in certain areas because of what you said over yourself?
Josh Nelson:Wow.
Amber:And I'm like, like, I've always, like, knew that, like, power of the spoken word, like, there's so much power. There's life and death in the tongue. Right? But, like, this year, the Lord's like, you really gotta be very conscious about, like, what you're saying because, like, you don't realize how much power you have. Like, even over me, your words have power and what I can do in your life.
Amber:And I was like, okay. Yeah. So that's that's been the focus at least for me this year. That's awesome. Yeah.
Amber:No. It's it's really good, and I'm seeing it work in other people too. Like like, sharing that with other people and seeing them implement it and, like, gently correcting, being like, don't say that over yourself, like, you know, type thing. Like, oh, I'm not very good at this. I've never been good with this.
Amber:I'm like, don't say that. Like, even if it feels like a lie, like, no. I am good with these things or whatever. Like, it's not a lie. You're just saying truth over your life in terms of, like, what the scripture says about you, you know, type things.
Amber:So but, yeah, it's just it's so important, I feel like.
Josh Nelson:Yeah. That's great. I mean, it reminds me of James where he talks about the tongue. It's like a rudder. Right?
Josh Nelson:Yeah. It directs the course of your life. That's kinda on that point, what I was trying to talk to my sons about, about the soul specifically, mind, will, and emotions. Mhmm. You know, it starts in the mind, though.
Josh Nelson:Right? Yes. Where your thoughts go, they direct that, and then they also direct your mouth. Mhmm. So you get a hold of your mind and what's going on there.
Josh Nelson:Right. It can direct you to your destiny. So Uh-huh.
Amber:Destiny moment. Destiny moment. Awesome. Yeah. I I think I think that's super important and just really I feel like emotions are important.
Amber:Like, they're god gave us emotions for a reason. Mhmm. But we shouldn't let them dictate our life or our reaction to things.
Josh Nelson:No. Yep. You gotta submit mind, will, and emotions to God. So and it's funny with emotions. We all have emotions, but we always see God as, like, emotionless for some reason.
Josh Nelson:I don't know.
Amber:Yeah. But
Josh Nelson:we're creating his image. So it's just, it's funny. We just gotta submit them. They're not bad. They're they're
Amber:Right.
Josh Nelson:I mean, we all get scared. I think everyone does.
Amber:Yeah. Or angry or, you know, whatever, bitter. Like, those things we experience those things. And, like, the Holy Spirit, he gets grieved. Like, it says that in scripture, and that's an emotion.
Amber:Right? So he he gets sad, and he comforts. And he he only comforts because we're sad or we're going through something. Right? We're experiencing some kind of emotion.
Amber:So yeah. And it's it's comforting to know that he has emotions too. Like, that's where they came from. It's from him, and it's not just us being human. You know?
Amber:Yeah. Yeah. So when you were going through like, you got saved and you kinda continued your journey and you met Charles, you got married and all the things. Like, how did that shape your relationship with the Holy Spirit as you, like, had a family and then, like, delve into scripture and all the things? Like, how did how did that influence you starting out that way?
Josh Nelson:So I'm gonna I'll I'll make a statement, and then I'll backtrack a little bit Okay. In the story. So I think as my life has progressed, you know, God's given me these great gifts. Right? Like, a wife and kids, and and he's allowed me to do a lot of evangelism type stuff Mhmm.
Josh Nelson:Like, in different nations and see a lot of his power. You know, just incredible things. Like, I'm so blessed. It's it's crazy to to think about, but you have less time. You know, there's more on your plate, so you have to learn to say no
Amber:Mhmm.
Josh Nelson:To the things that you like.
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:And sometimes that's some people won't like this, but, you know, that could be no to the things that use up your time, like social media, like sports for guys. Mhmm. Like, I mean, I love sports. I just have a natural, lean towards sports. I grew up playing sports, every sport you could think of, and
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:It was a blast and fun, and I'm extremely competitive on that realm, but I had to give it all up. I mean, we went to a church that had an indoor soccer field as part of the church
Amber:Oh, wow.
