“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you…” (John 16:13 NKJV)
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things…” (John 14:26 NKJV)
When Jesus returned to Heaven He said it was better for us that He leave so He could send the Holy Spirit who would teach us, guide us, help us, and write the laws of God on our hearts (John 16:17, Jeremiah 31:33). Our heart is not the thing that pumps our blood, it is what we cannot live without, in the New Testament, it often refers to our spirit. This is the breath of God which is our eternal being.
In the quoted scriptures, the word Spirit is capitalized because it is the Greek word for the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit). We also get the term “born again” from the time Jesus said:
Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:5-6 AKJV)
Later in verse seven, Jesus uses the term “born again” to refer to this process. “Born of water” was a common way to refer to babies carried in the womb, then coming into the world with the birthing water from the womb.
This is further explained once Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to hundreds of people. Spending 40 days with His inner circle and His disciples, Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22) Jesus always did what He saw His Father doing (John 5:19): God breathed on Adam, Jesus breathed on His disciples (Genesis 2:7).
The later books of the Bible explain what occurred and reveal that it was for everyone who believes in God:
In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God]. The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14 AMP)
Now it is God who establishes and confirms us [in joint fellowship] with you in Christ, and who has anointed us [empowering us with the gifts of the Spirit]; it is He who has also put His seal on us [that is, He has appropriated us and certified us as His] and has given us the [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as a pledge [like a security deposit to guarantee the fulfillment of His promise of eternal life]. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 AMP)
The Holy Spirit is one of God's greatest promises. Everyone who has taken Jesus as Lord is “sealed” by the Holy Spirit. The root of the Greek word used here is, sphragis. It means an impression made by a signet ring: by which anything is confirmed or proved. After Jesus breathed upon them, He instructed them concerning the Holy Spirit:
For John baptized with water, but not many days from now you shall be baptized with (placed in, introduced into) the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:5 AMPC)
The disciples had taken Jesus as Lord and had been sealed with a promise placed upon them by the Holy Spirit. To do the work Jesus had for them, they needed more power, direction, and guidance from the Holy Spirit:
But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth. (Act 1:8 AMPC)
Many people refer to this as the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit. The meaning of the Greek word baptizo is to overwhelm, immerse, and saturate. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman; He is gentle and many times doesn’t move upon a person with strength until He is invited. When you are baptized by Him, you are immersed or filled to overflowing with His power. For this reason, many of the salvation prayers include a part about receiving the Holy Spirit. Have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit so that He can guide you and use you for the work of the Father? If you aren’t sure, you can ask for Him right now:
Heavenly Father,
Your Son declared that when He went to Heaven He would send the Holy Spirit to us. I ask now, Father, for the Holy Spirit to come and live in me in my heart and fill me to overflowing. Holy Spirit, I welcome You, speak loudly to me and teach me. I ask all this in the name of my Savior, Jesus. Amen.
You can also ask for a pastor of a church to pray for you to receive the Holy Spirit. But once we accept Jesus as our Lord, each of us has the right to do this for ourselves. By accepting the Holy Spirit inside you, He becomes one with your spirit, which makes you a whole new being that never existed (on the inside).
This is what Jesus was talking about when He said we have to be “born again.” Mixing two things together, like a sperm and an egg, creates a new being: a little baby. When you add the Holy Spirit to your spirit, you become a son of God: (Romans 8:6) (“son” is often used to refer to all mankind meaning both men and women.)
Once you have invited Him in, the Holy Spirit can speak to you. There are three ways the Holy Spirit may speak to you in a quiet way:
Gentle nudges
The small quiet voice
A peace or removal of peace
Gentle Nudges
A nudge is a feeling that you need to do something. You may feel led to look in a certain spot for your keys. Often we are drawn to talk to a person who has just the answer we need. These are the first steps of hearing from the Holy Spirit.
Are there times when information comes that you have no way of knowing? Do you find yourself saying, “I just knew that was going to happen!” This is one aspect of a word of knowledge — a gift of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit, who knows everything, brings you information that you have no natural way of knowing (more on this later).
