Have you ever had someone speaking to you, only to realize you weren’t really listening? As a husband, I’ll be the first to admit—I’ve been guilty of this a time or two! Thankfully, my wife has been gracious with me in those moments. I may have heard the words, but my mind was somewhere else.

There’s a difference between hearing and truly listening.

In Revelation 2–3, Jesus repeatedly gives the same instruction to seven different churches: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” It’s a simple but important reminder: God wants His people to listen.

Those churches needed that reminder, and so do we today. As we walk by the Spirit, we want to become people who recognize His leading and are ready to respond.

I was reminded of this recently in a place I wasn’t expecting—the sauna at my local gym.

As I’ve gotten back into fitness, a friend encouraged me to spend about ten minutes in the sauna after my workouts. So one day, I decided to give it a try.

A few minutes in, a guy sitting across from me recognized me. He shared that he had been watching some of my sermons online and had been blessed by them. I enjoyed our conversation, while admittedly continuing to glance at the clock to see if I was nearing my ten-minute mark.

As we talked, another guy sitting nearby began listening and eventually joined the conversation. He shared that he was encouraged by what he was hearing and introduced himself to us.

My ten minutes were up, so I figured I’d let the two of them continue talking. I left the gym, got into my car, and started driving down the street.

Then I sensed the Holy Spirit prompting me: Go back and talk to him.

At first, I resisted. Go back? Maybe that’s just my protein shake talking!

But when I reached the next stoplight, the impression was still there. This wasn’t an audible voice, but a deep prompting I couldn’t shake. And I’ve learned that when I sense the Spirit leading me toward something that aligns with God’s Word and points someone toward Jesus, I don’t want to ignore it.

So I made a U-turn.

I walked back into the gym joking that it looked like I was doing two-a-day workouts. I headed straight for the sauna, opened the door, and there he was—the same gentleman, now sitting there alone.

He looked at me, smiled, and said, “I was hoping you would come back.”

That got my attention.

I sat down and told him that I believed the Holy Spirit had prompted me to come back and talk with him. What followed was a meaningful conversation about his questions concerning the Bible and faith, and I could sense that God was at work.

That day reminded me that the Holy Spirit can lead us anywhere, at any time—but we have to be listening.

Listening to the Spirit isn’t about chasing strange experiences or treating every thought as a message from God. The Spirit will never contradict the Word He inspired. But as we know His Word, walk closely with Jesus, pray, and remain sensitive to His leading, we learn to recognize His promptings and respond in obedience.

Don’t just ask the Holy Spirit to fill you—listen when He leads you. His will and His way are always best.