Josh Nelson:Like a high high end one because it used to be a fitness center in in Tennessee.
Amber:Okay.
Josh Nelson:And we used to play every day I mean, sorry, every Sunday after church there. And, you know, God's like, you gotta you gotta give some stuff up. You know, you gotta, like, lay down some idols. You know, idols aren't necessarily they don't have to be sin. They're just things you love, and and you gotta put the things that are important, give him priority.
Josh Nelson:Mhmm. Like, you gotta give God some time. You gotta do what I have initiated in my family recently with the boys, which I call the God first initiative, which means we're gonna revolve around God, we're not gonna revolve around entertainment, like the games, all the screens, all that stuff. Yeah, that's a work in progress, by the way.
Amber:I'm sure
Josh Nelson:we're still working on that. But so in my journey, I've had to lay down some stuff to make sure God's first. And it's hard because he adds stuff to you. Right? Faithful and little makes you faithful much.
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:But he still has to be in first place, or else things can go off course. Mhmm. Which there's lots of examples in the bible with that. To backtrack a little bit to the the story of after I got saved, as part of the journey, I want to mention how I got introduced to the church because I you know, no one I didn't go to a service where someone gave an altar call and all that. My brother, you know, I've been I not even saved a week.
Josh Nelson:He he's like, hey. There's this church in town. It's brand new. I don't know much about it. You should go there on Wednesday night.
Josh Nelson:So Thursday, say Saturday, I've met God. Wednesday's coming up. So I you know, this is like the guy just random guy walking in the church. Right?
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:Which which happens. Uh-huh. And so during that time, before I was a Christian, I I had a God. It was called music Mhmm. And the guitar.
Josh Nelson:And I had quite a few guitars. I had a classical, a a really nice acoustic with a pickup and an electrical. I had a huge amp. It it was fun. But all that's all I did.
Josh Nelson:It was like my it was like my god in a bad way because that's all I cared about. It was my focus. Right? And so I had all this terrible music. Right?
Josh Nelson:I just had all these albums. I had all the classic rock, the Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, all that. And I used to buy those, the sheet music albums, at this huge music store. I mean, they sold instruments, every kind of instrument you could think of, but also all the albums, all that stuff. And so I I used to go there all the time and just buy accessories for the guitars and and all the pedals and pickups and all sorts of stuff.
Josh Nelson:So I was like, God, what do you want me to do with this stuff? You know, I was submitting everything that God has gave my life to him. And and that Wednesday comes around. And I was praying, I was just reading the Bible, I was just consuming the Bible. Like, it was just fire for me, I was just getting absorbed, in God's presence and His word.
Josh Nelson:And I'm like, God, what do you want me to do with this stuff? And, and that Wednesday morning I hear him, he says, I want you to take it back to the music store. So have I
Amber:told you a story? I don't think so.
Josh Nelson:So I'm like, okay. So without even a question, I grab all those albums. They're like two stacks, you know, like this high. Yeah. Just, you know, albums of sheet music and which was like two feet high.
Amber:You know, cameras. So I
Josh Nelson:take these huge stacks to the music store. And the guy who was always there, he was like, early 20s, And his family on the store. So I bring these two stacks in. I'm like, Hey, here's all this sheet music. I'm gonna give it to you.
Josh Nelson:He's like, why? Why would you do that? I'm like, you can resell it. You can have it. You can do whatever you want.
Josh Nelson:He's like, but why would you do that? I was like, listen, this is gonna sound crazy.
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:I just give my life to God. And, and I'm giving this to you. And I left and he was just, you know, bewildered. He was kind of like, so we go on. God's good.
Josh Nelson:Right? We just do what he says. Don't make a big deal about it. Just do it. Mhmm.
Josh Nelson:So that night, I go to this brand new church. I mean, they've probably been going for, like, a year, but huge, like, big, big church.
Amber:Okay.
