How can we be who God calls us to be? That was the question Pastor Troy Murphy addressed during his message on Sunday, Jan. 5 at Green Bay Community Church.

It means following the leadings and longings that are prompted by the Holy Spirit. Here are some key points from Troy’s message:

*We should never stop stop growing spiritually. The Holy Spirit will teach us (John 14.26) and compel us to step into hard places (Acts 20).

*In listening to the Holy Spirit, it’s more about following His promptings than it is about strategy and vision.

*Tozer said that we can become spiritually blindfolded without the Holy Spirit moving in our lives. We are called to walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5.16-18).

*A leading is a Holy Spirit prompting that you feel bound and compelled to follow.

*A longing is a divine need from God that you pursue with love and desire. Longings within us must come from God (2 Corinthians 5.2-4). They will not be fulfilled by anything else. We were made for God and our lives are not fulfilling without God.

*There’s a difference between doing and being. We can do good things but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16.7). We can be doers but we must be who God has called us to be.

*Our goal should be to grow and mature as believers and as a church (Ephesians 4.11-16). The Holy Spirit compels us to take a deeper walk with God.

*Church is a place where we can get equipped to be shining lights in the world, pointing people to Christ.

*Step into the greatness that God created you to be for His glory. To do that you must get equipped for works of service. In practical terms, that means finding out your spiritual gift, getting trained and using your gift in service.

*God tells us to stop complaining in your situation because he put you there as an opportunity to grow and as a chance to point others to Him.

*We must take advantage of opportunities to grow. It starts by taking a step and entering into the greatness God has created you to be.

*We should long for intimacy with God and walk away from counterfeit strategies that pull us away from Him.

*Spurgeon says that without the Spirit of God we can do nothing. We should strive to know Him more and not just stop at doing things for Him.

*If you want to grow it’s going to require some training and effort and perhaps pain.

*Resolve to keep moving forward and maturing spiritually this year. That involves exposing yourself to the Word of God, the Spirit of God and the people of God (believers).

*Our lives should display the picture of new wine. Grapes must be crushed and pressed in order to make new wine.

*Are you willing to get crushed and pressed by God to grow and enter into a new and more vibrant relationship with the Father?