Faithful and True, Every Day

Sweet Spot

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. —John 16:13 (KJV)

It is an admirable and desirable thing to become aware of our indwelling Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us that we have become a temple in which dwells the Holy Ghost of God. He is a person, the new inner man, and we are never without Him once we are born-again. We must make a connection with Him, learn to hear and recognize His voice, and follow His direction. Our lives should be summed up in one statement: “Where the Spirit goes, I follow.”

When I sit on the back of a horse to begin schooling it, I must locate that horse’s center of gravity and sit my body immediately above it. My mental image is to locate what I call my “rider’s groove,” an imaginary groove that houses my legs and bottom. It’s a horse trainer’s sweet spot, for once I find it, my center of gravity becomes perfectly lined up with the horse. In the sweet spot, my movement harmonizes with that of the horse and vice versa. If the horse makes a sudden and unexpected movement, my body almost automatically follows, and I am still in the saddle when the dust settles (at least, most of the time!). It is the safest place to be, that sweet spot.

We need to locate the Holy Spirit’s center of gravity and line ours up with it in the same manner I use when training horses, for it serves all the same purposes, including being the safest place to be. If we feel out of sync with God we are not in our sweet spot and have lost our connection. And our minds are the link between the two centers of gravity.

As I have practiced for years to connect with a horse, I now must apply the same diligence in connecting and maintaining connection with my inner person, the new me. It is through that practiced connection that I can go where He goes with little thought or effort. My mind can be trained, with perseverance and practice, to be sensitive, and positive responses will become second nature.

On the back of a horse I do things without conscious thought. Repetition in execution is the key to learning.

We can apply the same principal to our spiritual awareness. We can follow Him as He guides us into all truth. We can follow His leading in prayer (Rom. 8:26). We can recognize the fruit He has produced in us as He reveals Christ to us (Gal. 5:22; John 16:14–15). We will understand our God-given gifts (1 Cor. 12:4). He will empower us (Acts 1:8). He will lead us to freedom (2 Cor. 3:17). We will know the love of God through Him (Rom. 5:5). He is called the Comforter, for He will comfort us (Acts 9:31). He can take us to and through all things if we but practice His presence within us.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of all that our Father will do for us if we will but find and maintain the connection. To be in the presence of God is truly the ultimate sweet spot, and to find it and keep it is a pursuit of blessing. All that is required is practice, patience, and perseverance.