Josh Nelson:It's a Vineyard Church. They just opened up, like, really, really nice. I didn't know anything about it previously, though. But so I walk in, open the doors. And there's the guy from the music store.
Josh Nelson:Yeah, he's standing right there.
Amber:Oh, wow.
Josh Nelson:Like, I just walked in. He's like, you know, right over there. And he's like, Hey, man, welcome to the family of God. I was like, Oh, my gosh. So he was the music guy for the college group in town.
Josh Nelson:We have a little college there.
Amber:Wow.
Josh Nelson:He was like the the worship guy. Yeah. So that's how God introduced me to the church and how I got connected with the body.
Amber:Got it.
Josh Nelson:So it was just by being obedient to his voice, even though I didn't understand. And I got connected with those guys, which eventually led me on some mission trips. Yeah. One to a Billy Graham crusade, his last crusade of all things.
Amber:Oh, wow.
Josh Nelson:In New York. Yeah. And then, then right after that, I went and went to Mexico Mhmm. With my brother, and that's where I met Charles.
Amber:Oh, that's where you met her on a mission trip?
Josh Nelson:Yeah. On an airplane. Yeah.
Amber:Oh, I didn't know that.
Josh Nelson:Continental nine forty two from Houston to Mexico City. I don't know the real number, but
Amber:That's alright.
Josh Nelson:Yeah. We we didn't really get to know each other. There's like a hundred people on that trip. Oh, wow. It was it was great.
Amber:That's so cool. I love that the Lord used that used your obedience of putting giving back that sheet music and then having that same guy being the one that leads the college group. Like, that's not a coincidence.
Josh Nelson:Yeah. Absolutely. And those that group, you know, was very conservative.
Amber:Mhmm.
Josh Nelson:So my experiences and the things that was that was happening with Holy Spirit, they would get very wide eyed when I said things, right, and which was totally So
Amber:it wasn't Pentecostal? No.
Josh Nelson:Oh, no, no, no, not at all, which is fine. I learned that like, oh, wait, the church is so diverse in its theology and thinking. And I learned that there really wasn't about me or even necessarily my experiences. But it's about the body. Right?
Josh Nelson:Sure. So the body is belongs to Jesus, and we have to build it up. Mhmm. And that's really the goal as far as it's easy to create the vision in the body Yes. Because of differences.
Josh Nelson:And even some of my testimonies, I understand they can be controversial for those who don't believe the Holy Spirit is here anymore, and he left the cessationalism where he, you know, after the apostles, you know, holy spirit left. I understand that. But at the end of the day, you know, we follow Jesus. Yeah. We all do.
Amber:Totally. I I grew up in, like, a very conservative type church and became agnostic when I was in high school because my mom, she was Wiccan. And so she was like a high priestess in her coven. And like, my grandparents were the ones that were Christians and all the things. And then after that, like, I appreciate those two years because, like, I came back to Jesus from my own, like, viewing my mom, viewing my parents, kinda like doing some research.
Amber:It wasn't just because I was brought up in the church. Like, it was I made my own decision or whatever about it. But after I came back, the Lord kinda threw me into, like, some of the experiences like spiritual warfare and stuff like that. And I was like, okay, I'm not I just got back like a month ago.
Josh Nelson:Can we
Amber:can we just slow down? Like, okay. But being able to kinda experience the body and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in different ways like that through a more conservative lens and then now more I mean, we're not, like, crazy at our church, like, anything like that. Not that if you do all that stuff, that's crazy, but it's just, like, that other end of the extreme, right, in terms of, like, how much you lean on the holy spirit. And I remember I went to your brother's church a couple years ago now or a year ago, something like that.
Amber:And he it was more of a revival. I would I don't know if I would consider it church or at least at the time when I went and seeing that kind of, like, I didn't know what to expect. I just showed up. Yeah. And I was like, oh, okay.
Amber:This is, like, the other side of it, you know, type thing. And it was interesting to see and experience that side of it because it was just a lot more free flowing and, like, just kinda, like, letting go, you know, type thing to the holy spirit. And and, again, I had never experienced anything like that before. And then being prophesied over from your from your brother, I was the first person to get prophesied over. I was like, okay.
