Holy Spirit Untethered

Amber Beels 0:01
Amber, welcome to the Holy Spirit untethered. My name's Amber Beals, 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. All right, let's get started. Hey guys, welcome back to the Holy Spirit untethered podcast. My name is Amber, and I am your host, and I am so happy that you are here today listening to this podcast. I hope you are doing well. I hope you are healthy and that things are just going great in your life right now, and if they're not, then maybe this episode will be good for you. So before I get in today's topic, I just want to touch on last week's topic. If you haven't already had a chance to listen to it, that was a solo episode. So it was me talking about the Holy Spirit's presence and how he has different types of presence that he manifests to us in different times of our life. And I talk specifically on his mighty presence and what that looked like for me and how I pursued that. And it's a really good episode. So if you haven't already, go ahead and check that out. That is episode 17. So yeah, I hope that you guys enjoy that one. So today we're gonna talk about waiting, which I know is everybody's favorite topic, right? I love talking about waiting because it's like, everybody's least favorite thing to do, at least for me, I don't know about you, but I am not a very patient person, like, out of all the fruit of the Spirit, I mean, I think I'm decent in the patience part, however, there's room to grow, I think, for all the fruit of the Spirit, and that's one of them. So I just want to touch on it today, because we all have to deal with it, right? We all deal with the waiting season. And I kind of want to put that waiting slash wilderness season in perspective for you, to give you some encouragement and to know that the Holy Spirit is there and what he uses it for. So before I dive in, I'm going to go ahead and pray so if you can and it's safe to do so go ahead and bow your head, close your eyes and pray with me. All right, Dear Heavenly Father, I just thank you so much for this day. I thank you so much for the person that is listening to this podcast right now. I just pray a blessing over them, Lord, I pray Holy Spirit that you would use me today, that my words would fall away and that your words would come through. I pray Holy Spirit that you would just speak through me. And I pray that you would prepare all of our hearts to listen to this message and allow it to be edifying to everyone that listens, and especially to your church, Lord, when we pray these things in Jesus name, Amen. All right, so the waiting season, if you're listening to this right now, can you remember the last time you were in a waiting season? Or, you know what? Maybe you're in one now. Do you remember how hard it was in the midst of it, and if you're in it now, can I get an amen, like it's, it's hard, right? Going through this season of not feeling like you're hearing from the Lord, or maybe you got a promise from the Lord and he that was it. You got the promise, and then you haven't, you've heard crooked since, right? So I want to encourage you today and kind of explain why the Lord and the Holy Spirit use this waiting season and why it's so important for all of us to go through it. And I think I've touched on this in one of my solo episodes, where I talk about how Jesus goes like he gets baptized by the Spirit, and then he goes into the wilderness, like the Spirit leads him into the wilderness, and that's where he's tested, and then he comes back empowered by the Holy Spirit. So I've talked about this, but I kind of want to dive a little deeper and give a little bit of perspective, because, like his his waiting period was 40 days. Now that's, you know, a long time to not be eating into me, tempted and all these things like that was a long time. And I'm pretty sure, like all of our troubles and trials when we go through our waiting season, that was all condensed for Jesus, since he had three years of ministry before He was crucified, right? So he kind of had a timeline, and he knew his timeline beforehand. We are not privy to that information for our own lives, but he knew everything that he needed to do. And I think his wilderness season was maybe condensed like it had all the trials and everything pushed into 40 days because, you know, he had a schedule. Able to stick to but what I want to talk about now is, and I'm going to be referencing two things for this podcast episode. I am referencing John previer. Surprise, John previer, but this is from one of his podcast episodes. So he is a part of a several podcasts, but this one is called Conversations with John and Lisa prevere. If you haven't listened to that podcast, I highly suggest it. It's a very good podcast. So the name of this episode from the podcast conversations with John and Lisa prevere is the spiritual significance of delays in life. And this is episode number 255 so this podcast has been around for a while. There's a lot of episodes in this podcast, but this particular one is now actually with Lisa, his wife. This is with his son, Arden, I believe, and it's him and Arden talking about what the title is, the spiritual significance of delays in life. And so I got inspiration from that podcast episode, plus my pastor's latest sermon, which is the Jesus way part six. It's not up at the recording of this podcast right now, however, it will be once this podcast is released, so make sure that it is up. So if you guys want to check both the John Bevere podcast in the sermon that my pastor put up this actually, it was a