break the mold

Shattering religion. Awakening obedience.

    The Holy Spirit Isn’t Weird—We Are

    Written by

    Nekoda Derouen

    Understanding Why We Shy Away from the Spirit

    Let’s be honest.

    When someone says “Holy Spirit,” people either get fired up or start looking for the nearest exit.
    Why? Because somewhere between Acts 2 and our modern church rows, the Holy Spirit got a bad PR manager.
    Suddenly, He’s the awkward relative of the Trinity—invited, but not expected to actually show up.

    But here’s the truth:

    The Holy Spirit isn’t weird. We are.

    We Made Him the Scapegoat for Our Awkwardness

    You’ve seen it.

    • The person doing interpretive dance with flags in a corner.
    • The guy screaming “Shabba!” and blowing into a shofar like he’s announcing war.
    • Or the moment the band hits a minor chord and everyone collectively holds their breath wondering, “Is this when someone falls out?”

    None of that is automatically wrong—it’s just not the Holy Spirit. It’s people.
    And people? We’re weird.

    “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth…”
    —John 14:16–17 (CSB)

    Jesus wasn’t nervous about the Spirit. He didn’t say, “Now, He might make things a little weird, so be cool.”
    He said the Spirit would be with us forever—as a Helper.
    And yet, we treat Him like that friend we like… just not in public.

    We Prefer Safe Over Supernatural

    Church has gotten really good at being… predictable.

    Start on time.
    Three songs.
    A verse or two.
    “Now let’s close in prayer and go eat tacos.”

    But when the Holy Spirit moves, He tends to color outside the lines.
    He might stretch the moment. Interrupt your lunch plans. Or ask you to pray for a stranger in the parking lot. (gasp!)

    “The wind blows where it pleases…”
    —John 3:8 (CSB)

    The Spirit moves like wind—not like your planner.
    But we’ve swapped wind for air conditioning. We like control.
    Problem is, controlled fire is a fireplace. Wild fire is revival.

    We’re Afraid of What We Can’t Explain

    Let’s be real.
    Some people have used “the Spirit” as a cover for manipulation or spiritual theatrics.
    “I feel led to take the last donut” doesn’t count as a word from God.

    In response, we’ve gone full avoidance mode. We’d rather not risk “weird,” so we shut it down. But the Bible says:

    “Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things. Hold on to what is good.”
    —1 Thessalonians 5:19–21 (CSB)

    Translation: Don’t throw the dove out with the drama.

    Discernment isn’t shutting it down—it’s filtering. You don’t stop eating because someone once served a burnt steak, right? (Okay, maybe that one time…)

    The Spirit Is the Power We’re Missing

    You can be saved and still live like you’re stuck.
    You can be forgiven and still feel powerless.
    That’s not because Jesus left you empty—it’s because you left the Helper unopened.

    “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you…”
    —Acts 1:8 (CSB)

    It was the Spirit who:

    • Gave Peter boldness when he used to be scared of servant girls “Then a servant girl saw him sitting in the firelight and looked closely at him. ‘This man was with him too,’ she said. But he denied it: ‘Woman, I don’t know him.’”
      — Luke 22:56–57 (CSB) “Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders…’“
      — Acts 4:8 (CSB)
    • Gave Paul visions, words of knowledge, and directions “During the night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, ‘Cross over to Macedonia and help us!’”
      — Acts 16:9 (CSB)
    • Made church services look more like Pentecost than a PowerPoint “Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying… Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.”
      — Acts 2:2–4 (CSB)

    The early church was anything but tame. So why are we?

    Time to Break the Mold

    Look, the Holy Spirit isn’t here to make us uncomfortable—He’s here to make us unstoppable.
    He is not weird. He is wild, wise, and wonder-working.

    Maybe the reason we feel weird about Him is because we’ve built a version of church that doesn’t even make room for Him.

    “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
    —2 Corinthians 3:17 (CSB)

    So maybe we need less performance and more presence.
    Less fear of the unknown, and more trust in the One who knows all.
    Less worrying if people will think it’s weird—and more concern that they’re living without the power they were promised.

    Let’s invite Him in again.
    Let’s give Him space to move.
    Let’s break the mold.

    Reflection Questions:
    When was the last time you invited the Holy Spirit to speak—without a script?
    This week, ask Him to move in your life… and give Him permission to do it His way.

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