Amber:But it's fun because, like, it was all recorded. So every once in a while, I go back and I I listen to it again. Awesome. Because I'm just kinda like, okay. Now that it's been like a couple years, like, did what he said apply or, you know, whatever.
Amber:And some of it did, some of it, I was like, I don't I don't know if I, like, that relates to me or if I feel that way, you know, type thing. But I keep listening to it and I keep it in mind of like, well, maybe. I don't know, you know, type thing. So because, like, I I feel like he is led by the Holy Spirit. And so I'm like, okay.
Amber:Well, if this works for me, I kinda wanna, like, at least pay attention to it. You know? Maybe not, like, devote my life to it and figuring out what it meant, but, like, you know, just allowing it to kinda, like, keep it in the back of my head, you know, type thing. So but experiencing those gifts of, like, prophecy and all the things. And even in our own life group, like, praying over people
Josh Nelson:Mhmm.
Amber:That no other life group does that.
Josh Nelson:Really?
Amber:Yeah. Not like that.
Josh Nelson:Yeah.
Amber:So, like, normally, like, if somebody needs prayer or healing or something like that, like, then we'll do it, but it's not like a weekly thing. And we just take prayer requests, and then we kinda just say all the prayer requests. And it's not, like, focused on it, like, that person for that week. So I think that's really special for sure. And I I shared this in my my episode last week.
Amber:But when we had the last two people, not this last week but the week before, I didn't feel like I had anything to say to the people we were praying over the first week. And I was like, Lord, I don't know. I just feel like my my my gift is to teach and to equip people to to be able to do that.
Josh Nelson:Mhmm.
Amber:And the Holy Spirit's like, yeah. Well, that's because you kinda put yourself there and you don't allow me to use you in those areas. And I was like, oh.
Josh Nelson:Sure.
Amber:Okay. So then I had to repent of that. And then this last time, when we prayed over, like, Eloisa and all of them Yeah. I had something to say. I was like, yeah.
Amber:Because the Lord's like, yeah. Because you, like, opened the box and didn't put yourself there anymore, you know, type fake. So I was like, okay. So it's just like that change in perspective and allowing the Holy Spirit to use you in those gifts and not really assigning a gift to yourself. Yeah.
Amber:Like, it's just like, just be a vessel for him to use and he'll use you however he sees fit for the moment. Right?
Josh Nelson:Yeah.
Amber:And that was just like, it really changed my mind and how I I view that because I was like, oh, I want this gift. And the Lord's like, that's not that's not how that works. You don't just get to pick a gift.
Josh Nelson:Yeah. Yeah. Regarding prophecies, right, when you have prophesied over because of the nature of, I got thrown in more of the charismatic end. That's more of a normal thing. So probably had lots and lots of people prophesy.
Josh Nelson:Right?
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:So I used to write them down and, you know, I will if it's, like, super meaningful.
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:But then, you know, there's a human element involved. Right? Sure. So, you know, you just sometimes you don't do anything with the word. Mhmm.
Josh Nelson:You pray about it, and you're like, God. Or sometimes you get it, and you know, like, God's saying something. Right? It'll stick out. You know, you'll know exactly what he's saying and that you need to respond.
Josh Nelson:I've know that there's different people that might call themselves prophets and stuff. But the Bible is clear, right? You know, Paul says, let two or three prophets prophesy, and let others judge. Yeah. So even if it's like a big name, prophet, sure, you know, which I believe there's prophets, because that's one of the five, office gifts to the church.
Josh Nelson:But even then, you have to go to God with stuff.
Amber:Right.
Josh Nelson:And there's been times when I'm like, wow, God. I wish you would talk to me about this specific thing. Yeah. And, and sure enough, hey, you come here, and and then they talk about it. And you're like, okay, well, Coral, you're you're answering me.
Amber:Sure.
