Hope Mangiafico (00:00)
Have you ever wished you knew exactly what God wanted you to do? Have you ever prayed for peace, wisdom, strength, or direction? Maybe you've wondered, God, are you speaking to me? How do I know if you're leading me? Am I doing this life on my own? The beautiful truth is, you are never meant to be alone. Before Jesus returned to heaven, he made an incredible promise. He told his disciples that although he was leaving physically, they would not be left alone.
In fact, he said it would actually be better for them because he would send the Holy Spirit. Imagine hearing that. How could anything be better than walking beside Jesus? But instead of Jesus walking with them, the Holy Spirit would live within them. Today we're concluding our Godhead series by discovering who the Holy Spirit really is, what he does, and why every believer desperately needs him and to tap into him. Because the Christian life isn't lived for God, it's lived for God.
With God. Hi, I'm Hope.
Nikki Humphrey (01:00)
Hi, I'm Nikki. Welcome to Equip Fellowship, where friends become family through Christ. We're two Jesus loving friends on a mission to share personal stories, resources, and real talk about our triumphs, breakthroughs, struggles, and setbacks. Why? Because we believe you are called to live victoriously and we're here to equip you with Holy Spirit-led tools and strategies to strengthen your faith.
Transform your mindset and walk boldly in God's promises because here's the truth. You have been given great and precious promises by God. So grab your coffee, lean in, and let's grow together. It's time to step into everything the Godhead has for you.
Hope Mangiafico (01:51)
Amen. Today we come to the final episode in our Godhead series. Over the past several weeks, if you have missed some of the previous episodes, we've been discovering the beauty of our triune God. We've learned about God the Father, his unchanging character, his holiness, his mercy, his love, and his heart for us, his kiddos. We've explored Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Our Savior, Redeemer, Advocate, and the one who reconciled us to the Father through his death and resurrection. And today we meet the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Now, he's an interesting one because he's often the most misunderstood person of the Godhead. Some people avoid talking about him altogether, others only associate him with extra
ordinary experiences. They don't really treat him like a person, but rather treat him as an invisible force or simply a feeling, which can be very easy to do. But scripture does paint a much richer picture. Mmm. So good. The Holy Spirit isn't an it. He isn't merely God's power. He isn't just a feeling during worship. He is God. He has always existed. He is fully divine.
He has a personality, he has his own mind, he speaks, he teaches, he comforts, he convicts, he leads, he empowers, and most importantly, he lives inside all of us that say we are believers in Jesus Christ. So today we're gonna discover why the Holy Spirit isn't just someone we study, he's someone we walk with. And I feel like that intro, it might be one of the most powerful.
summaries we've ever done in an intro.
Nikki Humphrey (03:37)
Yes. I agree because like sitting down, I really had to define like who is the Holy Spirit. Because hope, like you said in the intro, we can get it twisted, like he came onto the scene later or like wasn't there all along. But he was. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. Period.
Not third and important, not less powerful, not less God. He is fully and internally God, just as Father God is, just like Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They're all work together. Like we said in our first episode, they all have their own way of communicating, being with us, their own jobs to do, but they are one.
Hope Mangiafico (04:07)
The
Yes.
Nikki Humphrey (04:31)
And in Genesis, because I always got to go back to the Bible because sometimes I'm just like, he just didn't get on the scene to the you know, New Testament. But in Genesis one, two, the spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Before creation was complete, Holy Spirit was already there. He wasn't created at Pentecost, which I used to believe, like it was just like okay, now we got another one. It's the Holy Spirit. No.
Hope Mangiafico (04:39)
Amen.
Yes.
Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (05:01)
Created before that, didn't suddenly appear in the New Testament. He has always existed. Throughout Scripture, we see him actively involved in God's work. He inspired the prophets, he empowered leaders, he filled craftsmen, he anointed kings, he was present in Jesus' conception, he descended on Jesus at his baptism, he raised Jesus from the dead, he inspired the writings of the scriptures, and today he dwells within all of us.
Hope Mangiafico (05:31)
Wow, that was fire. That was so rich. I love that so much. And it's so fascinating. If you go into the Old Testament, like Nikki is proving, you were just like rocking and rolling. I love that so much. In the Old Testament, you'll see like David writing about your spirit, don't have your spirit lead me. And it's not like proper, like capital H, capital S, Holy Spirit, but it's still Father God's Spirit, which is Holy Spirit. So you'll actually see.
The Spirit of God all through the Old Testament and is the same person as Nikki was saying, talking about the leaders and the kings, the things you read about there. And I think, like you said, Nikki, one thing that we have to be mindful of is to keep Holy Spirit in New Testament. Because we also don't want to keep Jesus in just the New Testament, or else the whole scriptures aren't one full story that comes together.
it's so good. But one thing that is really powerful is as Nikki just displayed that so beautifully about how Holy Spirit's present in all in John 14, 16 through 18. The key here is that God's Spirit is in us now, as she ended what she said, because of what Jesus did to bring us back to the Father. So Old Testament, you hear about his spirit, but it's not the indwelling that we hear about in the New Testament.
So in John 14, 16 through 18, Jesus says, I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper to be with you forever. Even the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans, comfortless. I will come to you. And in Romans 8:9, it says.
However, you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit. If in fact the spirit of God dwells in you, anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him. And so those two scriptures are really nice, like bringing all together. One, John 14, 16 through 18 was what we kind of planted in the intro. And then Romans 8 9 brings that whole Godhead together of how.
We're in the spirit. You've got the spirit of God dwelling in us. And because we receive the spirit of Christ, it's like that bow on top. We need all of them to converge. To give us what we have today as believers, really. We need it all.
Nikki Humphrey (07:59)
Yeah. And that was a big point that I put down too, Hope, that the Holy Spirit isn't beside us. He's in us. He doesn't come and go. Like there's not like an on off switch. Like we in our earthly self, we might like not want to hear what the Holy Spirit has to say or not be tuned in to the Holy Spirit, we can call it frequency or whatever, but it never goes away.
Hope Mangiafico (08:07)
Yes.
Mm-mm.
Yes.
Nikki Humphrey (08:25)
And I sometimes forget that.
Hope Mangiafico (08:28)
Well, you know, I was thinking when I like initially sat down with this, my notes were pretty short. And what I wrote down first was I put this is part of the Godhead that I feel like I just woke up to after saying yes to Jesus, and then I started understanding once I welcomed in the idea that there was more. So it's like you learn about Father God.
You instantly like, my gosh, I need Jesus because I need saving. I need redeeming. And then it's like this process of a waking up. So it's that dimmer switch, right? It gets brighter and brighter. Doesn't turn off. But you've got to say yes for that to get l brighter and brighter in your life. And it is a waking up to the fullness of what God created you to be.
Nikki Humphrey (09:12)
Yes. Absolutely. And that's what's so exciting. And when you feel that dimmer switch go up, it's it's radiates throughout your body. I remember in the 60 day challenge when we were inviting the Holy Spirit in. Do you remember that? Like all the feels like I'd never felt like that before come upon me. And it's like we just said, it's not that it went
Hope Mangiafico (09:20)
⁓
Yes. Hmm.
Hmm. Yes.
Nikki Humphrey (09:41)
Holy Spirit went away. It was just we were turning up the volume on the frequency. Yeah.
Hope Mangiafico (09:45)
Yes. Great way to say it. Yes. It's so good. And and it's like, if you take a pause for a moment, anyone listening, I don't know, this just pop into my head as I'm still looking at John fourteen, sixteen through eighteen, and it says that Jesus
Said, I'm not gonna leave you alone. I'm gonna give you the comforter. If you feel like you lack comfort, you may need to be welcoming in that aspect of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, to give you that comfort. Like Nikki's saying, it's a feeling that cannot be described, but it's a promise. And it's a comfort from the Holy Spirit, but simultaneously, Jesus says, I will come to you.
So he really does leave them, but he's like, I'm also still in you through Holy Spirit. And that's when it's like, whoa, they're the same and different and it's wild. But sometimes that's all you're missing is a welcoming in of an aspect of one of the characteristics of one of the people of the Godhead.
Nikki Humphrey (10:52)
Absolutely.
Hope Mangiafico (10:53)
I know I've so often actually this morning as wild the Lord just talked to me in some really great ways. And I still feel the conviction that I act like an orphan. And depending on what translation you read, John 14, 16 through 18, he says, I will not leave you as orphans. Some other ones say I will not leave you comfortless. But either way, if you feel like you have to do life alone and that you have God doesn't love you.
