Was That The Holy Spirit?

Following the Holy Spirit is in many cases a journey of trials and errors. We will have a feeling to call someone, or to pray for a particular person. We may have a feeling that we need to go somewhere, or to do something that may take us out of our comfort zone. In most cases, we will check to see if our feelings are associated with service to God. If we feel that they could be of service, then the choice is ours to follow our feelings or reject them and move on. 

In some cases, the feelings are prompted by the Holy Spirit, and in other cases, the thoughts may be ours alone. However, anything that we are doing in the name of Jesus is a good thing, regardless of where the thought came from.

We learn to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit by acting on those prompts. We have all heard the story of the person who desperately needed a certain amount of money and was miraculously met by another person who said that they were instructed by God to give these funds to them. Both were hearing from the Holy Spirit. One consciously and the other unconsciously. The person who received the money did not just happen to be walking past the person with the offering. Their steps were directed by the Holy Spirit. They just did not realize it.

Promptings are meant to be acted on. Even if it seems that what we did had no impact. The fact that we acted is the only way to help us sharpen our spiritual ears. Just as faith cannot grow without being tested, our spiritual discernment cannot grow unless we act whenever prompted.

As Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:8, “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Suggestions from the Spirit of God are like the wind that gently blows within our souls. We lightly feel His tender touch and we softly hear His voice and wonder, “was that the Holy Spirit?” 

Our part is to assume that it was the Holy Spirit. If our actions will benefit someone else or ourselves, then to God be all the glory. If our actions did not turn out as we had thought, well then still, to God be all the glory. The point is that we acted. We followed what we felt were His promptings. Sometimes we will be right, sometimes we won’t. The main thing is that we acted. That is what God is looking for.

As we continue to act, we will find that our spiritual ears are becoming more attuned to the Holy Spirit. We will find that our spiritual discernment is becoming more acute. Best of all, we will find ourselves becoming a greater service to our Lord Jesus.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will sharpen our spiritual hearing and increase our discernment whenever He speaks to us.

Every Christian has the Holy Spirit within them. That is a fact. He is not in there being quiet and humble. He is trying to engage with us every day. That is also a fact. The more we act, the clearer His voice and promptings will become. That is another fact. 

Here is a truth that every Christian must always remember whenever trying to discern if their feelings are coming from the Holy Spirit or from themselves. The Holy Spirit will NEVER prompt someone to do something that is counter to God’s ordinances. Always remember that He will NEVER prompt someone into sinning. 

This is an interesting journey that we all are on. Trying to discern the supernatural and to allow ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Embrace the journey and watch what God does to us and through us. Enjoy the experience.