Josh Nelson:And then there's lots of times you're like, wow, that wasn't God. That was way off. Yeah. And that's okay. Right.
Josh Nelson:Paul says, you can prophesy one by one that you may learn.
Amber:So, yeah,
Josh Nelson:I think with the life group, it's a good opportunity to learn. Right. And it's okay. There's grace. I've definitely had a lot of grace sometimes.
Josh Nelson:Right? Yeah. When when I get afraid for. And I think the main thing with prophesying is that you build up the church. You know?
Josh Nelson:Paul says for edification Mhmm. Exhortation, and comfort. So to build up the church, to build you up. Right? Right.
Josh Nelson:We don't tear people down. We build up the church. God wants to build this church.
Amber:Right. Yeah. First and foremost. Yeah. For sure.
Amber:Yeah. I was always afraid of that gift because I was like, I just didn't I was like, Lord, I don't know. I don't wanna get it wrong, like, you know, type thing. And so that was what he revealed to me of, like, because you said that, I don't use you in that. Like, oh, well, I want you to use me for whatever.
Amber:And he's like, well, then you gotta kinda, like, repent of those words because, like, right now, I don't use you for that. And I'm like, okay. So, yeah, again, going back to the power of the spoken word, what you say over yourself, but then also being open to those things, not being afraid of it. Like, if you mess up, that's okay.
Josh Nelson:Mhmm. If
Amber:you're not a % correct, you know, you're at least leading, letting the Holy Spirit lead you, and I think you'll get better with practice.
Josh Nelson:Yeah. I think that's where leadership comes in. Right? Mhmm. Having an understanding that just because I say something, right, Amber, you know, whatever, say something to you that you're not responsible.
Josh Nelson:You know, there's there's grace. Like, I can't make you responsible for something I say. You know? Yeah. It's like you have a relationship with God.
Josh Nelson:If he's saying it, he's gonna talk to you about that as well.
Amber:Yeah. Totally. Yeah. Yeah. It's so funny how not funny, but it's just amazing how the Holy Spirit uses us in different ways.
Amber:And a lot of it, it goes back to faith. Right? Just just trusting him and allowing him to use us and then just kinda like, okay. I'll I'll do it. Just being obedient.
Amber:Right? And I love that you said, like, learning to say no because I did a whole episode on that, like, a couple weeks ago on the power of no. I've done the power of yes, and then I did the power of no because, like, I'm a recovering people pleaser. And so, like, it's hard for me to say no to people. And so I'm trying to, like, exercise that muscle of saying no because the Lord is telling me to say no to certain people because I there's too much on my plate.
Amber:And so he's like, you gotta remove these things so that I can use you, like, effectively and so that I can talk to you and, you know, you can actually do the thing that the assignment I gave you instead of, like, distracting yourself with, they may be good things, but they're not the things I have for you, you know, type thing. So, yeah, that can be hard to say no.
Josh Nelson:I think it also depends on the season you're in. Sure. There's really busy seasons that God gives you grace. And then there'll be seasons where he, you know, is like, you gotta slow down. Yeah.
Josh Nelson:And for me personally, hard church is a you gotta slow down season. And coming in, it can appear that you're maybe being lazy or you don't wanna participate. Sure. Very, very much had some conversations when I came to Heart Church of, you know, hey. You know, we want you to participate and plug in, and and and I do.
Josh Nelson:And I, you know,
Amber:but You do in a lot of areas.
Josh Nelson:Yes. But there was some things I had to say no. I was like, oh, yeah. I'll do that. And then next week, I was like, I can't do that.
Josh Nelson:Mhmm. I'm sorry. Gotta say no. Mhmm. And, you know, no one's mad.
Josh Nelson:Right? That's good. So it's just recognizing that God's gonna say you can't you can't agree to that. You know? And sometimes it's practical.
Josh Nelson:Like, we're talking about time management stuff. Like, hey. You have a family. You you gotta spend time with your family, be an influence, and and show them my love. Yeah.
Josh Nelson:It could be as simple as that.
