Filled

Manuscript Template

Title:  Filled

Focus Statement:  

Grudem P. 649 - To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be filled with the immediate presence of God himself, and it therefore will result in feeling what God feels, desiring what God desires, doing what God wants, speaking by God’s power, praying and ministering in God’s strength, and knowing with the knowledge which God himself gives.

Function Statement:  

Believe and be baptized

Tweetable Phrase:  

The Holy Spirit empowers you to do God’s will, purifies your heart and mind, reveals God’s will, unifies all believers as one people, and gives confirming evidence of the good news of Jesus Christ.

Main Text:  Acts 2:1-41

Supporting Text:  

Empowers: Job 34:14-15 / John 3:6-7

Service: Numbers 11:17 / Exodus 31:1-5

Purifies: John 16:8-11 / 2 Thessalonians 2:13

Reveals: John 16:13 / Isaiah 11:2 / Acts 10:19-20

Unifies: 1 Corinthians 12:12-14

Gives Evidence: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

Redemptive Closure (point to Jesus):  1 Corinthians 4:20

Benediction:  Romans 8:5-6

WELCOME

Good morning!!! My name is Ryan Hanson, and I have the honor of serving here at The Light KC as the lead pastor. I’m so glad you’re here with us.

‌Welcome to those joining us online. We hope you're doing well and hope to see you in person in the coming weeks.

And a special welcome to those joining us for the first time. We’re so glad you chose to be here.

ME/INTRO - Tension

When I read the bible, one things I have always found helpful is to put myself in the shoes of the characters.

Some characters I wish I was more like,

some I wish I was less like,

and some I’m very thankful that I am not like.

By putting ourselves in the shoes of the characters within biblical stories, I think God can teach us a lot about who He created us to be and the Holy Spirit can identify and convict us of the areas in our lives that God wants us to give over to Him to Sanctify and make holy.

One character within the Bible that God has used many times to convict me is Peter.

I am naturally a very analytical and objective thinker.

I’m the type of person that

thinks through all the possible options,

analyzes what could potentially happen if I were to decide to pursue those options,

weights the PROs and CONs of each options,

seeks advice from others,

and tries to get others to agree with my decision before I act.

I want to make sure I’m doing the right thing before making a decision.

As I read the biblical stories that have Peter in them, we couldn’t be more different.

Peter’s main personality trait is impulsivity

And that served him quite well at times

When Jesus was walking on the water, Peter was the one who (probably without thinking) asked Jesus to invite him to get out of the boat and walk on the water with Him, and he did - for a while - and I can’t imagine how great of an experience that would have been (Matthew 14:28-30)

Peter was also the one who, when Jesus asked the disciples who people say He is, declared that Jesus was the messiah and was told by Jesus that he would be the rock that Jesus would build His church - what a defining moment that Peter could always look back on (Matthew 16:13-20)

Peter had some pretty high highs

But...Peter’s impulsivity also got him in some trouble

When Jesus brought Peter, James, and John to the transfiguration where Jesus met with Moses and Elijah - Peter was the one who thought it was a good idea to interrupt the conversation and offer to build tents for everyone. The voice of God the Father had to tell him to stop talking and listen to Jesus - probably not a moment in Peter’s life he was most proud of (Mark 9:5-6)

When Jesus revealed to the disciples that He would have to go to Jerusalem, suffer, die, and rise back to life on the third day - Peter was the one who rebuked Jesus telling him that “these things shall never happen to you” prompting Jesus to tell Peter to “get behind me Satan” - keep in mind this was right after Peter declared Jesus as the Messiah and Jesus told him that he would be the rock that the church was built on - I can’t imagine going from such a high to a low as far down as being called Satan by Jesus (Matthew 16:22-23)

At the passover meal when Jesus was trying to teach the disciples that they were meant to serve others as Jesus was serving them by washing their feet, Peter was the one who refused, and then when rebuked by Jesus, Peter went way too far in the other direction and then asked for a complete bath - I sometimes wonder if Peter laid in bed at night running through all the ways that he acted without thinking that day - regretting his choices (John 13:6-10)

And yet, even with all the lows that Peter experienced, I sometimes wish I was more like Peter (when he was at his best)

I wish I was quicker to act when I feel God call me to do something

I wish I had fewer debates in my head, laying in bed at night struggling to figure out what the right thing to do is

I wish I cared less about what others think about me, and focusing more on what God thinks

But, Peter had to learn a very hard lesson, when what he thought of himself didn’t match the reality of his character.

In his head, Peter was completely devoted to Jesus, even to the point of death, telling Jesus at the Passover meal that he would rather die than deny Jesus (Matthew 26:33-35)

In reality, later that very night he denied knowing Jesus 3x. And after Jesus died, Peter ran away in shame, giving up on everything Jesus taught him, going back to the family business of fishing (Matthew 26:69-75)

WE - Tension

Have you ever felt this disconnect?

Have you ever had a mental image of yourself that you later found out didn’t match the reality of who your actions showed you to be?

Have you ever aspired to do or accomplish something, but found out that you didn’t have what it takes?

This is the story of Peter. He was one of the first two (if not the first) disciple called by Jesus to follow Him.

Peter experienced everything Jesus did and taught during the three years of His ministry.

Peter was part of the inner three (Peter, James, John) who Jesus spent extra time with

Peter was called by Jesus to be the rock that He would build His church upon

Yet, with all this going for him,

Peter missed the point on many of Jesus key teachings about the Kingdom God was ushering in.

Peter couldn’t even stick with Jesus in His biggest time of need.

When Jesus died on the cross, Peter gave up.

This isn’t just Peter’s story...

I think this is a lot of our stories.

We think we are people, who can (and want to) do all kinds of great things

But when given the opportunity to back up our beliefs, we painfully find out that we were wrong, and we fall short

When we hit these PETER moments in our life...

When our mental image of ourselves confronts the reality of who we actually are...

When we find out we’re not as good as we thought...

...What do we do?

Today we’re going to look at a piece of Peter’s story in Acts 2 to answer these questions.

We’re going to see how God took Peter from someone who

Ran and denied knowing Jesus, to someone who

Stood tall and boldly proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, savior of the world

God transformed Peter, and I believe that God wants to transform each of us as well.

Today as we continue our series in Acts...

Please turn with me to Acts 2:1 and through Peter’s story, let’s see how God transformed Peter and what God is calling us to as He works to transform us as well.

If you missed the previous messages, please feel free go to our website, TheLightKC.org, to catch up.

As we begin, please turn with me to [Acts 2:1: Sanctuary Bible Page # 883]

We’ll have the scripture on the screen, but if you have a Bible with you, or Bible app on your phone, I’d encourage you to turn to the passage and follow along. There is nothing that replaces having God’s word in your hand.

AND... if you don’t have a Bible, we have Bibles under the seats. If you don’t have a bible and would like one, please come see me after the service and I’ll get you one you can keep.

Let's dive in.

GOD - Text - HEAD

Please join in as we start in Acts 2:1-4.

For a little context as to where we are in the story...

In Acts 1, after Jesus resurrected 3 days after sacrificing Himself on the Cross, Jesus spent 40 days teaching the disciples everything they would need to know for the mission they were about to be given.

A mission to make disciples of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the world.

Jesus told them that He would ascend to Heaven so that the Holy Spirit could be sent to teach, remind, and guide them in all they needed to do.

Jesus told them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit to come.

Jesus ascended to heaven, and the disciples went to Jersualem to wait.

This is where we pick up the story, with the disciples sitting in a room in Jerusalem praying together.

Let’s pick back up in Acts 2:1, which reads:

Acts 2:1–4 “1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

Remember, Jesus said He had to leave so that the Holy Spirit could come.

Jesus had human form; He was fully God, but also fully man. He traveled, taught, and did miracles.

But Jesus could physically only be one place at a time, only interacting with the people who were in His immediate vicinity.

