We are going to begin looking to look in more depth at the ministry of the Holy Spirit based on feedback received from previous posts on this subject. Christians are given the opportunity to live life on a higher level by being led by learning to be led by the Spirit. There is a natural life that we live based on the input of our five physical senses but there is also a higher level of living. We can be led by natural input but every Christian is able to rise higher to a life that is not led by input from our five physical senses.
Children of God should be led by the Holy Spirit but we have to be willing to follow His direction. Each one of us has a freewill and the choice to allow Him to lead us is ours alone. He will never drive us or force us into a relationship with Him but He is always standing by.
I believe that we can become so sensitive to the Holy Spirit that we sense even the slightest nudge from Him. A horse is a massive animal that will weigh much more than its rider. They can be trained to turn with only a slight brush on their neck from the rider. This is called neck reigning and it is considered a fundamental skill that every horse should have. We want to become like this in our relationship with the Holy Spirit. There are times when His direction comes as a gentle nudge that we will miss if we have not trained ourselves to recognize it.
I have heard people say that they will need God to speak directly to them. Others say they need a sign. This is not the normal way that Christian are led. We can know the Holy Spirit well enough to recognize His slightest promptings. This is only possible if we are spending time on a daily basis developing our relationship with Him.
Following the Spirit will often mean that we follow His leadings without needing a reason why. The Spirit led life is often not the most logical but it is the best. I used to work with a recovery program and was scheduled to speak in a mid week chapel service one week. Time had gotten past me. I was late and trying to make up time on the drive. Our neighborhood bordered a four lane road and normally I would turn right to get to the mission where the program was based. As I started to get in the right turn lane it suddenly seemed that I should turn left instead. This did not make sense as it would take me in the opposite direction from my destination and make me even later. I obeyed without question and got in the left turn lane. The car behind me turned right just as another car ran the red light and hit the car that had turned right. If I had ignored the prompting to turn left then that would have been me in the accident.
We can avoid accidents and be at the right place at the right time by learning how to be led by the Spirit. Unfortunately many Christians have never been taught that they can have a relationship with Him let alone how to recognize His leadings. It is impossible to ever have enough information or understanding to make the best decisions in life. We don’t know the future so how can any of us ever make the right decisions.
There are a lot of references to the Holy Spirit in the Bible. We see Him described in the names presented:
- Spirit
- Holy Spirit
- Spirit of Christ
- Spirit of Grace
- Spirit of Judgment
There are more than forty variations of names I’ve discovered in the Bible that reference the Holy Spirit. He is a very multifaceted being. The King James will often use “Holy Ghost” but I prefer “Spirit”. The same Greek word is translated “Ghost” as is translated “Spirit” so either one is accurate. It just seems that people become confused when we start speaking about a Ghost.
Jesus said that He would pray (ask) the Father to give us “another Comforter”. He was referring to the Holy Spirit. One thing that we should pay particular attention to in Jesus’ words is how He referred to the Holy Spirit:
- He may abide with you forever
- …the Spirit of Truth
- …it seeth Him not
- …neither knoweth Him
- …but ye know Him
- …He dwelleth with you
Jesus did not refer to the Holy Spirit as some inanimate object. He used masculine pronouns (He, Him, etc.) to reference the Holy Spirit.
Jesus’ statement in John 14:16-17 was made just before He went to the cross. This was before the day of Pentecost and Jesus was saying that the Holy Spirit would dwell with us referring to the day we live in. Today the Holy Spirit is not only with us but He also dwells in our spirit. If we have been filled with the Spirit then He is also on us.
There are different degrees and levels of awareness of His being with us, in us, and on us. We are going to spend some time examining this in upcoming posts with a goal of learning to recognize even His slightest touch.
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We recommend Dr. Kenneth E. Hagin’s book “How You Can Be Led by the Spirit of God” (https://amzn.to/2Ye45o4) as a supplemental resource for this blog series. You do not need to purchase this book in order to “credit” our account. Any purchases that you search or make from anywhere on Amazon, after first clicking on the included link, will credit this blog and support our ministry. We are truly grateful for each of our readers and appreciative of those who will help us. There is no cost to you for using our links and they provide an easy way for you to support us!
MBDevotional 