Amber:Mhmm. Yeah. I I'm reading this book. It's called the emotionally healthy leader. I'm reading it because I'm going through my pastor license through Foursquare
Josh Nelson:Okay.
Amber:To get it. And one of the assignments was to read this book, and I think you have a week to read it. And this book, Josh, is like this big and I have a week. The font is like this big. And I'm like I I ordered the book because it said, like, you're gonna need these materials.
Amber:And I was kinda like looking at the schedule, and I was like, wait, I have a week to read this? I'm like, this is
Josh Nelson:It's a test.
Amber:I'm like, this is like, I'm a fast reader, but this is a lot, like, you know, to think. And I'm not gonna, like, absorb like, I could probably do it, but I'm not gonna absorb anything. I'm gonna be, like, skim reading. Right? So I started reading it now before the even class started because I was just like, I'm gonna just try to get this done so that I'm not, like, scrambling.
Amber:But in the book, it mentions that your marriage is your first ministry, that, like, you have to, like, make sure that your marriage or your family or partner or whatever, if you're single, like, you have to make yourself, like, taking care of yourself, like, your first ministry. And then you from that can flow, you know, other ministries or helping the church or whatever. And that really spoke to me being somebody who just says yes all the time. You know?
Josh Nelson:Mhmm.
Amber:So I'm just kinda like, okay. It's really important that I, like, you know, I hold Eric up at a certain level of, like, I need to spend time with him. I can't say yes to everything. So, like, LifeGroup was one of them that I stepped down on and I was like, ever since then, I'm like, okay. I feel like I can breathe a little bit because like as much as I loved leading my life group, it didn't edify me in the way that it may edify some other people.
Amber:Like doing the Holy Spirit class, that brings me so much much joy. I love doing that, and I will continue to do that until the lord tells me not to. But, like, I love doing that one, and it brings me joy. And that's how I know that I'm in the right place of, like, okay. I'm supposed to be doing that because, like, I love doing it.
Amber:Even though I've watched this course, like, probably sixteen, seventeen times, like, I always get something out of it. And I love seeing people's eyes being opened whenever they go through the course because I've never experienced that that level of the holy spirit or understood, like, what his role is in their lives. And then, it finally clicking, like, seeing that is just it's so sweet. Like, I love I love that. So that I'll continue to do, but it's just, like, allowing or being obedient to the Lord no matter what he's saying in terms of saying yes or saying no, like, just trying to always evaluate and making sure that you're in alignment with his will because that's where we wanna be.
Amber:Right?
Josh Nelson:Absolutely.
Amber:And sometimes we can get off course, but as long as we redirect.
Josh Nelson:Well and, yeah, if you don't say no, you'll burn out
Amber:Yeah. Or
Josh Nelson:and you'll get bitter Mhmm. Which is not good.
Amber:Right. So Yeah. That's true.
Josh Nelson:And the thing you're doing that you're devoting all this time and energy to, there's no grace for it. You're just like, oh, man, I'm doing this thing, but I do not feel good. So so, yes, you gotta you gotta give God that first place Mhmm. And then family, and then or it's out of order. Things will be off.
Amber:Yeah. Or you'll do it at your own strength instead of out of the grace. Right?
Josh Nelson:Which which is, yeah, terrible, especially if there's a lot on you.
Amber:Mhmm.
Josh Nelson:And you have demands and responsibilities, and you're like, that's not good.
Amber:Right. Right.
Josh Nelson:And, unfortunately, you know, I've had I I don't know if it's, like, a great thing, but I've I've been around lots of ministries and lots of churches and and seen quite a few burnouts. Yeah. Someone else can handle it or you can delegate. It's like, in Moses, dude, you can't judge a million people's cases. Like, you can't do that.
Josh Nelson:Mhmm. You need to delegate. Mhmm. You gotta take your authority and delegate. You gotta lay hands on the elders, and the same spirit that's on them on you will come upon them.
Josh Nelson:Right. Yeah. So, you know, and that's that's a biblical principle Mhmm. Of delegation, not just, hey, I choose you, but, hey, I empower you to do this work.