But the Holy Spirit is different.

The Holy Spirit does not take human form.

The Holy Spirit FILLS all believers.

The Holy Spirit is not constrained by space.

In the book Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Wayne Grudem writes:

P. 649

“To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be filled with the immediate presence of God himself, and it therefore will result in feeling what God feels, desiring what God desires, doing what God wants, speaking by God’s power, praying and ministering in God’s strength, and knowing with the knowledge which God himself gives.”

To be filled with the Holy Spirit makes Jesus statement in John 14:12 possible, that if we believe in Him, we can do even greater works than He did while on earth.

We asked earlier how Peter went from someone who Ran and Denied to someone who Stood Tall and Proclaimed the truth of Jesus.

The answer is that Peter was transformed into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) when he was filled with the Holy Spirit and recieved the Power that the Holy Spirit provides.

What power does the Holy Spirit provide?

But what does that mean?

What does it mean to receive Power from the Holy Spirit?

Let’s continue reading, starting in Acts 2:4:

Acts 2:4–13 “4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.””

The Holy Spirit gave the disciples the POWER to speak directly to the people in their native language.

The Holy Spirit allowed them to do something they could not have done on their own.

To better witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit translated the disciples words into every language so all could understand.

Not everyone saw this as a miracle, as we’ve all experienced with the internet, there will always be Keyboard Warriors, pointing fingers and denying the truth. Instead of seeing what the Holy Spirit did as a miracle, they excused it as a side affect of alcohol.

This is where we see a new Peter.

He doesn’t back down and run, He stands tall and boldly proclaims the truth of Jesus.

Peter stood up and quoted Joel 2:28-32, explaining that nobody was drunk, but they were seeing the evidence of the Holy Spirit working in the believer’s lives.

We read his response in Acts 2:14

Acts 2:14–21 “14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”

So, Peter’s response begs the question...

What power does the Holy Spirit give to those that believe in Jesus as their LORD and Savior?

The Holy Spirit gives us power in 5 ways

Empowers Life and Deed

Purifies

Reveals

Unifies

Gives Evidence

Let’s look at each one of these in a bit more detail.

Empowers Life and Deed

The first thing the Holy Spirit does, is He EMPOWERS LIFE AND DEED

The Holy Spirit is the one who gives us life.

Gives Life: Job 34:14–15 “14 If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath, 15 all humanity would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.”

The Holy Spirit is the breath of God from Genesis that gives us the very life that we have. Without the Holy Spirit we would be nothing more than empty bodies, piles of lifeless dust from the ground.

But, the Holy Spirit doesn’t just give us life, the Holy Spirit gives us a NEW LIFE.

Gives New Life: John 3:6–7 “6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’”

The Holy Spirit gives us a NEW LIFE, a SPIRITUAL BIRTH when we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior.

Without this SPIRITUAL BIRTH, we don’t receive the gift of eternal life with God in Heaven.

The Holy Spirit also EMPOWERS people in more practical ways as well.

Service:

Leadership: Moses:

The Holy Spirit gives certain people the gift of leadership.

In Numbers 11:17, the Holy Spirit came upon Moses and 70 elders to lead the Israelites for the 40 years in the desert.

Numbers 11:17 “17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.”

Skills: Bezalel:

The Holy Spirit also empowers certain people with the gift of specific skills

When the Israelites built the tabernacle to worship God after being rescued from slavery in Egypt, God empowered Bezalel with the skills and knowledge to do the work of constructing the tabernacle.

Exodus 31:1–5 “1 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.”

So, where in your life do you need the Holy Spirit to EMPOWER you?

Have you recieved a NEW LIFE in Christ?

Do you find yourself in a position where you need to be EMPOWERED to lead or require specific skills that you can’t master on your own?

Purifies

The second things the Holy Spirit does is that He PURIFIES us.

It is the Holy Spirit that SEARCHES OUR HEARTS (Romans 8:27), convicts us of areas that we need to change.