You aren't turning on and brightening up that dimmer switch to receive it. And that's how you receive. I've already said it once. I guess I'm just repeating it again. Receive the fullness of what God has for you. You can have the knowledge of God the Father and Jesus as the Savior, but to actually be able to receive it all, it's Holy Spirit.
Nikki Humphrey (11:46)
Yes, and Holy Spirit, I I have to remind myself this. The Holy Spirit isn't passive. He's actively working in our lives every single day, day in and day out. And like Hope said, like we are not orphans. We have the Holy Spirit in us every day. He comforts, he guides, he teaches, he convicts. All of that. We have access to that.
Hope Mangiafico (11:55)
Yes.
Nikki Humphrey (12:12)
All the time, it's like our best friend living inside of us.
Hope Mangiafico (12:17)
But really, it's truly ⁓ yeah, helper, comforter, and I love that you were saying that he helps and he comforts, and other words for that as he advocates, another one I really love is he counsels. I mean, there's literally nothing in life that you cannot do because he checks all the boxes for what you need, and I realize.
Nikki Humphrey (12:30)
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (12:41)
as I keep talking, like I feel like I'm just like a tape on repeat. But I think I'm coming to realization real time of like, we know this, there's nothing lacking in the father. But there's nothing lacking because our best friends inside of us.
Nikki Humphrey (12:57)
Mm-hmm. Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (12:59)
And that's wild. And that's probably people also often are kind of afraid to deep dive in the Holy Spirit because he's kind of a wild part of the Godhead.
Nikki Humphrey (13:10)
It is. It is a wild part of the the Godhead because you have to be careful not to go in the oogly-booglies of the Holy Spirit, of the woo-woo of the Holy Spirit. But you have to be grounded in your relationship with Father God, with Jesus, in order for the full manifestation of the Holy Spirit to come through without the oogly-booglies and the woo-woo. And it's
Hope Mangiafico (13:17)
Yes, yes.
Amen.
Nikki Humphrey (13:40)
Different because I've been in the oogly boogly woo-woos and I know the difference. But it wasn't until I got my relationship secure with God the Father in Jesus and was grounded in my biblical truth that the Holy Spirit, the light came up, the dimmer switch went up, and I could
It's so weird. It's so hard to explain, like Hope said earlier, like we really can't put any words to it. So my words might feel off to people, but like how the Holy Spirit communicates with me. Like you pick up on it. And it's different than anything else that you've felt before.
Hope Mangiafico (14:08)
I don't know. Mm-hmm.
Yes. I love.
that about getting the grounding first. And you think about building character, right? Like you have to have some substance in you to be trusted with something so important. So as you said, it's not that the Holy Spirit isn't there all along when you say yes to Jesus. But for you to actually quote unquote responsibly walk out all that the Spirit wants to give you, you need that firm foundation. And
I believe because somewhere in scripture it says like Holy Spirit only says what the Father's saying, basically. So ⁓ Holy Spirit, if the Father's like, my child's not ready, you may not, you also may not feel Holy Spirit. Because the Father knows us better than we know ourselves. And so Holy Spirit will absolutely not listen to us, but will listen to the Lord. But here's what's interesting as I'm saying that I talked about that if you're feeling like you're lacking comfort, invite the comforter.
Well, in the first in the second episode of the series when we talked about God the Father, I gave a list of names. And in the list of names are the names of Holy Spirit on here. Same with the list of ⁓ names of who Jesus was that Nikki gave. They're all on this list of the names of God, which means if you ask for the comforter to come because you're not feeling comforted, you're first gonna encounter Father God that's gonna give you that foundation to then be trustworthy, to then listen well to Holy Spirit.
That's what's so amazing is they all are in alignment what the father wants in our lives. The oogly boogly woo-woo stuff that Nikki's talking about, there's a unfortunately there can be a turning away of the purity of the father's goals when you enter in in a different way.
And you know one of my favorite parts, Nikki, I mean there's a lot, but I have strong opinions in things and I'm always growing in how vocal I am in them and making them less vocal. But I was thinking about how he gives us many gifts, and I'm gonna talk about that later probably, but he helps us discern. And without Holy Spirit, we're only giving our opinions at best.
