1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:03,600 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We are so happy to 3 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:17,320 Speaker 2: have you listening. I'm Michelle E. Zurich. Today's topic is 4 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:21,119 Speaker 2: Tune into His Spirit. We'll be back after words for 5 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:36,919 Speaker 2: our sponsor. Tune into His Spirit, Written and read by 6 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 2: Michelle S. La Zurich. Now, a man who is laying 7 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 2: from birth is being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, 8 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 2: where he is put every day to bag from those 9 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:50,200 Speaker 2: going into the temple courts. We saw Peter and John 10 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 2: about to enter. He asks him for money Peter, who 11 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 2: looked straight at him as did John, Acts three, verses 12 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 2: two to four. As a writer, I have the privilege 13 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 2: of working from home, but sometimes the TV screen or 14 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:06,039 Speaker 2: other distractions can keep me from getting my work done. 15 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 2: Sometimes I go to a coffee shop to get my 16 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 2: work done. Once I get there, I settle into a booth, 17 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 2: put in my ear pods and focus on my work. 18 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:18,039 Speaker 2: Most of the time, I'm super productive and get my 19 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 2: tasks done for the day. A few years ago, however, 20 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,320 Speaker 2: I bumped into a friend was a woman who had 21 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 2: been attending our church for a little while. Although she'd 22 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:29,759 Speaker 2: been raised in the faith, she was hesitant about God. 23 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:32,959 Speaker 2: I saw her from across the room. I'm sure what 24 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 2: I should do. Should I stop what I was doing, 25 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 2: take out my AirPods and have a conversation centered on God, 26 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 2: or should I stay focused knowing I could get my 27 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 2: work done. Although headphones can be a great way to 28 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 2: filter out the world's stories and focus on an immediate task, 29 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 2: sometimes you crowd out not only God's voice, but also 30 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:55,920 Speaker 2: the voices of those who need our help. In that situation, 31 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 2: I keep my AirPods in, focus on my task and 32 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 2: ignore the apper God had placed before me. The woman 33 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 2: soon left, and I felt bad. I should have initiated 34 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 2: a conversation that could have helped her take a step 35 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 2: forward in her spiritual growth. Instead, I focused on the 36 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 2: menial tasks I had to get done for the day. 37 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 2: Discerning God's voice is never easy. It can be downright 38 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:24,639 Speaker 2: difficult to discern God's voice from the world's voices, even 39 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:26,639 Speaker 2: when it is difficult for us to discern what God 40 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 2: has for us. It was no different for the disciples 41 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 2: in the passage above. Peter and John were on their 42 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 2: way to the temple. They were out to do a 43 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:40,239 Speaker 2: good thing, go to church and worship God. But God 44 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:42,959 Speaker 2: had other planes. For them that day. Because they took 45 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:45,839 Speaker 2: time out of the busy day, God chose to show 46 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 2: up in a big way in both their lives and 47 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 2: the beggars. The beggar received a great gift that day, 48 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 2: healing from God. Although the text does not specify whether 49 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 2: the person was a believer, stands to reason that given 50 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 2: the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit showed in that moment, 51 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:05,399 Speaker 2: the man was brought one step closer to knowing God 52 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 2: more intimately. Because Peter and John took time to look 53 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 2: him in the eye, give him dignity and worth, and 54 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:14,519 Speaker 2: meet his deepest needs, that man grew closer to God 55 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 2: because of it. Do we go through the motions of 56 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 2: our faith? Do we put our heads down, tuck our 57 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 2: bibles under our arms, and walk into church each week, 58 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 2: hearing great sermons and worshiping to great music, only to 59 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:28,800 Speaker 2: leave and focus on the menial tasks of the week. 60 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 2: Do we make time to listen for how God might 61 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 2: be speaking to us? Take a moment and write down 62 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 2: people whom you know God is placed in your path 63 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 2: with whom you could have a spiritual conversation this week. 64 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 2: It could be an email, a phone call, or a 65 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 2: face to face conversation regardless of the way you choose 66 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 2: to meet. Choose to obey God and see what God 67 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 2: wants to do with the people he is placed in 68 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 2: your path. Lay aside your agenda and the menial tasks 69 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:00,200 Speaker 2: of the week, and focus on the good opportunities He 70 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 2: may lay before you. Not only will God honor you 71 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 2: for honoring Him in that way, juey find not only 72 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 2: you not only witness, but perform greater miracles than any 73 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:16,919 Speaker 2: of the disciples ever experienced during their ministry on earth. Father, 74 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 2: let us be in tune with your spirit. Let us 75 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 2: see with your eyes, and we be looking to know 76 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 2: you better. Let us be the example you call us 77 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:29,679 Speaker 2: to be. Let us truly be disciples, sharing our faith 78 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 2: to others if be equipped to do the same. Amen 79 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 2: intersecting faith in life. What is one step you can 80 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,720 Speaker 2: take to share your faith with someone who doesn't know God? 81 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 2: Can you pray and ask God to reveal a person 82 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:48,160 Speaker 2: to you today? Further reading John ten, verse twenty seven to. 83 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 1: Twenty eight, Thanks for listening to today's devotional. 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