John 16:8–11 “8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”

But the Holy Spirit doesn’t just convict us of the areas in our lives that don’t line up with God’s will, the Holy Spirit give us the POWER that we need to actually change those areas of our lives.

Most of us have experienced the reality that we are powerless on our own to break addictions, end sin patterns, or live holy lives, but the Holy Spirit does the work of Sanctification (the process of making us Christ-like) for us.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 “13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.”

And we see evidence of that Sanctifying work in our lives, as we grow in the fruits of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23.

As the Holy Spirit Sanctifies us, we become more

loving

joyful

peaceful

patient

kind

good

faithful

gentle

and able to show self-control

We can see the power of the Holy Spirit working within us, changing us, just like He changed Peter.

What sin patterns have you gotten stuck in?

What behaviors have you been trying to change for a long time on your own that you need to give over to the Santifying work of the Holy Spirit?

Reveals

The third thing the Holy Spirit does is that He REVEALS truth, wisdom, and direction for our lives.

Truth: John 16:13 “13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

Wisdom: Isaiah 11:2 “2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—”

Direction for our lives: Acts 10:19–20 “19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.””

The Holy Spirit is the still small voice that we hear teaching us right from wrong, good from bad, and guiding us down the path that God created us to walk.

The Holy Spirit is the conscience that we feel reminding us of what is right and rebuking us when we are tempted to act contrary to God’s will for our lives.

Are you listening to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit?

Or are you relying on your own truth, your own wisdom, and determining your own direction for your life?

Unifies

The forth thing the Holy Spirit does is UNIFY.

The Holy Spirit brings all believers, no matter how diverse together as one. In a time when the Roman Empire was very segregated, the Holy Spirit unified the church. Across ages, genders, socioeconomic levels, political leanings. The Holy Spirit brings believers together, all unified within the Church, guided by the teachings and mission of Jesus Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12, Paul describes this unification using the example of the human body. He writes.

1 Corinthians 12:12–14 “12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.”

This is one thing I continue to love about this church. Whereas many churches as relatively homogenous, The Light KC is comprised of a diversity of people and yet we all work as one FAMILY, working together to SERVE God, and LOVE God’s people. I pray this never changes.

Gives Evidence

The fifth thing the Holy Spirit does is GIVES EVIDENCE of the truth of the Gospel Message.

The Holy Spirit gives gifts to believers to help the message of Jesus be heard and accepted.

1 Corinthians 12:4–11 “4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”

The Holy Spirit uses each of these gifts to witness to non-believers to serve as evidence of truth of Jesus and the power of God.

Each gift is important and it is our job as believers to identify and faithfully use our gifts to witness as the Holy Spirit directs.

What gifts has the Holy Spirit given you?

Do you know?

How is the Holy Spirit calling you to use those gifts to witness to the non-believing people in your lives?

How do we get the promised power from the Holy Spirit?

So the Holy Spirit Empowers life and deeds, purifies us, reveals truth / wisdom / direction for our lives, unifies all believers, and gives evidence of the truth of the Gospel.

But how do we get this POWER that Jesus promised from the Holy Spirit?

How do we become FILLED with the Holy Spirit?

Let’s continue in Acts 2:36, where Peter continues his sermon to the people of Jerusalem. It reads.

Acts 2:36–41 “36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”

The NEW LIFE that Jesus promises is freely offered to everyone.

The POWER that the Holy Spirit offers to change our lives, like He did with Peter, is a gift freely given.

All we have to do is repent of your sin and accept the message of Jesus and take the first step of discipleship by getting baptized.

There is no secret, God wants everyone to be saved.

He can’t wait to adopt each and every one of us into His FAMILY.

He wants to FILL us with the Holy Spirit, give us the POWER that Jesus promises so He can SANCTIFY US, transforming us into the people that we were created to be, and fulfill the mission that Jesus built the Church to accomplish.

YOU - Takeaway - HEART

So, Acts 2 is a chapter that challenges all of us to do a little introspection?

What do you believe?