couple weeks ago that he did it, because we've been at camp and we did church in the park, so it's been a couple weeks since he's done that last sermon. But that was the last time that we were in the sanctuary, in person in church. That was the last episode that we had done with him. And he talks about, it's called the Jesus way, and he talks about being meek and the power of meekness, and the difference between meekness and humbleness. But there's a certain part in it where he talks about waiting. And I, I'm going to be referencing that part because I thought it was super fascinating and very, very informative. But if you want to listen to the whole thing, you can do so on Heart Church, Escondido sermons podcast, that's the name of it. So you can find that there that will be, I don't know what episode number it will be, but it's called the Jesus white part six. So you can keep an eye out for that. But basically, when you are given a promise or a dream or the Lord reveals something to you that he's gonna bless you with the first thing that you really need to do when you're going into the waiting season is confirm that that is from the Lord, that it wasn't just your thought or maybe a thought implanted by the enemy. You need to confirm that that came from the Holy Spirit and that did not come from yourself. And in the John Bevere podcast, they talk a little bit about how to do that. But one thing that I'd like to add to it, the thing that they say is, you know, if it gets stronger like that, your desire for that thing gets stronger, then that's an indication that's from the Lord. And if it's just it kind of wait fades away, then that probably was you. Another thing that I'd like to add to that to know if it was from the Lord or not, is to listen for those spiritual echoes. And that came from a book. I forget what book we read it in a life group. I forget the name of it. If I remember it, I'll put it in the show notes. But basically they're called spiritual echoes. When you get a confirmation from the Lord, and you get it from different areas in life. So maybe you hear it from a friend, maybe you get it in another dream, maybe you read it in a scripture, or you hear it in a worship song. Whatever it is, it's a spiritual echo. So when you get that download, that promise that whatever you need to pray and ask the Holy Spirit for confirmation, I always do this. I ask the Lord, I ask for confirmation, and that is after I kind of run it through my own processes, like, is this pure? Is this scriptural? Is this like, does this fall within the promises that he would ordinarily give his children? There are promises in the Bible that are for everybody, and then there are promises that are individual to you. And so if he promises you, like crazy, crazy abundance or like that, you're going to be the CEO of your company, like you need to kind of filter that through and me like, all right, is that? Is that just me wanting more money? Or is that like the Lord telling me he's going to bless me through my business or through my job, or am I just being greedy right now?

So there are some filters that you should probably run those through, but then always ask the Holy Spirit, like, Hey, I got this word from you, either in a dream or he spoke it to you. And you're like, I just want confirmation from this Lord, so please confirm this to me, in your way, and I've gotten spiritual echoes or confirmations from other people, like in my church, or from a worship song, or just reading scripture like, right now I'm going through Isaiah. Sometimes I'll read like a scripture that I think really pops out to me that's kind of like, okay, that confirms. But whatever it is that I think that the Lord is telling me or promising me, so once you've confirmed whether a promise is from the Lord, then you kind of enter this waiting season. And one thing that I love what John revere and Arden do in their episode is that they compare people in the Bible and their waiting season, and they start with David. So David, you know, the harpist, the one that took down Goliath, he was told by a Prophet from Israel that he was going to be the king of Israel. And he was just a shepherd boy at this point. And so he was like, Okay, that's cool, I guess. And he goes through this journey of like, being in Saul's favor. And so he kind of, like, thinks he sees the path that the Lord has for him. He's like, Okay, I see how the Lord is orchestrating this. This is awesome. Like, I I get it. I know how I'm going to be king. And then everything just flips on its back. He ends up being chased by Saul. He's living in caves, like he is just fighting for his life out here, and this was not what he expected. And it's funny, because the Lord's plan is never what we expect. It's never what we expect. It's normally better than what we expect. Though he may not have thought that while he was in a cave fighting for his life. He might not have been like, Okay, this is not better than my plan, but okay. But the point is, it took 12 years, 12 years from when he was given that prophecy or that word spoken over him, to when he actually became king of Israel, 12 years. Now, I didn't realize that, as I'm reading scripture, I'm, like, that's over a decade. That's, that's a long time, like, I'm over here waiting for my promise, and it's only been like, three years or something, and I think I'm waiting a long time, like 12, like, dang. And he had to go through all these trials and all these things before he actually got the promise that the Lord gave him, and during that time, he couldn't lose