For a longer time than I’d like to admit, I avoided talking about the Holy Spirit because somehow the Spirit seemed weirder, wackier, and harder to explain than God the Father or Jesus Christ. One of the difficulties I’ve had is in accurately expressing how the Holy Spirit works.
Language is limited.
It’s hard to clarify in just a few words how having a “feeling” about something is different from the “feeling” of the Holy Spirit working.
Saying “The Spirit spoke to me” quickly gets us labeled. It sometimes confuses people who wonder if they’ve never heard the voice of God – though if they’ve trusted the Lord as their Savior, they have. The voice of the Spirit just isn’t like any other voice we know.
Our discernment is also limited.
Sometimes recognizing the Holy Spirit’s work is even more difficult than explaining it.
We wonder if our sense of peace is actually a deceitful optimism, and we struggle to trust any leading in our hearts when we know our hormones are out of whack. We look at our requests of the Lord from every angle, feel everything we can about every known solution, and then strain to see “which option” the Spirit is pointing to.
I’m honored to share 5 truths about recognizing the Holy Spirit’s voice over on Alyssa J Howard’s Blog: Living by the Light of the King.
This post may also be shared on: #MomentsofHope, #DreamTogetherLinkup, #TestimonyTuesday, #RaRaLinkup, #TellHisStory, #Thought-Provoking Thursday, #Heart Ecnouragement, #LiveFreeThursday, #DanceWithJesus, #LLMLinkup, Faith-Filled Friday, Sitting Among Friends, and #SoulSurvivalLinkup.
Loved this post! Commented over at Alyssa’s blog. Thank you for sharing!
Great points, Bethany! Amen!
I’ve definitely discovered (though I don’t get it right every time) that if I want to hear Him speak next time, I’d better listen and obey this time. Why should I expect to hear from Him if I refuse to listen and obey? But praise God for His mercy and grace and for continuing to lead us back to Himself when we go astray.
So true. So thankful for His mercy and grace in being with us and happy to recieve us!
Heading over (finally) to read the post!
That was a great post! Thanks for sharing it!
The Holy Spirit is definitely a tough one to explain and to discern. I love these 5 tips, Bethany! Thank you for blessing me so! And thanks so much for sharing hope at #MomentsofHope!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori