Recognizing the Holy Spirit in the small moments that shape our faith
Scripture Focus:
“Show me your faith without your deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” — James 2:18 (NIV)
The Little Moments Tell on Us
I’ve learned that if you pause long enough, the small moments of your day will whisper the truth. They’ll show you where your faith sits, where your confidence rises, and where your spirit might be walking with its head hung low. God doesn’t always show up in burning bushes or thunderclaps. Sometimes He slides in on a soft note during Praise Team rehearsal… and reads you for filth in the most loving, holy way.
Today was one of those days.
I walked into rehearsal ready to sing my part, but not fully present. Not fully confident. My voice was there, but it wasn’t sitting in its authority. The sound coming out of me felt timid — like I was waiting for somebody else to tell me I belonged.
The Coltrato Life
I’m what you call a Coltrato — a three-lane highway in a kingdom choir: alto, soprano, and tenor all live in my range. That’s a blessing… and sometimes a whole challenge. Because I blend well. Too well. If the person next to me leans into a note, my brain — in all its beautifully neurodivergent wiring — wants to lean with them.
So the first run-through is always my “finding me” moment.
Not the blend… not the group… me.
For the last year, I’ve been serving as an alto, though soprano will always feel like home. And today, after we finished the first round of songs, our director looked at me with that I know your potential expression and said:
“Are you singing out? Because this isn’t your norm. I know what you sound like when you’re giving your full value.”
Whew.
You ever get corrected lovingly and still feel the Holy Spirit tap your shoulder like, “You heard that, right?”
The Moment the Holy Spirit Stepped In
Right there, in the middle of rehearsal, the Holy Spirit whispered something that hit me deep:
“When you don’t walk confidently in who I made you to be, you give off the impression that you don’t believe in My power.”
Tell me why that word felt like a spiritual mic drop?
Because God has never failed me. Not one single time.
And shrinking back — especially while serving Him — doesn’t honor the gift He placed inside me.
The Switch Flipped
On the next run-through, something shifted.
My chest opened.
My voice steadied.
My spirit remembered.
And baby, your girl sang like freedom.
Not performance freedom.
Not “let me impress somebody” freedom.
I mean Holy Spirit, You can have Your way freedom.
I felt light.
I felt bold.
I felt like my praise was finally going in the direction it should’ve been the whole time — upward.
Because when your confidence is rooted in God, not in your insecurities or your self-doubt, it becomes visible. Audible. Tangible.
People can tell.
Faith Shows Up in Our Actions
James 2:18 tells us that faith isn’t proven by what we claim — it’s revealed by what we do. How we show up. How we walk. How we serve. How we respond when our gifts are tested or stretched.
So yes, today’s lesson was simple but mighty:
My confidence is found in God.
And the evidence is shown in my actions.
Even in rehearsal.
Even in the quiet moments.
Even when no one else knows God is doing surgery on my spirit.
How the Holy Spirit Used a Simple Rehearsal to Strengthen My Faith
Take a moment:
Where are you shrinking when God is calling you to stand tall?
What gift are you treating like a whisper when it was designed to roar?
Where has your confidence turned inward instead of heavenward?
God is in the little moments too.
Look for Him.
Listen for Him.
And when He nudges you to sing out — spiritually or literally —
give Him your full value.
© 2025, Lela Fagan. All rights reserved.