And ⁓ this has been an area of growth for me that I would be like, I have the gift of discernment. But in actuality, as I grow with the Father, I'm realizing, no hope, you've just been spit in your opinion. You haven't been tapping into the gift of discernment that you have through Holy Spirit.
And that's really backed by First Corinthians two fourteen, and just about the fact that the natural man doesn't receive the things from the Spirit of God or from Holy Spirit, that when you aren't connected to Holy Spirit, it all sounds like foolishness. Which maybe, you know, Nikki's like, some of you guys might not understand my words. And maybe because you're on a different route right now, ⁓ with the Holy Spirit. But you can know him. Just don't chase after the flesh. And a lot of times.
thr again, my personal growth opportunity, my opinion was so vocal and come to find out, it was because I was protecting my ego for lack of better term, instead of wanting what the father wanted.
Ha ha
Nikki Humphrey (17:46)
It's true. And I was just saw this verse, Galatians 5 25. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. I love this picture because so many times I chose to leave Holy Spirit behind. And I wasn't keeping in step with the spirit. I was running ahead or falling behind. But we need to lock arms consciously.
Hope Mangiafico (17:56)
Mm.
Nikki Humphrey (18:16)
and walk together just like we would with our best friend if they're in proximity to us. So we're gonna lock arms and go step by step. And again, that requires relationship. We need a relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Although they're the triune, we need to have relationship with each one. We need to listen. We need to trust. We need to spend time with them. We need to have
sensitivity of like what's coming up, who are we talking with, like who are we bringing this issue to? The more time we spend with God building that relationship, the easier it is to not only recognize him leading, prompting, pursuing, correcting, comforting, whatever, it increases our trust with them to actually do it.
Hope Mangiafico (19:10)
Mm. Yes. Mm. Yes.
Nikki Humphrey (19:12)
And not ignore it.
Hope Mangiafico (19:15)
Yes. Increase the trust. That's good. It's a good word. Yeah, you and everyone else, different levels of it, right?
Nikki Humphrey (19:21)
'Cause I'm still struggling with trust.
Hope Mangiafico (19:29)
That's funny. I mentioned a little bit ago about like my morning devotion and just the Lord like showing up and one one of the questions that it asked, you know, a rhetorical question that made me cry is just like, Do I actually believe in God enough that He's gonna show up for me? And I had a very specific situation in my head and I'm like, Well, I say I do, but my actions still aren't aligned.
Nikki Humphrey (19:53)
Sempre.
Hope Mangiafico (19:53)
Literally, and I I started crying, and I'm said, I'm like, Father, I am so sorry. And it's like I got a little brighter because I got a better understanding of his character in that one question of like all of a sudden the history starts playing. We talk about all this, but you have to understand until God the Father says, Okay, Holy Spirit, awaken her to this truth right here, right now. You will not grasp that until it's time. And so this concept.
We have talked about it. But this morning I'm like, whoa, woo woo, light bulb's gone off. my gosh, God, I'm so sorry.
Of course I can trust you to be you in me and through me. And we say it's not dependent on us, it's dependent on him, but even still I act like he's not gonna show up for me and in me and through me.
Nikki Humphrey (20:47)
journaling about the same thing last night.
It's cr my mind is like blown right now.
Hope Mangiafico (20:54)
That's amazing. Proof of the spirit.
Nikki Humphrey (20:57)
It's trusting that he's gonna be there. It's trusting that he's got good gifts for us. It's trusting that I'm worthy to receive the gifts he got me, gave me hope, everybody out there listening or watching. But here's the hard part: I don't trust myself to use his good gifts. Like I'm gonna somehow mess it up.
Hope Mangiafico (21:22)
That's literally what mine was actually about. I wrote that when it involves something I have to do. Like I can trust you for something that's external that my hands are off of. But as soon as my hands get in it, I lose the trust. Literally what I what I was talking to him about. And that's cuckoo bananas. Because we would say all the time, right? We're not that powerful.
But there's still that shame, like we've talked about in episodes before. I don't I don't have the word right now. All I can say in Nikki, it sounds you can probably say this too. The father opened up my heart in a new way of surrender. mean that's like I was talking about earlier about protecting my ego. Like maybe there's part of me that needs to get stripped off more, right? It sounds like it's humbling to say I don't trust myself, but there's a bigger picture there that's
Actually Negative and something that dishonors the father that has nothing to do with our lack of trust in ourselves. The big picture is we don't trust him enough still.