The Small Quiet Voice
The most common way He does this is in a small quiet voice (1 Kings 19:12). I heard from Him for years and didn’t know what was going on (See “Angels Believe in You.” It’s FREE!). After I came back to God and asked Him into my life, the voice inside my head – some would call it our conscience – seemed to get really smart. Everything it said would come to pass. Like me, you may already be hearing from the Holy Spirit and not know it.
The small quiet voice always sounds like our own voice in our minds. It can be our soul, or even another spirit, but often it is the Holy Spirit. There are several ways to make sure it is the Holy Spirit, here are two:
Does it line up with the Word of God?
Is it speaking in the love of God?
These things should always be considered when listening to the small quiet voice. God is love and we are called to love even our enemies. If we are reading the Bible so we know who God is and we are walking in love, then we can trust what we are hearing.
Guided by Peace
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. (Colossians 3:15 KJV)
There is a feeling of peace, of ease, and calmness, that the Holy Spirit will bring to your inner being when you are going in the right direction. If you are irritated, unsettled, or anxious, this is not “peace.” The Amplified version gives words in brackets [ ] that explain the original Greek words a little more:
Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. (Colossians 3:15 AMP)
There will be an inner calm when you are walking with the Lord toward your destiny. “The controlling factor” or “rule” is actually the Greek word brabeuō which means to control or direct, to decide or determine. God will often use the inner peace to guide us in the right way to go.
Hearing more from The Holy Spirit
There are three ways to help hear from the Holy Spirit instead of yourself:
Speak in the Heavenly Language
Read the Word of God
Listen to the Word of God from a trusted source
Let’s go straight to the Bible to see how these help our spirit:
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (1 Peter 2:2 KJV)
When we are new Christians, we are “born again.” Just like a natural birth, we start out as babies. It is by feeding on the Word of God that we grow, like babies feeding on milk from their mothers. The Holy Spirit will use the words we read to help our spirits grow. This is the first step in hearing more from God.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17 ESV)
Jesus is the Word. When we hear the Word spoken, it strengthens our spirits. A strong spirit is able to receive more from God. We should both read and hear the Word of God.
He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself… (1 Corinthians 14:4 KJV)
“Edifieth” is the Greek word auxanō meaning to grow, to become greater. Where are we growing? Speaking in an unknown tongue (Heavenly Language) causes our spiritual bodies to grow, it is our spirit that receives nourishment. When we pray in the Heavenly Language we are exercising the connection with the Spirit and our spiritual bodies are fed.
In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him and He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way]. (Proverbs 3:6 AMPC)
The next time there seems to be zero chance of rain and the small quiet voice in your head says, “Bring an umbrella,” when the rain comes, say, “Thank you, Holy Spirit for telling me about the rain…” This strengthens your relationship and the light on your path will increase.
Once, when my daughter was taking a math test, she would look at the answers before she began and a voice would tell her which of the four multiple-choice answers was right. As she worked out the problems, she was amazed that each time the answer was the one she heard in her head. The Holy Spirit was training her to hear and recognize His voice.
If you are married, many times the Holy Spirit will use your spouse to train you. A thought will come, sounding just like you: “Don’t say that…” If you ignore the thought, a seemingly innocent remark will lead to an argument. Learn to acknowledge the real Person behind the voice that sounds just like you. This gives Him more authority to speak to you.
God uses this way of speaking to people most often because it doesn’t give the enemy access to us. Satan can project thoughts into our head, so we must test what we receive.
God knows our thoughts (Luke 16:1-13, Psalms 139: 2-4, 1 Chronicles 28:9, Matthew 12:25). By limiting His influence in our lives to our thoughts Satan cannot perceive what God is doing it mitigates the consequences of our actions or lack of response to what we have been told.
When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down. Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him]. (Ephesians 4:26-27 AMPC)
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8 KJV)
The word of God is clear, we have an enemy. By heeding the small voice of the Holy Spirit we can avoid many of the attacks of the enemy. The voice may be small and quiet; it is up to us to acknowledge our Guide, the Holy Spirit. As we do this, it will be easier and easier to recognize His voice:
But solid food is for mature people, whose minds are trained by practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14 ISV)
In order for God to bring us to the deep things of Him, He expects us to grow. Discerning good from evil is to recognize the leading of the Holy Spirit’s soft voice and act upon it. It is also about recognizing evil. We will cover that in another message.
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