Amber:Right.
Josh Nelson:Jesus did the same with his disciples.
Amber:Right. Right. Because he was only one man. He was he was God, but he's still one man. Right?
Amber:Yeah. Delegating is definitely a big a big one, but also not just delegating, but giving other people the opportunity.
Josh Nelson:Yeah. I mean Right. I don't wanna get into leadership too much because Sure. My my idea of leadership's too perfect. Like, it it it's not possible.
Josh Nelson:Right?
Amber:Sure.
Josh Nelson:Perfect leadership is to empower others to be successful. Right. And when you do that, your organization becomes healthy Mhmm. Because they're successful. They make the organization successful.
Amber:Right. No. That's great. So is there anything else that you wanted to touch on in terms of, like, the Holy spirit or how he's worked in your life or anything like that?
Josh Nelson:I feel like there's seasons where you have a relationship with God and you have those awesome encounters. Like I mentioned a couple, you know, when I first became a Christian and then there's more of the deserty season.
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:Now you're like, God, where are you?
Amber:Right.
Josh Nelson:You know, like, Elijah had a huge victory on Mount Carmel. And then and then immediately, he's running for his life. He's in the desert, and Jezebel's after him, and it's like a a bad scene. Right? Yeah.
Josh Nelson:He's, like, lost his way.
Amber:Right.
Josh Nelson:And and then he ends up in the cave. He's like, God, where are you? And huge phenomena happen. Right? The earthquake and the fire and the wind, and and and then the still small voice comes.
Amber:Mhmm.
Josh Nelson:Right? And and God was always there. He just didn't feel it. Mhmm. So sometimes you can't always feel it.
Josh Nelson:Right. But that's where our faith comes in.
Amber:Yeah. So And his scripture. Like Yeah. I mean, his scripture says that he's always there, then we have to choose to believe it even if it doesn't feel true.
Josh Nelson:Sure. And the the Bible, you know, the more you read it, the more you'll hear from God.
Amber:Yeah.
Josh Nelson:Because he's speaking through it eternally. And it's not always it it's all logos. But Rhema comes out of that. You know, just like reading John 12, that's gonna speak to someone. Right?
Josh Nelson:Yeah. And it's gonna give them faith that, oh, wow. God does talk.
Amber:Right.
Josh Nelson:Maybe I just don't hear him. Maybe it's because I'm not paying attention.
Amber:Right. Yeah. Yeah.
Josh Nelson:And but that'll be, a word for someone that that's like a directly from God. Mhmm.
Amber:Yeah. I love that you can read the same scripture multiple times and then get something different out of it depending on what season you're in and what the Lord wants to tell you in that season. Yeah. It's the Holy Spirit is what makes the word living. Right?
Amber:And he's the one that reveals things to us at the right time.
Josh Nelson:Amen. Yeah.
Amber:Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Josh, for coming on here. I know you were kinda nervous about it, but thank you for saying yes and coming on. And, I think you did great, and I think a lot of people are gonna benefit from this. So people who are listening right now, you know, if you feel like maybe you can experience God on some of those levels or the Holy Spirit on some of those levels, like the mighty presence of of God or hearing his voice, like, you can.
Amber:You just it's all about basically, your heart posture is what Josh was saying. And I know I say that a lot, heart posture, but it's so true. It's so important of, like, I just wanna surrender and submit to the Lord and allow him to speak to me and and use me in different areas of other people's lives in my own life and just be a witness to him. And once you surrender that and your heart's in the right place and you're seeking his face, and then he's gonna come to you. He's gonna meet you.
Amber:Like Josh said, you know, you knock and he's gonna enter. Right? So you seek and you will find, and it's so true. Sometimes it takes a little time and the extra effort because you're realigning your heart posture, but once it's there, he's gonna meet you and it's it's gonna be awesome. So, all right, guys.
Amber:Well, I hope that this message blesses you and that you have a great week and we'll see you next week.