Nikki Humphrey (22:26)
Yeah. And we've seen him show up time and time again on this podcast in our lives. Like big and small aspects. I mean, Hope and I would talk about it all the time. We're like, wow. We're like, won't he do it? He did it. Woo! Like
Hope Mangiafico (22:30)
Like literally.
Nikki Humphrey (22:42)
And still, like you said at the beginning of the episode, is something I still struggle with also too, is vocalizing what I really want to say and without filtering it too much to make it, I don't know, better. I can't make things better than how God put it in me or Jesus or Holy Spirit told me to do it.
Hope Mangiafico (22:54)
Hmm.
So true.
Nikki Humphrey (23:11)
Why am I rewriting what they're telling me?
Hope Mangiafico (23:15)
It sounds so silly when we finally say it out loud, but I mean it's not rational and that's part of the human experience. I mean it makes no sense. But I feel you.
Nikki Humphrey (23:17)
Yeah.
Hope Mangiafico (23:32)
And I've had a lot of peace this morning actually because of my journaling with the Lord and processing with him. But I'll tell you, it's very easy to like Nikki said earlier, she's like I you know, she's had a history of leaving Holy Spirit behind. If I allow myself to refocus on that area again that I thought I messed up on, it disappears like that. My comforter is gone.
The truth that he's with me gone. You gotta protect your gates. Holy Spirit in you. Hmm. Okay. You access Holy Spirit by making Jesus Lord. The Holy Spirit's in you. So Holy Spirit's like the guard at all your gates. But you get to be the inviter of what comes into the gates. And I'm preaching to myself right now.
Because your girl was floating on cloud nine after that repentance. And then she decided to take a peruse to look at the thing that's been not doing great. And I could instantly feel me inviting it back into the gate. And Holy Spirit's there like I'm ready to guard.
But it's important to remember that we have a part to play in that dimmer switch, the light, the invitation. I mean, you can word it a million ways, whatever word resonates with you to remind yourself that we get to control that.
Nikki Humphrey (25:00)
As you were talking hope, a funny image popped in my head. It was just like of a little kid when they first witnessed the dimmer switch in a house. Have you ever seen like a kid play with
Hope Mangiafico (25:09)
Hm.
I have it.
Nikki Humphrey (25:12)
It's like magic to them. So they're like up, down, up, down, in between, lowly up, quick down. I feel like that's how I am with the Holy Spirit right now. Like I'm like, shut it down. Turn it up. Where are you? And like adjusting it like higher and lower. Like, how can I find you? Like, yeah. Can't we just keep it steady? I wish I could keep it.
Hope Mangiafico (25:17)
Ha ha ha.
That's so good, Nikki.
Nikki Humphrey (25:42)
It is steady lumen.
Hope Mangiafico (25:45)
That is such a good illustration. You're right. At least it makes it a little more lighthearted.
Nikki Humphrey (25:53)
What's the funniest thing that popped in? Yeah, does it line with the screen?
Hope Mangiafico (25:55)
It is
funny. Wow. Well, and you know, you also mentioned about being in step. It was Glatians five, I think, is the scripture you quoted. ⁓ about being in step because we're in the spirit. And I was thinking as you said that, how we can't go and step in the spirit if our light is down, because you can't see.
So if you want to walk in the step, you've got to be willing to keep the light up. Now, again, we can play the game, it's gonna happen until we continue as we continue to grow, but you need some kind of light to be able to walk in step with the spirit. There's grace involved when there's a dark moment. But to stay in step, we gotta keep the light up somehow, some way.
Nikki Humphrey (26:44)
So Hope, what would you say to a listener that's just like, How do I become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit? Like I don't know if my lights on or off or like where it's at like
What would you suggest for them that would be a good starting point?
Hope Mangiafico (26:59)
So for me, I've talked about it many times. I'm a journaler. I ha and I actually am not in a season of journaling now, but you know, Nick, you mentioned the 60 day challenge. Either in a written form or through visual, maybe through some music that like brings you peace. There's some really great, like ⁓ soaking music, I think is what it would be called, where ⁓ there's certain
Frequencies for lack of better term that connects you. ⁓ but whatever brings you peace, and you're like sit and you just have an sensitivity, or same with journaling, that I find that I can tell I'm in alignment with how I write. just a set aside task. The six day challenge was really helpful for Nikki and I, but really what it boiled down to, and Nikki, correct me if you feel like you can describe this better.
