Reverent Hearts, Ready Ears

A turned heart, ready to receive

Devotional Credit
His Victorious Indwelling, compiled by Nick Harrison

Photo Credit
Unsplash

There is a kind of holy attentiveness that opens the door to fellowship with God. Today’s reading from His Victorious Indwelling points to Isaiah 66, where the Lord looks with favor on the one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at His word. That trembling is not terror. It is a loving awe that says, Father, Your voice matters most to me.

The writer reminds us that spiritual life does not blossom through brainpower or rare insight. Jesus gladly dwells with the lowly in heart. Knowledge without humility becomes brittle. Humility without the Word becomes vague. Put together, a soft heart and a yielded will welcome the Spirit’s anointing in daily life.

We are warned that pieces of this can be faked. People can mimic language, tone, even posture. What cannot be faked is the blend of love, lowliness, and ready obedience that flows from Jesus living in us. Counterfeits always lean on the flesh to perform. Real anointing is the Lord expressing His life through those who belong to Him.

Thank you, Nick Harrison, for curating this call to reverent responsiveness. It meets us where we live. We are not chasing goosebumps. We are learning to meet the Word with open hands, to welcome what God says, and to walk it out with a quiet yes in ordinary places.

Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I dwell with the one who is humble and contrite, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. I look to the person who trembles at My word. I resist the proud, but I give grace to the humble. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and I will lift you up.

I have united you to Jesus. You were crucified with Him, and you live by faith in the Son of God. Consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Present your body to God as one alive from the dead. Let the word of the Messiah dwell in you richly. Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

I guide you into truth. My fruit in you is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Walk by Me, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Work out your salvation with reverent awe, for it is God who works in you to will and to do for His good pleasure.

When you read or hear Scripture, receive it with meekness. Keep your way pure by guarding it according to My word. I keep the one whose mind is stayed on Me in perfect peace. I look upon the lowly and contrite, and I revive them. This is not self abasement. This is shared life. Christ in you is your hope of glory.

Scripture references: Isaiah 57:15, Isaiah 66:2, James 4:6 to 10, 1 Peter 5:5 to 7, Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:11 to 13, Romans 12:1 to 2, Colossians 3:16, James 1:19 to 21, John 16:13, Galatians 5:22 to 25, Philippians 2:12 to 13, Psalm 119:9 to 11, Isaiah 26:3 to 4, Colossians 1:27.

Real-Life Analogy
Picture unlocking your phone with facial recognition in a dim room. The camera cannot read you until you turn your face toward the screen. One small turn brings everything to life. In a similar way, the Holy Spirit lives in you and attends to the posture of your heart. When you turn toward the Word with a willing yes, He brings clarity and light on the inside. It is not straining to see. It is positioning to receive.

A simple practice for today. Before you open your Bible or step into a hard conversation, pause and turn your inner face toward the Lord. Say, Lord, I yield my posture to You, tune my heart to receive and respond with a quiet yes. Then read slowly, or speak gently, and follow the nudge to obey in one concrete way, such as apologizing without excuses or following through on a promise.

Prayer of Confidence
Lord, thank You that You dwell with the humble and revive the contrite. Thank You that in Jesus I am Yours, alive to God, and indwelt by the Spirit. I agree with Your word. I welcome Your steadying grace in my decisions today. I rest in Your presence, and I trust You to express a responsive heart in me as I read, listen, and obey. Amen.