hope, like he had to remember what the Lord said. And that takes a lot of faith and a lot of trust, because when you're in a cave fighting for your life like, I don't know, I would be a little discouraged and be like, did that profit? Like, was he drinking when he told me that? I'm not so sure about this anymore, but yeah, 12 years, he had to wait. But the Lord is faithful. After those 12 years, he got his promise. He was the king of Israel and another person that they, they bring up in this episode is Joseph. And what's funny about Joseph is that I was given a word Eric and I, my husband and I, we were given a word that we were like Joseph in the Bible, that everything we do would prosper. And I was like, Man, that's great, you know? And I read back in Genesis about Joseph after I was given that word. But you know what Joseph went through a lot before he actually got his promise, like he had this dream that his brothers were bowing down before him. And after he had that dream, he went and he told his brothers about it, which I don't know if I would have done that, because, like, you know, siblings, like I have, I have a sibling, and I was younger, and told him that, like, he would not feel good about that, right? He would get super salty, or, you know, jealous about that. So not sure if that was super wise, but he said what he said. He did what he did. And then his brothers, you know, they got jealous, and they threw him in a pit. They took his coat, and then they sold them into slavery. And he went on this journey where he was sold into slavery. He ended up working for the Pharaoh, and then got accused of doing something bad with the Pharaoh's wife, and then got put into prison. There were so many things that happened before his dream from the Lord that he had as a kid came true. So to remind you, with David, it took 12 years before the word that was prophesied over him to come true. For Joseph, it was 21 years between him having that dream and then it coming true 21 years, that's a long time. That is a long time, and a lot of the time he was spent in prison, or he was a slave, or, you know, he was going through all these different trials, and at that point in those lows, it would be so easy to be like, okay, obviously that dream was a fluke, or, Lord, I don't, I don't think you're really looking out for me right now. Like, I'm just gonna lose hope at this point, because things seem bleak, right? I mean, when you're in. That just wilderness waiting period, and you don't see a way out. You know, in the podcast episode with John Verveer, he talks about how we expect the Lord to give us a map, when, honestly, he gives us a compass, not a map. We don't see every little turn, every decision, every trial, every test. We don't see all of that. And to be honest, that's probably best we don't, because if we knew the path that we needed to get from point A to point B, we'd probably be like, you know, I'm good. I don't want to go through that. I'd rather not. I'll just, you know, stay here. I don't need to go to point D, and I think that's one of the reasons why, you know, the Lord doesn't give us a map. He's just like, hey, I have this great thing for you, and I just need you to trust me. I need you to have faith that I need you to trust me, and we're going to do this thing together. And that's that waiting season, that is that low point of going through all these trials and tribulations and all these like just sucky situations, before you actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's in this waiting season that the Holy Spirit really does his magic. This is where he really gets to shine, because he gets to work with you, and he gets to work on you. And one of the things that Shane, my pastor, really had a good definition on what waiting means in the original text, and he was referencing Isaiah, 40 verse 31 which says, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. So he's talking about the weight, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. And what he said was, you know, most of the time people when they define the word weight, they talk about trust, reliance, trusting in but there's another definition for weight that he explained, and that really ties into waiting on the Lord and how that renews your strength. And what he said was it's a binding together, perhaps by twisting. So you're basically linking up with the Lord. You're binding yourself with the Father. And it's with by twisting, by like cord, by by strong chord. So you are basically tethering yourself to the Lord, and from that comes down new strength, because you are putting your hope in the Lord. You are tying on to him and saying, I know what you said, and I am going to wait on you, and I'm gonna have new strength because of it. And like the Scripture says, They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. So it's that binding, and I believe that that binding, that twisting with the Father, you're doing that with the Holy Spirit. You binding with the Father allows the Holy Spirit to give you new strength. He helps you make sure that your hope stays in the promise that the Lord gave you. He's the one that helps you focus your eyes up instead of down. He's the one that puts things into perspective. He allows you to pray to your Father to know what to ask for. He's the one that renews your strength, and that is where the refining happens. That is where in that waiting season, when you're at your lowest low and life is kind of sucky, that is where the Holy Spirit is taking you and he's refining you to be more like Jesus.

