So I've got to come to Him: Holy Ghost, I need Your help on this - I don't know what to do. Just come like a little child would come: Dad, help me, I don't know what to do. Show me what to do.
Come to Him in a very simple, childlike trust; confident He's there, confident He'll help - and asking Him for His help. Learn to talk to Him, invite Him in to those parts of your life.
Express gratitude. You know how hard it is to keep being kind to people, when they're just ungrateful?
Ingratitude offends. A lot of people just take everything for granted. It speaks of a heart attitude of demand, or entitlement, or: it's my right, why should I say ‘thank you’?
Mothers that are doing all these meals for teenagers every day, I wonder if the teenagers say: “thank you mum - that was a great meal”; instead of: “eww, what's this?”
Okay, well you'll wear it. There you go. That's what it is - it's a hat! Make your own from today!
Gratitude is a big thing. We enter His presence with gratitude.
Psalm 100:4 “Come into His presence with thanksgiving”
It tells very clearly: God loves it when we're grateful, and we begin to praise Him and thank Him. That's the way to talk to Him: Thank you Holy Ghost for helping me. Thank You Your presence with me.
Talk to Him and show gratitude. Place value on Him. Acknowledge His work in your life. These are really simple things.
3) Practice listening to Him.
Listening is an art to be learned. It doesn't come naturally, because we'd rather talk. We talk and don't listen.
It takes effort to listen. You have to train your heart to listen to the Holy Ghost.
When the Holy Spirit speaks, it's usually a very gentle, still, small voice; flowing pictures, thoughts, impressions. It's very gentle; so you don't hear much from Him when you're in great turmoil.
You've got to quieten down, focus your attention, listening for His voice.
What was the last thing He told you? Did you do it?
He spoke to you, so practice listening to Him. You have to focus, and give focussed attention.
Have a time of worship, and then just be: Holy Ghost, Lord just speak to me, talk with me. What do I do about that?
Begin to listen: Holy Ghost, You've got something to tell me; or read the word of God.
Holy Spirit, You wrote this - I don't understand it. Speak to me, help me, draw my attention to something that can help me today.
It's nothing sophisticated. It's being childlike (in this faith with Him) that seems to be able to draw His presence around. Ask Him questions.
Luke 2:46 - “They found Him after three days in the temple”, the place where the presence of God is, sitting in the midst of teachers - listening and asking questions.
So Jesus listened a lot, and asked a lot of questions. If you look at His ministry, He asked questions all the time; so ask questions.
It takes a bit of skill to ask questions - ask Him the right thing.
If you ask Him: why did it happen? He won't tell you that.
Try: Holy Spirit, what do you want to teach me? What's happened that I need to know? Holy Spirit, draw my attention to the things I need to be focussing on right now. In this conflict, what's my part?
If you talk in just a simple, childlike way, and a submitted way, you'll be amazed how He will talk with you.
Sometimes we need to accept His silence. How many have noticed: God sometimes doesn't talk to you at all?
I hate that so much! It's hard when God doesn't speak to you, and you just wonder, you go through all sorts of things. There's reasons why He does that, but sometimes He is just silent.