Is we legitimately just set aside time and welcomed in Holy Spirit and like asked a question, which again we talk about in the episode so much, and then you just wait and hear because it comes by practice. And I think we get so caught up in the desire that we miss him because we're busy desiring.
What do you say?
Nikki Humphrey (28:14)
That's it. The only thing I would add is if Holy Spirit is new to you and you're listening or watching and you're like, I don't even, they're saying it's in the Bible, but I don't know. Like, Google where is Holy Spirit found in the Bible? And read because that's what I did to prepare for this episode. And look, look it up. Get grounded in scripture first. And I love what you said, hope.
Hope Mangiafico (28:28)
Hmm.
Amen. Okay. Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (28:42)
About putting on some soaking music. Go on Spotify, just songs that welcome in the Holy Spirit. It's there, people.
Hope Mangiafico (28:51)
It is and it's good, like you can just feel your step
Nikki Humphrey (28:55)
Good.
Yeah, and just sit and just ask, like, Holy Spirit come.
Hope Mangiafico (29:02)
Direct invitation. There's no confusion in a direct invitation.
Nikki Humphrey (29:04)
What
do you have to say, Holy Spirit? What do you want to show me? Like, don't overcomplicate it. And stillness is the key. It really.
Hope Mangiafico (29:17)
It that
really is.
Nikki Humphrey (29:19)
Yeah.
Hope Mangiafico (29:19)
And that's really how it to me it boils down. and even in in life when I get noisy, I can't pick up when I'm busy, like because I'm lack a better term, choosing noisy. So I have to do a reset of staying still, physically being still again. Now, once I do that, I'm back in tune, I can feel it again, and then I can continue on doing X, Y, Z.
But we're always gonna need a reset. ⁓ so even if this is new to you, you get started, don't be surprised if you need a reset later in the day or the next day. ⁓ think of that as an invitation from the Father to bring you back to him spirit to spirit.
Nikki Humphrey (30:03)
And I just, as you were talking, hope I got a Holy Spirit, sacred imagination. So wherever you're at, wherever you want to do this, to be still and you welcome in the Holy Spirit. Maybe your music's playing in the background. And I think we did this in the 60-day challenge, but I'm not sure. But think of your body as a dimmer switch. Start with your toes and slowly envision, imagine.
Hope Mangiafico (30:09)
Okay.
Nikki Humphrey (30:33)
lighting up through your foot, around your ankle, up your shin, and just inviting the Holy Spirit in that whole time. So in your imagination, you're lighting up that dimmer switch inside of you. It's almost like preparing your body to receive the Holy Spirit.
Hope Mangiafico (30:55)
That's good. That actually
I'm pretty sure we can back that by scripture too, because as Nikki said, like Holy Spirit can be one of those things that if you're not careful, you can go into the woo-woo and and and that might sound weird to you what she just said, but it's actually very valid because we are light, because God is light. And so you're able to do that because that's actually part of your nature, because you're made in God's image.
Nikki Humphrey (31:14)
Yeah. Yeah.
And it helps focus
you on the moment instead of being distracted. So it just help helps you welcome in the stillness to receive the Holy Spirit.
Hope Mangiafico (31:27)
Yes.
Absolutely. I guess you could just take Matthew five, fourteen through sixteen as an example where Jesus says you're the light of the world. A lot of scriptures, guys, we take as not literal, but they're literal and as examples that can be metaphors. But you're a literal light to the world.
remember that as you practice what Nikki said, like you're worthy of being lit up. As we said in the last episode, talking about worthy of it all. That's so great.
And then first John one five says God is light. In him there is no darkness at all. So because Holy Spirit is God's Spirit, you're waking up God within you, aka Holy Spirit within you. So there's some scripture to validate that. Since, like you said, Nikki, when I answered your question, it's like if this is new to you.
Rooted in scripture.
