Learning to Trust What the Holy Spirit is Speaking

I’d done it again. In a planning meeting I went ahead and opened my mouth and said it. I thought it was the truth, the Pink Elephant in the room that no one else wanted to talk about.

Then the push-back started—mostly from one person. So many defenses, as if I’d spoken a menacing threat.

I made the effort to speak in a respectful way that left a door open for the input of others, conveying what I thought was the wisdom of the Lord for the moment. But it was misunderstood.

Or was it? Perhaps I was the one who was off.

It certainly didn’t go over well. So I dropped the issue.

But that night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep, running the scenario over in my mind, second-guessing myself.

Had I shown a lack of honor? Could I have worded it differently? Should I have said it at all? Maybe God’s doing something else and I was just interfering.

I should just keep quiet, I chastised myself. I should be more submissive and stop trying to control.

Or, perhaps it really was the other leader’s problem, reacting out of his own insecurities. But I have insecurities also. Perhaps I was speaking out of my own insecurities. Am I being judgmental? Am I trying to remove the speck out of someone else’s eye while refusing to notice the plank in my own (Matt 7:3-5)?

… This happened awhile back. This and other incidents on the team had caused a number of sleepless nights and a gaping breach of trust and relationships. I’m no longer on that team, and over time, circumstances unfolded to prove that the words I’d spoken that night would have been wisdom for the situation. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I’d kept trying to process the Pink Elephant rather than cowering away from conflict.

I’m learning more to trust what I sense the Holy Spirit is speaking. I know my words and actions on the team were imperfect, and that I also needed to change and grow and learn some things. That’s where “removing the plank in your own eye” comes in. Jesus didn’t say we’re never to take the speck out of someone else’s eye. As Christ’s body, we need to love each other by keeping each other accountable—speaking the truth in love (Eph 4:15). But Jesus said we needed to remove the plank from our own eye first (Luke 6:42).

That’s where the secret lies. Always, always keep a humble heart that’s open to correction (that removes the plank) and leads to wisdom and growth. Yet in my own insecurities I’d doubted the voice of the Spirit in my soul, and lived through a lot of turmoil because of it.

It’s easier to process through Pink-Elephant situations if both parties have surrendered hearts, “submitting one to another in the fear of God” (Eph 5:21). If one desires to cling to his or her own insecurities, it’s more difficult if not impossible. But again, we trust in the Lord’s hand in the situation and pray, pray, pray. It’s not by our own might or power, but by the Spirit of the Lord (Zech 4:6).

Best case scenario:

In a Christ-centered team, we receive each other’s input as precious words spoken from people made in God’s image. We submit those words first to Jesus, our Head, who stands in our midst (Matt 18:20). With mutual respect, we process through our thoughts, valuing our relationships of mutual respect, with hearts focused on Christ, seeking to find His wisdom in the situation.

Bottom line:

Don’t keep quiet! With a submissive heart, go ahead and boldly speak what the Holy Spirit leads in an attitude of respect and honor. No matter what the response, trust the work of Christ in the situation.

After all, it wasn’t about me and how eloquent my words were. It was about Jesus, and His work as the Head of His body. All honor and glory to Him!

For practical guidance in leading Christ-focused team meetings, get the book, Mastering the Art of Presence-Based Leadership.
Presence-Based Leadership is vital in our unstable political and cultural environment. Not a program. Not a technique. Not another fad, but a posture for discerning the wisdom of Christ. Every leadership situation presents new and different challenges, but Christ knows every factor, every heart and motive, the present, past and future. How else can we dare lead but from discerning the wisdom and direction of Christ?