The Power of a Quiet Spirit

The Bible tells us that God is pleased with a gentle and quiet spirit, but what is a quiet spirit, and how can we cultivate this type of spirit in our busy and demanding society? In this video, learn five powerful ways a quiet spirit can change your life and relationships for the better. Enjoy!

There is this new video phenomenon on YouTube, well it’s new to me, called the silent vlogs. These are videos that capture just the simple day-to-day life of a person with no words. There’s light music, generally playing in the background, and just video clip after video clip of them doing simple tasks. Like cooking dinner, their morning routine, their nighttime routine, taking a walk, how they fold their laundry, or clean up their bathroom. It’s just the most mundane, simple tasks that you can think of. 

Now, what you have to understand is that these videos, which you would think are just like boring day-to-day life, are amassing millions upon millions of views every single day, because they're quaint, they're cozy, and there's something that's oddly comforting about them. I honestly believe they are such a contrast to our normally hectic and busy lives, making them so intriguing, but that’s a whole different video. 

My point is these visual stories are capturing the attention of the masses without one single word. And that is what I want to talk to you about today. The power of being quiet. The power of having a quiet spirit. What these quiet vlogs teach me is that so much can be said, and so much power can be had without saying a single word.

You know, the Bible speaks a lot about what we say, and we should take heed to the wisdom that the Bible gives us pertaining to the words that we use because our words are powerful. There is power in our words, but today I want to talk about the power of our silence and not just the silence of our mouths, but of our soul and what it means to have a quiet spirit. 

What is a Quiet Spirit? 

A quiet spirit is a heart that can pause, that can intentionally focus on the present, be in the moment and enjoy the simplicity of life. It’s a heart that can release control to God and surrender to Him. 

A quiet spirit does not mean you just shut up and never talk. A quiet spirit is deeper than your words. You can never speak a word and your soul will be just as restless. 

A quiet spirit is a mind that has nothing to prove, nothing to gain, nothing to lose. It doesn't worry about yesterday or tomorrow. It's a heart that can trust God to be God and surrender its limitations to God’s greater power.

Now that we know what a quiet spirit is, today I want to share with you a few reasons why this type of spirit is so powerful. 

5 Reasons Why a Quiet Spirit is so Powerful

 A Quiet Spirit Gives Wisdom

 First, a quiet spirit gives us wisdom. Proverbs 29:11 says:

“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭29:11‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

We will always have a difficult time maintaining a quiet spirit when we fall into the temptation to believe that we must always get our feelings off our chest. We must express every feeling we ever feel or “give full vent” to the spirit as the scripture just told us. But the Bible tells us this is foolish.

Now it's not saying to don't have feelings. It's not saying stuff your feelings or ignore your feelings, but it's saying be wise with how you express your feelings; whether that be how you act, how you interact with someone else or what you say.

A quiet spirit knows when to hold back. Not forever, not hold in, not ignore, but how to quietly hold back. And what does that take? That takes trust in God to say, “God, I trust you with these feelings right now to the point where I don't have to feel like I need to get rid of them by lashing out.” A quiet spirit gives us wisdom to know when to express and when to hold back.

And this is so powerful because it's going to help you in your relationships with other people. It's going to help you to stay focused on the task and the call that God has on your life so that you don't rush into things too soon or so that you don't miss out on things that God is calling you to do right now.  A quiet spirit gives you the wisdom to be led by God and not every feeling or emotion you have. When you have that quiet spirit, it gives you the wisdom to know what to do and how to manage your heart, and not have your heart manage you.

A Quiet Spirit Helps You Hear from God

Second, a quiet spirit helps you to hear from God. Often when we think about hearing from God, we think of the burning Bush and Moses, right? Or we think about Moses on the top of the mountain hearing from God. But God doesn't always talk in this loud thunderous voice that we would expect. Oftentimes, he talks to us in a quiet whisper. One in which we need a quiet spirit to be able to hear. I think about Elijah in the Bible who was so discouraged after things in his life didn't go as expected. He was depressed, in disparity, and in desperate need of a word from God. Listen to how God speaks to Elijah in 1 Kings 19: 11-14.

“And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭19:11-13‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

o, there was a great wind that tore the mountains apart, but God was not in the wind. There was an earthquake, but God was not in the earthquake. And then there was a fire, but God was not in the fire. Where was God? In the sound of a low whisper.

I want you to notice that the wind didn’t knock Elijah down. The earthquake didn’t swallow him. The fire didn’t consume him. Even though there was all this craziness going on around Elijah, he had to have a quiet enough of a spirit to hear the whisper of God. He couldn’t allow his surroundings to uproot the peace he had within to stand firm or else he wouldn’t have heard from God. Sometimes when life is crazy you can let it cause you to run, fret, hurry, or flee when God is instead calling us to be still. You need a quiet soul that can withstand. The writer of Psalm 46 says:

"Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah. “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah” (‭‭Psalm‬ ‭46:2-3, 10-11‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

We need to take time to quiet our souls so that we can hear from the maker of your souls. And that's what a quiet soul will empower us to do. Hear from God even among the frantic shots that come from the world, our phones, the news or even our own anxious thoughts.

 A Quiet Spirit Gives Room for God to Fight for You.

Third, a quiet spirit gives room for God to fight for you.

A quiet spirit is one that doesn't have to always be in control. A quiet spirit is one that can release control, and this is going to be so important to our relationship with God because sometimes we can get in God's way when we attempt to do His job.

