The Difference Between Working Hard and Walking With God | Bobby Schuller | Podcast Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

The Difference Between Working Hard and Walking With God

Shepherd's Grove • Jan 29, 2026 • 19 min

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Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

Walking with God is fundamentally different from human striving and hustle culture—it is like surfing a wave created by the Holy Spirit rather than trying to paddle across a still lake in your own strength. Deep intimacy with Christ grows through quiet, dedicated prayer time, humbling ourselves in specific repentance, and relying on God's power rather than human intellect. When we surrender our need to manufacture outcomes, we shift out of worry and enter into the supernatural momentum and peace that only God can provide.

Themes

Surrender vs. StrivingIntimacy with GodSpirit-Led PrayerRepentance and HumilityTrusting God's Power

Key Points

1.
True spiritual breakthrough comes from catching the wave of the Holy Spirit rather than trying to manufacture results through human hustle.
2.
Spiritual growth and discipleship happen best within community and under mentorship rather than attempting to live as a lone ranger.
3.
When praying for unsaved loved ones, Jesus taught believers to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send specific workers into their lives whom they are open to hearing from.
4.
Setting a target duration, such as an hour, helps structure personal prayer to press past boredom and distraction.
5.
Waiting quietly on the Lord creates the necessary space to hear the Holy Spirit's guidance and conviction.
6.
Repentance should address specific sins directly and include humbling oneself by making direct apologies to those we have wronged.
7.
Establishing regular prayer rhythms transfers the heavy burdens we cannot control out of our hands and into God's grace.
8.
Proverbs 3:5 instructs believers to trust in the Lord with their spirit rather than relying strictly on human logic and analytical understanding.

Sermon Moments

“"Hustle culture is like paddling on a lake, and walking in the Lord is like surfing a wave."”

“"Jesus told us how to pray for unsaved loved ones: pray that the Lord of the harvest would send workers into their life."”

“"Jesus said in the garden of Gethsemane, 'Could you not stay awake with me for one hour and pray?' An hour is a great reference for prayer."”

“"You want a little bit of nothing for a long period of time to quiet your spirit and hear from God."”

“"When we repent of our sin, it needs to be of a specific sin, and often God asks us to humble ourselves and apologize directly to the person."”

“"All of these rhythms of praying are a way of getting us out of worry and getting us into faith by transferring what we can't control onto God."”

“"Your goals need to be so big that you can't manufacture them, so you know it's from the Lord."”

“"Trust in the Lord with all your heart—that's your spirit—and lean not on your own understanding."”

This Week

Set aside a specific target time, such as 30 to 60 minutes, for focused, distraction-free prayer this week.

Pray specifically for the Lord of the harvest to send harvesters into the lives of your unsaved family members or friends.

Humble yourself by making a direct, specific apology to someone you have recently wronged or spoken ill of.

Incorporate quiet periods of waiting during your prayer time to listen for the Holy Spirit's promptings and conviction.

Consistently pray for your spouse, children, pastor, and church community, releasing the outcomes to God.

Identify one area of your life where you are striving in your own strength, and intentionally stop trying to manufacture the results.

When facing decisions or anxiety, choose to trust God in your spirit rather than relying solely on human intellect or logic.

Remember This

Walking with God is like surfing a wave created by the Holy Spirit—our role is not to manufacture the power, but to paddle faithfully and ride where God leads.

A Challenge for You

"If you have any questions about just experiencing the Lord and closeness or like what some of those steps can look like, feel free to put them in the comments."

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.