And I think
Nikki and I, not even in the series, but in probably every episode, we talk about how good the Father is, how worthy we are as his children, how much he loves us. And something that was really highlighted to me about Holy Spirit is Holy Spirit is the way that God's gifts show up in our lives. Both actual literal blessings and spiritual blessings, such as I mentioned like discerning things earlier.
The gift of discernment. So listen to Luke 11, 13. It says, if you then being evil, which is talking about people, because we have had sin in our life, so we're not a perfect being, if you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?
The Holy Spirit alone is the gift. But in this scripture, it is saying that every great gift at we could imagine here can come with Holy Spirit. Because if it's comparing to natural gifts, then that means they're so much greater here through Holy Spirit. The other thing, like this might be for the people that actually, this is part of my story.
Have come from a more charismatic background. The thing charismatic is kind of the people that do the extremes. They're really hyper-fixated actually on just Holy Spirit. Sometimes different camps, if you will, of Christianity only focus on one part of the Godhead. And that comes at a cost and a little bit of a detriment to the people. So for the people that have an understanding of spiritual giftings.
I'm gonna read this, and if you don't, I want you to also hear this, even if it's so unfamiliar to you, to understand that everything that is listed, you can go into scripture, learn about it, and see what that can mean that you can walk out in life with as a blessing to others. So it's in 1 Corinthians 12, 8 through 11, and it says, The Holy Spirit gives to one the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge.
Through the same spirit, to another, faith by the same spirit, to another gifts of healing by the same spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, which is languages, to another the interpretation of tongues or languages. But one and the same spirit works all of these things, distributed to each one individually as he wills.
So we've talked about white knuckling your way through, being able to figure life out, or like Nikki and I both had just journaled on the last 24 hours, trusting God enough that He's gonna show up. He gets to wield these beautiful gifts that we don't have to work for, we don't have to earn by saying yes to Jesus Christ, knowing God the Father, this is what we get. We get to be vessels of light, if you will.
By showing up as God sees fit to bring out healing to people, miracles to people. If they're confused, he might give you the ability to speak their language, to have faith enough to move mountains for someone else, to give encouragement and wisdom to other people, not man-made wisdom, but wisdom that you're like, where did that come from? Which I can speak to because I've spat out things to people and I'm like, that was so darn good, I just learned a lesson, you know? Like I think that happens to Nikki and I all the time when we're talking.
Word of knowledge, Nikki has shared on the podcast where she's gotten words about people, and it's like you don't know the person. You don't earn that.
God's love for you gives you that through the spirit.
We all wanna help people. We all wanna be an impact. Once you make an impact, excuse me, once you said yes to Jesus, you're like on fire and you're like wanna change the world. Do not leave Holy Spirit behind in that. And do not ignore Holy Spirit, because in truth, the only way to do it is to let Holy Spirit activate the gifts in you as God wills.
Nikki Humphrey (36:55)
I love that, the gifts of the spirit. And if you watching or listening haven't dug into that, there's assessments that you can take online to like help you narrow down what your gifting might be and
Hope Mangiafico (36:57)
I do too.
Nikki Humphrey (37:10)
It changes for me. So sometimes I take it once every couple of years or whatever just to see because it is amazing and some it just helps to put a lens on something that we might not even thought that we had the gifting in.
Hope Mangiafico (37:27)
Well right, because it's you technically have access to all of them. Some you may you lean towards in certain seasons, but yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (37:31)
All of them, yes.
Yes, I was just
gonna say seasonally, one might be brighter than the other. We're going back to the dimmer switch, but it's all there.
Hope Mangiafico (37:42)
Yeah, yeah.
And I think I have definitely dimmer switched, capping, however you wanna refer to it, I have limited God's ability to use me because I'll focus on just one area.
Nikki Humphrey (37:59)
That's right. Bingo.
Hope Mangiafico (38:02)
'Cause I was
always passionate about healing. I haven't actually physically healed anybody, but I have a passion for healing. So I'm just pushing for that one. And God's like, nah, girl, I got all these other things for you.
Nikki Humphrey (38:14)
That's like trying to slap that one down and you're trying to like f fight it up.
Hope Mangiafico (38:18)
Yeah, exactly. So it's really important. Again, like I said about me earlier, what the Lord's working on in my heart. Like, stop trying to pursue the things that hope wants. That's the thing the Holy Spirit. I said earlier, the Holy Spirit only speaks and does what the Father says. If we listen to Holy Spirit, we naturally are in the will of God. We've had episodes on that. So you want to know the will of God?