In Exodus 14:14, God is talking to the Israelites and giving them instruction on how to get out of a frightening situation. They have a red sea before them. They have an Egyptian army behind them ready to kill them. I would imagine that their souls were anything but quiet, but this is what God tells them to do. To quiet themselves. He says:

“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14 NIV)

You don't have to defend yourself. You don't need to come up with a whole bunch of different arguments to prove yourself. You don't have to do that. God says, “I've got this.”

When we have a quiet spirit, we don't always have to prove ourselves right to someone, we don't always have to convince someone of who we are, what we gon do, and, what we not gon to do. We don't have to do that. We make room for God to fight our battles for us. 

I had to learn this in my marriage. There were so many arguments where afterward God would convict me and say,” what was the point of you saying that? What were you trying to do?” And I would say, I was trying to prove to him x, y, or z. 

And that’s where I messed up. Trying to change somebody else, be it with my words, attitude or actions. You can't do that. You’re not the Holy Spirit. So I’ve learned to pray before I speak. To be quick to listen and slow to speak as [scripture] tells us. And you know what I’ve learned. It works. I can’t tell you how many times God has worked out situations, relationships, and problems without me having to lift a finger. I wanted to, but by the leading of the Holy Spirit, I released it to God and gave Him space to work, and guess what? He did.

Out of nowhere, that person apologizes even before I vent my offense. The money shows in my account before I transfer from savings. Just what I needed fell into my lap sometimes in the most unexpected ways because God did it. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 stood out to me like a sore thumb the other day in my quiet time. It says: “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24 ESV)

 God will do it, so you don’t have to. I've had to learn how to have a quiet spirit. I'm not saying you can't speak up for yourself and express yourself, but you have to have a quiet spirit to know when to do that, when not to, and when to just let God have His way.

A Quiet Spirit Will Help You Win Others Over

Fourth, a quiet spirit will help you to win others over. What I mean is a quiet spirit can help you gain favor and influence with others you may not otherwise have with just your words. 

Like I shared before, so many times we want to prove ourselves with our words and actions, but there's so much power in being still and letting people see that you trust God in a situation, because people are looking at what you do way more than what you say. If they see you acting crazy and out of control and chaotic, that speaks to them. But what will get their attention is someone who can keep their calm, especially when they expect you not to. When they see you trust God in the midst of the fire, it speaks volumes more than your words ever could. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says:

“Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” (‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭3:3-4‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

Why would a quiet spirit be precious to God? Because it's a reflection of your faith in Him, and then points others to Him. In this particular text, Peter is talking to wives married to unbelieving husbands. He instructs them not to use their appearance to win them over, but their conduct. Their quiet and gentle spirit will do more to speak the Gospel than a sermon.

You don't have to go preaching all around the world to every person that you meet, beating people over the head with your Bible. Your quiet spirit is going to speak more sometimes than what your words ever could.

A Quiet Spirit Creates an Atmosphere of Peace

Fifth and finally, a quiet spirit creates peace. People can tell when you're trying to control them. They can tell when you're trying to manipulate a situation, or when you're just trying to get things to go the way you want them to go. People can sense actions done out of fear or anxiety, but that also means they can sense when you are operating out of peace.

When a mom sees her child fall down, if she panics, what do you think the child is going to do? They will panic as well. But if the child sees the mother calm and collected, they are less likely to panic. So when I see my children fall, I do my best to hold my peace. I say ‘you’re ok, get back up,” because I know their reaction will most likely follow mine. A quiet spirit can cultivate an atmosphere of peace in your life and in the lives of those around you. Proverbs 15:1 says:

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1 ESV)

I love this verse for this video, particularly because a quiet spirit isn't just about shutting your mouth. You can have a quiet spirit and still use your words to create peace. The question is, what words are you using, and how are you using them?

Screaming and yelling has accomplished you what? Donald and I participated in a marriage class last year at our church and our leaders would always say, “If you’re winning, your marriage is losing.” So yeah you got that last word, you proved them wrong, you were successful at making your case. But at what cost? Do you have peace in your home? Is there unity or strife and division? By your definition you won the argument, but did you really?

You have the power to set the tone in your house, on your job, with your kids, at your church, and in your relationships with a quiet spirit. And it’s that spirit, a quiet gentle spirit (not a loud, aggressive spirit, that will create peace, unity, and harmony around you. 

A quiet spirit doesn’t mean that you're weak. It means that your trust is in the strength of your God and not yourself and that is more powerful than any puffed-up words will ever accomplish. Anyone can yell and scream. Anyone can get defensive and pop off at the mouth. Anyone can give full vent to their emotions. Those things don’t prove anything. 

But when we have a sincere surrender to God's control of our life, instead of trying to control ourselves and others, we'll develop a quiet spirit that will empower us to operate in wisdom, to hear the voice of God, to make room for God to fight for us, to win others over and to create an atmosphere of peace in our lives.

Now, I would love to hear from you Beloved!  What are your thoughts about cultivating a quiet spirit? What does that mean to you and how are you cultivating a quiet spirit in your own life? 

Before you go, I want to invite you to visit belovedwomen.org to download my free video Bible study called” Worry-Free” to discover the 3 lies feeding your worry and the truth to set you free so you can start taking steps today to cultivate a quiet spirit. 

For more Beloved encouragement, be sure to join the Beloved Women app, by downloading our app in the Apple or Google play store or visit belvoedwomen.tv for unlimited videos to grow your faith, learn God’s Word, and encourage your soul with your Beloved sisters all over the world.

Thank you so much for watching today and until next time, be beautiful, be blessed, and beloved.