Understanding the Holy Spirit

    I opened up Spotify a few weeks ago and started listening to “Proverbs 31 Ministries” and found an interesting episode about discerning between the Holy Spirit’s voice and you own. Something that I struggle with at times.

    The guest speaker started by saying how oftentimes, people don't properly understand the Holy Spirit and His role because of their upbringings. Whether that be what their parents taught them or what they learned in church.

    Joel 2:28 NIV “ 'And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your son's and daughters will prophecy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” She told the listeners a story about how the Holy Spirit woke her up one night and gave her this verse. She had already been seeking God and wanted to know who the Holy Spirit is and what our relationship with him is like. The speaker quickly recognized that this was the work of the Holy Spirit. The speaker didn't know what the verse was until she opened up her Bible and read it. It was a very special moment for her that hasn't happened since. This experience taught her that the Holy Spirit longs to have a relationship with her and with all of us too.

    Over the years, whenever she would ask people about the Holy Spirit, they would send her to Acts 2. Which is where Jesus tells His disciples that He is going to send the Holy Spirit to them when He goes to heaven to be with the Father after He was raised from the grave. One problem with this method, though, is that Acts 2 is not where we first learn about the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:1-2 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.”

    Pentecost then happens, and the disciples were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Pentecost becomes a symbol of the start of the early church. With signs and wonders. The problem with directing people to Acts 2 for an understanding of the Holy Spirit is that it doesn't look like our everyday lives, and we will likely struggle to relate. The speaker explains how if we look at Acts 2 without any knowledge of the Old Testament, it may seem strange or different. But when you look for the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, you will find Him everywhere. As you look for Him through the Old Testament, you will see Acts 2 as more of a culmination of the Spirit's power and presence since the beginning of time. Showing up to Acts 2 with no prior interaction with the Holy Spirit is like showing up to your wedding day without ever meeting your spouse before hand. There is no history. Nothing to build on. Just a big important event.

    The speaker encouraged us listeners that the reason why we so easily miss the mention of the Holy Spirit is due to language and terminology. The Hebrew word for Spirit is Ruach which can be translated breath, wind, air or angel. So depending on how the translators translated your version of the Bible, you will see these different word choices. As you might imagine, the average believer doesn't know many Hebrew words and could likely miss some of the mentions of the Holy Spirit. I know I have. So you may have to look extra close to find Him. But I promise He isn't hiding too hard because He really wants to be found by you.

    Before listening to this podcast, someone pointed out to me that the Holy Spirit was on scene in the very beginning. Genesis 1:2. He is mentioned as Spirit of God. Personally, I took that verse for granted like many other seasoned believers.

    The speaker gave the analogy of a picture with lots of other items hidden in the picture for you to find. Hidden so well that at first glance nothing looks out of place, and then when you look close you see the random items. This picture is to remind us that the Holy Spirit is all through the Old Testament and is also working all through our lives as well.

    The next discussion point was about how we address Him. Do we call Him Holy Spirit or the Holy Spirit? The speaker chooses to say Holy Spirit versus calling Him the Holy Spirit. Her argument is that we don't refer to God or Jesus as 'The God' or 'The Jesus' so why call Holy Spirit 'the Holy Spirit '? She makes a valid argument that you are speaking to a real person, which you are and therefore can drop the 'the.' Personally, I tend to go back and forth between calling Him Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit. I see the speakers argument for not calling Him the Holy Spirit. I think I have seen examples of both in Scripture. The grammar program that I run my posts through before publishing them says that 'the Holy Spirit ' is correct, and I think my phone does too. When talking to hubby, I think I say it both ways, but I can't swear to it. At the end of the day, I think it comes down to your conviction and relationship with the Holy Spirit.

    The speaker encouraged us and reminded us that the Holy Spirit is with us in the chaos and uncertainty of life. We see this in Genesis 1:1-2 and how, in the midst of darkness and the unknown and the water, the Spirit is there with us.

3 ways to awaken a vibrant relationship with the Holy Spirit. There are more than 3 ways, but these are the three the speaker talks about.

1. Stay alert to his hovering. Psalm 139.. God formed each one of us with intententionity and care.. she also encouraged us that with God creating us all so differently, naturally the way the Holy Spirit communicates with each one of us will also be different. He speaks to us in deep, meaningful ways to each of us. Maybe it's a Bible verse that means so much to you and yet little to someone else. Or a verse you have read many times, and yet, today, it comes alive in a new way. Or maybe the lyric from a worship song, and when you hear it, it feels like your heart put to music, and every time you hear it, you can't help but get choked up.

2. Ask Holy Spirit one question a day. You could ask about your purpose, identity or service. Then reflect on this question throughout your day. Be in conversation with Holy Spirit. Get to know His voice. Then journal about what happened. This technique can help you track the work and role of Holy Spirit in your life.

3. Talk about Holy Spirit to others. Ask each other what the Holy Spirit is doing in their lives. Just like laughter and joy, it's contagious. The more you talk about Him to others and talk to Him yourself, the more you will recognize His voice and prompting.

    And finally, what do we do when we are questioning if a prompting is from the Holy Spirit? Keep pressing, keep praying and asking. Does the prompting get stronger? Or does it go away? Don't be afraid to bring your questions, your doubts and concerns to Him, who cares for you. Read your Bible; if possible, ask others to pray with you/for you. Compare the nudges you sense with the character of God. If the nudges are from the Holy Spirit, then everything will line up. Don't be discouraged though. If the prompting wasn't from God in the end, His grace is sufficient to cover it. Ex you thought you felt a prompting to go and talk to someone. So you do, but nothing really comes of it. Or at least nothing you expect. That's okay. Maybe God wasn't telling you to talk to the person, but it may have still made their day or encouraged them in some way that you may never know about.

    Listening to this episode encouraged me that I am not alone in questioning/discerning the difference between my inner voice and the Holy Spirit, and I pray you found encouragement through it in some way as well.

As always, God Bless.

~Hannah