And there's a scripture that talks about refining. It's in Psalm 66 verse 10 through 12. It says, For you, oh God, have tested us. You have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net. You laid affliction on our backs. You have caused men to ride over our heads. We went through fire and through water, but you brought us out to rich fulfillment. And when silver is being refined, it has to be put in the hottest part of the fire to get all of those impurities out, and the person that is refining that silver has to be holding onto it and watching. It the entire time, because if it's in there just a moment too long, then the silver, because it's damaged. So as the silver, we have to be put through the fire. We have to be put not only through the fire, but through the hottest part of the fire. But we can be comforted to know that the Holy Spirit is holding us there, and he can't take his eyes off us, because he knows exactly how much heat you can take and for how long. He knows exactly how long you need to be held there to get rid of all those impurities so that you can be more like Jesus, so you can be more like the person he designed you to be before the world fell into sin. This is the person you were meant to be. But as you grew up in this world, in this fallen world, you've picked up impurities, you've picked up bad habits, you've picked up all these lies about yourself that you are believing, and so he's stripping those things away, and it hurts because we've been carrying it for such a long time. We have taken these impurities and made them our own. We identify as these impurities, and those are lies. And so when he strips away those things that are not true, it hurts because those are the things that comforted us. Yes, they hurt us, but it's what we knew, it's what we were used to. This is, this is who we are. This is, this is what we've identified with. And the Lord and the Holy Spirit come together, and they're just like, No, this is not true. And they take us through that fire, and they strip away those things, and it hurts. It is so painful, but once you're through it, once you are through that waiting season, it's because of that waiting season, and it's because of that purification that you're able to even accept the blessings or the promise that he had for you. You had to go through that waiting season so you could appreciate the blessing, so you could take it and bless others with it you. He couldn't just give you the blessing straight up. He had to make sure you were in a place where you could receive the blessing, that the blessing would truly be a blessing and not a curse, because of all this junk that you had attached to you, and that's really hard to hear that. Lord, I can't just have my blessing now like I want it now, but for it's like, no, you have to trust me, because if I give it to you, no, you're not going to appreciate it. So the waiting season isn't bad when you're in that waiting slash wilderness season, you need to lean into it, because now you understand its purpose. Now you understand what the Lord is doing in this season. So instead of complaining because it that's easy to do, it's easy to complain when we have to wait for something that sounds so good. It's easy to complain when everything is going wrong and you're feeling attacked. But instead of doing that, but now that you understand that the Holy Spirit is taking this season and refining you and preparing you for that season of abundance, for that season of blessing, you learn to appreciate the season that you're in so lean into it. Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal these things that he is changing in. You ask him, like Holy Spirit, I know I'm in this waiting season. I know that you were refining me right now. What can I do to help you refine me? Please reveal things to me that I need to change in my life so I can be more like you. I want to make sure that the this season goes as smooth as possible, that it goes as fast as possible, that I learned the lessons as fast as possible, because I don't want to delay this anymore, and then I already have by developing these false beliefs and creating these bad habits and depending on an identity that is not true. So Holy Spirit, please reveal to me what I need to change so that I can link up with you and partner with you in this transformation so that I don't delay this process. I don't want to get in the way of what you're doing in my life. That's the best thing that you could do in the waiting season is asking, How can I help? Instead of complaining, ask, How can I help once you've identified that you're in this season, and you ask him that the next thing that you can do in this season, or really not do, is worry. So one of the easiest things to do when you're in that waiting slash wilderness season is to worry. Because everything's going against you, nothing's going right. You feel like you're being attacked. You're not hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. It's hard, but the number one thing that you can do is not worry. Trust that your father's got you trust in His plan, because it's going to be way better, way better than your plan. It may not feel like it in the moment, just like I'm sure it didn't feel like it for Joseph or for David and in those lowest moments. But it is because he's doing something in you. He's doing something in your heart and your character, and he's building up these gifts that He has given you so that once you receive that promise, once you receive that blessing, you can go and build this kingdom. Because that's the point. It's for us to be able to edify the church. It's for us to be able to spread His Word, be witnesses to him, to the ends of the earth. And sometimes that starts in your own backyard. Sometimes that starts in your own home, in your job, wherever you are, that's where it starts, and then he can take it to the ends of the world. So lean into your season partner with the Holy Spirit. Bind yourself with the Father and allow the Holy Spirit to renew your strength to trust in Him, that He knows what he's doing, even when you're in the hottest part of the fire, that he knows what he's doing, and that you can trust him, because he never, ever keeps his eye off of you. It's always on you, because he knows how much you can take and how long you need to be in that fire to take away those impurities. And he knows when it's done because he can see his reflection in you, just like when you actually are refining silver. That's how they know it's done, when they can see their own image in it, when they can see the reflection in the silver. And that's so profound that that's the same exact process. He wants to see himself. He wants to see Jesus in you, because that's who he designed you to be. Is to be more like Jesus. Not that you aren't great, but you've picked up all these all this baggage and all these false beliefs and everything that doesn't serve you, or definitely doesn't serve His kingdom. He wants you to take on this new identity of who you truly are, which is like Jesus, who is a son and daughter of the Most High that is your identity, and you have authority on this earth in the name of Jesus because of who you are, and nothing can stand in your way, and the enemy knows that, and so he tries to kick you while you're down in that waiting season, and he puts those thoughts in your head, Did God really say? Did he really promise? Did you really have that dream? Are you sure that wasn't you? Those are the things that the accuser says to you to make you doubt and make you not hope for the things that God promised you. It's gonna happen, and there's nothing. This is the thing that the Lord told me. There's nothing you can do that is so detrimental that you're not going to get that promise. He told me this a long time ago, because I was so worried that I would be the one that delays this promise, which you can delay a promise, but I thought in my head that I would be the one that prevents us from having the promise like it won't happen, because X, Y and Z, and the Lord was like, no, if I gave you a Promise, I'm going to give it to you however. You can delay it, but you're it's going to happen. And I see the desire of your heart, and your desire in your heart is to serve me, and so I'm going to partner with you to make sure you don't delay it any more than you already have. And again, you you can delay those things. You can delay the blessings by complaining and worrying and not trusting. You always have to keep your eyes on the Lord that no matter what is happening in your life

at that moment, that he is going to pull through that know how, no matter how dark things seem, that he is the source of all light, that no matter how just sucky and depressive things may seem that he's going to deliver you, that he gave you a promise, and you just focus your attention and your eyes on Him, that He will deliver you. You're in his hand. He's there with you in that fire. So you just have to look to Him. And I've made this mistake where I've, like, kept my eyes down, and I've. Like, Woe is me. Like, I'm so down, and I don't really understand what, like, why this is, and I feel like I'm trying to do all the right things, but I'm still like, something's wrong, and it took somebody else in the body of Christ to be like, you just need to look up and like, just those words snap me out of it, like, just those words like Amber, look up like the enemy wants you to keep looking down. You just need to look up and realize what the Lord is doing and worship Him. And that's all it took for me to be like, oh my goodness, you're right. Like, it's so important. What are you thinking about most of the day? What consumes your thoughts throughout the day? Are they positive and about the Lord? Are they beautiful? Are they lovely? Are they things that are pure and righteous, like the Scripture says, or are they negative and