Have you repented of your sin and accepted the message of Jesus?

Have you taken the first step of discipleship and been baptized?

Have you been filled with the Holy Spirit and recieved POWER to do the works you were created by God to do?

I heard an analogy about how people react to hearing the Gospel.

They said that how we react to the Gospel can be compared to either clay or ice.

A lump of clay and a block of ice when exposed to the sun react differently,.

The one is melted, the other hardened.

So by the same Gospel Message, one person may be melted into submission to God’s divine will, while another may reject that message and become spiritually calloused.

My prayer is that today we are all MELTED into submission to God’s divine will.

WE / JESUS - Redemptive Close - Call to Action - HANDS

We read passages like Acts 2, and...

it’s easy for us to mentally agree with what we read, but many never act on those beliefs.

1 Corinthians 4:20 “20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.”

Let’s not be a people who just talk.

Let’s be a people who

ACCEPT THE MESSAGE of Jesus Christ

who take the first step of discipleship and get BAPTIZED

who are FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

who RECEIVE the promised POWER

who USE THAT POWER TO DO THE WILL OF GOD

and who go out making disciple of all nations, as Jesus commissioned the church to do.

It was only through the POWER given to Peter by the Holy Spirit that he went from a man who

Ran and denied knowing Jesus, to someone who

Stood tall and boldly proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, savior of the world

Let’s stop trying to change ourselves, by our own power,

Instead, let’s put our faith in a God who freely offers us the HOLY SPIRIT and the only POWER than can actually change us.

PRAYER 

Will you join me in prayer...

SONG 

Response Cards - Believe and be Baptized

As we enter into our final song, I want to open the steps up front as an altar to anyone who needs God this week. The steps are open for you to pray to the God who is with you, who loves you, you wants to give you His peace.

‌

You may feel a hand on your shoulder as I or one of the elders join you in prayer.

BENEDICTION 

Romans 8:5–6 “5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”

This week...

Let’s stop being people who think we can solve all of our problems ourselves

Let’s stop being people who accept the sin, addiction, and failures in our lives as unchangeable aspects of who we are

Like Peter, Let’s be a people who ACCEPTS the MESSAGE of JESUS CHRIST, takes the first step of discipleship and gets BAPTIZED

Let’s be a people and a church FILLED with the Holy Spirit

Let’s submit to the work of the Spirit; empowering us, purifying us, revealing truth and wisdom to us, unifying us, and acting through us to give confirming evidence of message of Jesus

Let’s not be a church known only for what we say and believe, but...

Let’s be a church that relies on the POWER of the Holy Spirit to live out the mission Jesus gave us to seek and save the lost.

Quick reminder...

Digging Deeper Bible Study - Wednesday at 6:30 PM - Programming for all ages

Financial Peace Starts Wednesday at 6:30 PM

Student Ministries bake sale fundraiser out in the Cafe

If you’re new, please fill out the card in the seat back and stop by our info desk, or see me. We’d love to say “hi” and get you know you a bit better.

If you’d like to get more information about taking your next step of faith, fill out the card in the seat back and give it to me or turn it in to the info desk.

I hope you have a great week.

Go in peace.

You are dismissed.

DISCIPLESHIP QUESTIONS (download into APP)

How can being filled with the Holy Spirit change your perspective on your daily struggles?

In what areas of your life do you feel the Holy Spirit is calling for transformation?

What does it mean for you to be empowered by the Holy Spirit when facing decisions?

How do you believe the Holy Spirit can help you connect more deeply with God’s desires for your life?

Reflect on moments when you felt the Holy Spirit’s presence. How did it impact your faith journey?

What do you think it means to 'run and deny' like Peter did—how can you avoid this in your own life?

How might being filled with the Holy Spirit help you in your relationships with friends or family?

Are there things in your life that you need to surrender to the Holy Spirit for change?

In what ways can the power of the Holy Spirit help you stand tall in your faith among peers?

How can you actively seek the Holy Spirit's guidance in your day-to-day decisions?