Austin Westlake preaches on the theme "living on standby" - being ready and available for God rather than merely saying yes with our mouths. He uses the disciples falling asleep in Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-42) to show the difference between desire and discipline, and how routine can cause us to miss God's revelation. Westlake emphasizes spiritual disciplines (prayer, Scripture) as ways to position ourselves to receive the Spirit, illustrated by personal stories - God speaking to him in a Foot Locker stockroom and his later cancer diagnosis. His testimony about illness and recovery underlines that God still uses those who remain available and ready when called.
“If we're going to live the life that God's calling us to live, we're going to have to get really good at telling ourselves no.” · Austin Westlake
Take it with you
Be available: don't just verbally commit to God's work - show up when He calls. Cultivate spiritual disciplines (prayer, Scripture, regular spiritual practices) so you're positioned to receive what the Holy Spirit is doing. Practice saying 'no' to self so you can say 'yes' to God's invitations.
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