lies and just a recycle of the bad things over and over again. Like, there's, there's evidence that think it's like 80 something percent of your thoughts are just repeat thoughts from the day before. And like, I think 90% of that 80% is all negative. Like, we are constantly being negative to ourselves all day long. So no wonder a lot of us are so depressed, especially if we're in that waiting season, especially if we're in this wilderness season where it feels like nothing is going right, when really this is the season of purification. This is the season where the Holy Spirit is working in you the most. This is when he is taking you and making you the person that you were meant to be. And so during these seasons are the ones where you're supposed to look up, focus up, and what does that look like? What what does that look like? Amber, what does that practically look like in your life? Well, for me, it's worship. Worship aligns myself back to the Lord and who he is, and the Holy Spirit adores worship, and he worships with you. He adores it, because when you're worshiping and you're singing to your father, it doesn't matter if you got a good voice or not. Okay, like, it doesn't matter. Like, what matters is where you're worshiping from. Are you worshiping from the heart? Are you just singing the words? Like, when you're in worship, you're supposed to be thinking about your father. You think about who it is that you're worshiping. He's not just your father. He's the creator of the universe. He's outside of time, like he is God Almighty. He holds the universe in his hand like, this is the person you're worshiping, and this is the person that you are worshiping. You should be in awe, like a lot of the times, we just think, like we get into the routine and we worship on Sunday, we sing our three songs. But I want to encourage you, maybe this week, you know, go to your quiet place, spend time with the Lord and just sing to the Lord. It doesn't matter if you're off key. He won't care as long as you are worshiping from your heart. And I'm telling you, even if you are in that waiting season, that wilderness season, when you start worshiping Him through that storm, your eyes are going to go up, and that's where the joy comes from. That's where the hope comes from, that you are going to get that promise that the Lord loves you through this season. He loves you, and He cares for you, and He wants to bless you. He loves to bless His children. That's the number one thing that he loves to do. But he's a good father, so he's not just going to bless you to make you a spoiled brat. He's going to make sure that you are a healthy, healthy member of the church, that you are a healthy member of the Christ of the body, so that you can be used to spread the message, so that somebody else can experience this love and this joy and this hope in the Lord. That's the reason why we do all these things. That's the reason why he he desires this relationship with us, so that we don't go through life alone. The Holy Spirit is our helper. He's the one that goes with us through every season. So no matter what season you're in, be sure you lean into it. Thank the Holy Spirit that you're in this season, even if it's a sucky one, because you know that you're turning into a person that is better than the person that you were when you first walked into it, that you're going to be able to serve the Lord on a new level, that you'll be able to be that vessel for somebody else. And it's because you leaned in, you trusted in the Lord, and you waited on him even when it was hard, even when it didn't make sense. You partnered with the Holy Spirit. And he said, All right, Holy Spirit, what do we need to work on? I want to make sure I help you through this, and I don't delay this, because I not only do I want to get to my promise, but I want to make sure that I can help others who are going. Through this as well. All right, guys. Well, I hope this message blesses you. I hope that you got something from this. I know I referenced a couple of people. Please go check out that episode from conversations with John and Lisa Bevere. I think it was episode 225, something like that. And also, if you want to check out the sermon that my pastor did, the Jesus way part six, where he talks about the waiting and that definition. I encourage you to do that as well. And if you learn something new from this episode, share it with a friend. Share this podcast. You know, I'm doing this out of obedience. The Holy Spirit told me to start this podcast, and so I'm just doing it. So I want to make sure that this message gets to everyone that needs to hear, that it can bless more and more people. So if you know someone that would enjoy this, or maybe would get value from this, maybe they're in the waiting season themselves, shoot them over the link to this episode, and hopefully it gives them some perspective. Alright, guys, well, thank you so much, and I'll see you next week. Bye.