Nikki Humphrey (38:30)
Yeah.
Hope Mangiafico (38:45)
Practice like we said, get still, do the exercise Nikki said, and learn the closeness. Press into the closeness.
Nikki Humphrey (38:56)
And I think one thing that we need to remember is the Holy Spirit isn't waiting for you to become perfect before he works in your life. He's inviting you right now.
Hope Mangiafico (39:03)
Right.
Nikki Humphrey (39:08)
To be with him.
I think sometimes we think we need to be in a certain point before the Holy Spirit's coming in.
Hope Mangiafico (39:10)
no.
Nikki Humphrey (39:14)
But it's that's not true.
Hope Mangiafico (39:16)
Well as you say that, Nikki, doing a little rewind back to your question to me, and you're like, Hey, Holy Spirit concept's new, how do we press into it?
Want your help on this, Nikki, because I don't want to use incorrect words. Some people would call it intuition, but you know when you gut feelings. When you're in an environment and you're like, mm-hmm, some don't feel right. You may have thought it was your intuition, just this thing inside. That is Holy Spirit.
Nikki Humphrey (39:46)
That's right.
Hope Mangiafico (39:47)
So I actually I think this is a great opportunity to your point of like he's not waiting for you to be perfect. You've actually been getting nudges all along that you may have been calling your own knowledge.
Nikki Humphrey (39:56)
Mm-hmm.
Right. My intuition tells me. Yeah.
Hope Mangiafico (40:00)
Right. And so actually
I almost what we shared earlier was good. But if you want even more practical practical, when you get that gut feeling you shouldn't do something, you shouldn't go somewhere, pause and say, Whoa, Holy Spirit, thank you.
That actually might be a even more practical way to lock that in and realize like, wow, you're speaking to me without me ever even being aware. And now I'm saying yes to awareness to you.
Cause Nikki, how many ti I mean, I can't speak right on the topic right now, but before I ever knew I had gut feelings. And I wasn't perfect, I'm still not perfect, right? But I knew that I always claimed I had a gift of discernment without giving Holy Spirit any credit.
Nikki Humphrey (40:49)
yes.
That's so true. How many times have I not gone with my gut on something? And then later on I was like, that was for my protection.
Hope Mangiafico (41:01)
Right. he's so of again, that's what it says in the scripture about even better gift is the Holy Spirit. There's nothing better than being protected.
I didn't mean to like interrupt if I did, but I was like wait, that's actually the most practical way and reminder that he's always been there.
Nikki Humphrey (41:23)
It is. Yeah. So if you look back, if we're inviting you all to look back on your life to those moments where you were just like, that's the Holy Spirit, even though you didn't know it at the time. Because we can all remember those close calls or that gut feeling when we turned when we wanted to go straight. Where we chose to leave someplace where all our friends were staying. Like you just had that feeling. That was Holy Spirit.
Hope Mangiafico (41:35)
Mm.
Yeah.
Amen.
Yes. That's all I have to say. I think that was great. Just really
Made it simple.
Nikki Humphrey (41:59)
That'll do it.
Hope Mangiafico (41:59)
So that'll do it. We want to close with this scripture that blessed me immensely this morning as I was doing a devotion. And it's Ephesians 1, 3 through 14. So hang on tight because it hits the entire Godhead here and is something that if you just want to lock this in, close your eyes, let it just marinate you. And you can get soaked in it. I think it'll bless you immensely. So it says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the beloved. In him we have redemption.
Through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him. In him we have attained an inheritance.
Having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory.
Nikki Humphrey (43:52)
Ooh, amen. That was good. Love that.
So as we conclude our Godhead series, we hope you've come to see the Triune God more clearly. The Father invites you into his love. The Son invites you into salvation. Holy Spirit invites you into a daily relationship that transforms you from the inside out. Friend, the journey doesn't end here in many ways. It's just the beginning.
Because every day is an opportunity to know God more deeply, love him more fully, and become more like Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Until next time, stay rooted in God's word. sensitive to his spirit. And remember, you are never meant to do life alone. God is with you, God is within you, and he is faithfully completing the good work.
He began in you. We'll see on the overflow.
