Yielding to the Spirit can feel like swimming against the current of everything you’ve ever known. Your flesh doesn’t surrender easily. It has a voice, and it’s loud—driven by emotion, pride, fear, desire, and the experience of your past life.
You’ve spent your life learning to trust your own understanding, defend your rights, and make your own way.
So when the Spirit whispers something that cuts across your natural instincts—like “forgive,” “wait,” or “let go”—your first reaction is often resistance. Even though you know He’s right, there’s a pull in you that wants to do it your way. That internal tug-of-war is real. And it’s daily.
Sometimes the hardest part isn’t hearing the Spirit—it’s obeying what He says when it doesn’t make sense to your mind or feel good to your soul.
At first, hearing the spirit might be no more than you sensing the “right thing to do, or the right way to go”.
You’ll feel the weight of self-will demanding to be heard. That’s when the cross gets real.
Yielding means dying to what you want, trusting that what He leads you into is better—even when it hurts, even when it costs you something.
It might put you in the position of “feeling” weak. However, it’s not weakness—it’s surrender.
But oh, the freedom on the other side. Because every time you yield, the Spirit grows stronger in you, and you begin to walk not just with Him—but like Him.
Yielding isn’t about trying harder—it’s about surrendering deeper. It’s not performance-driven. It’s relationship-driven. Here’s how to go about it:
1. Acknowledge His Presence
Start by recognizing that the Holy Spirit lives in you. If you’re born again, He’s not far off—He’s within.
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19
You can’t yield to someone you don’t believe is present.
So you must daily, intentionally, acknowledge Him. Speak to Him. Invite Him.
2. Fill Yourself With the Word
The Spirit and the Word always agree. If you want to hear His voice and walk in step with Him, then you’ve got to stay in the Word of God.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…” Colossians 3:16
The more Scripture you feed on, the more the Holy Spirit has to work with in you. He brings to remembrance what Jesus said (John 14:26)—but you’ve got to put it in there first.
3. Cultivate a Heart of Surrender
Yielding means giving up control. It means letting go of what you want so He can do what He wills.
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…” Galatians 2:20
This isn’t passive. It’s active surrender.
Every day, say, “Lord, not my will, but Thine.” Mean it. Then act on it.
4. Walk in Obedience—Immediately
When the Spirit prompts you—obey. Right then. The more you delay, the more you harden your heart.
“To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts…”
Hebrews 3:15
He may lead you to forgive, to repent, to speak to someone, to give something up.
Don’t resist Him. That’s how you quench the Spirit.
Don’t think quenching the Spirit is something “big”. No, indeed. You quench the spirit one still, small voice at the time.
I can compare it to hearing what my wife says, but stepping over it like stepping over a stick in the yard. I heard it, but simply didn’t attach any importance to it.
That’s the same way I can and do “quench the spirit”.
5. Pray in the Spirit Often
If you have received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, then praying in tongues builds you up and helps you stay sensitive to the Spirit’s leading.
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,” Jude 1:20
This keeps your spiritual senses sharp and your heart soft.
Praying in tongues is one of the most powerful gifts God has given to believers. It’s a direct line of communication with the Holy Ghost—your spirit speaking mysteries to God, bypassing your natural understanding.
When you pray in tongues, you’re not limited by your emotions, your knowledge, or your vocabulary. You’re praying perfectly according to the will of God, even when you don’t know what to pray for. It builds you up from the inside out, strengthens your faith, and stirs the fire of the Spirit in your heart.
The value of praying in tongues goes beyond personal edification—it sharpens your spiritual discernment and keeps you sensitive to the leading of the Holy Ghost. It helps you yield more fully, because your spirit becomes more dominant than your flesh.
It’s also a weapon in spiritual warfare. The enemy can’t decode it, and your soul can’t argue with it. When you don’t have words, when your heart is heavy, when your mind is exhausted, the Spirit steps in. You speak divine wisdom, peace floods your soul, and your spirit aligns with heaven.
That’s not just valuable—it’s vital.
6. Let Peace Be the Umpire
When you’re walking in step with the Spirit, you’ll have peace—even if it’s a hard road.
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts…” Colossians 3:15
That word rule means “to act as an umpire.” If peace leaves, something’s off. Pay attention.
Letting peace be the umpire means you stop relying solely on logic or emotion to make decisions and start watching for the presence—or absence—of God’s peace in your heart.
When you’re truly following the Spirit, even if the path is challenging, there will be a deep, unshakable calm inside. That peace is your signal.
Colossians 3:15 says to let the peace of God rule in your hearts—meaning it should act like an umpire, calling the shots. If that peace lifts, don’t ignore it.
That’s the Spirit warning you that something’s out of bounds. You may not see the danger yet, but He does.
Peace is not just a feeling—it’s a witness. Follow it. Let it lead. Let it decide.
7. Stay Humble and Teachable
The Spirit resists the proud. Yielding to Him means admitting you don’t have it all figured out.
“God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”James 4:6
Always be willing to be corrected, redirected, and refined. That’s where the growth is.
Yielding Is Daily
This isn’t a one-time event. It’s a lifestyle. Every choice you make either yields to the flesh or to the Spirit.
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:25
So ask Him, every morning—“Lead me today. Help me yield. Help me hear. Help me follow.”
And then do it again tomorrow.
What It All Comes Down To
So, yielding to the Spirit isn’t a one-time decision—it’s a way of life.
It means choosing to surrender instead of striving, obeying instead of arguing, and following even when the path isn’t easy.
As you acknowledge His presence, stay rooted in the Word, and pray in the Spirit, your heart becomes more tuned to His leading.
He’ll guide you with peace, speak to you in quiet moments, and shape you from the inside out. The more you yield, the more like Jesus you become. So take it one step at a time—every moment, every choice, every day.