Jesus told the disciples to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit. He said it was better for them if He left, so He could send the Helper. Believers are still experiencing the Holy Spirit today.
In this blog post you’ll learn a little about who Holy Spirit is, and how the Lord encounters His people. I also share how I recently experienced a touch from the Spirit.
When you think about it, each prayer we make is a request to God to reach down from heaven to earth and break into our everyday lives. What we are really saying is, “God, please move at the sound of my voice, and change our situation. Let me experience You”.
Even though Jesus is not walking the earth as a man right now, He is alive and seated in Heaven. And our beloved Jesus said to the disciples, He would send them (and us) a helper, Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God would dwell inside us, and reveal to us the deep things of God.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
John 14:26 NASB
I am not a seminary graduate, and have much to learn about who God is. Thankfully there are many faithful bible teachers we can turn to. This sermon series on Holy Spirit by Pastor John Piper was food for my faith when I first became saved. I encourage you to give them a listen.
Is it possible (and scriptural) for the Holy Spirit to rest upon us?
When I learned about Holy Spirit, my walk with the Lord was transformed. I was in a women’s small group bible study called “Designing Life”. I learned about how we could partner with God in designing our life. Amazing, right? What a concept!
We studied scriptures on Holy Spirit, and how he moved in people’s lives throughout the bible. I received prayer to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And I learned how Holy Spirit was always with me. It was such an encouragement during the trials I faced at that time. Holy Spirit moved from being a biblical concept to a real, tangible part of my life.
I am sharing this because I want you to know, it’s biblical to feel the Presence of God. Jesus is still fulfilling this promise of the Holy Spirit to believers today. Let me encourage you, I have often felt like I got a supernatural touch that let me know He was with me, loves me and is encouraging me. And I believe it’s the heart of God for all of His people.
How does it feel to experience a touch from the Holy Spirit?
I?ll share a recent experience that left me weeping and feeling supernatural fire from my head to my toes.
It began with a podcast I’d been listening to called Influent, which spoke about figuring out the ?why? in your life. The speakers made this suggestion:
Take the time to quiet yourself and ask God, ?Lord, why did you make me, me??
I determined in my heart, I am going to remember this and do it.
So I?m at church later that night, sitting in the front row like I always do, and worshipping the Lord with a room full of people who are so hungry for God it?s like they are storming heaven and pulling Him down into the room.
And I ask Him, “Lord why did you make me, me?” “What is the why for me in this season? “I want to know! I need to know.”
We are often asking Him about what we should be doing without asking Him how we are uniquely made to accomplish all that He had in His heart for us to do, when He created us.
And then I began to feel this intense heat from my head traveling downwards through my body, and I knew He was answering my prayer. I began to weep quietly under the power of His Presence, even as the people around me continued to sing their worship unto the Lord. I became quiet so that I could listen to His voice inside me. And I felt Him say to me, a message that was only for me to hear. It wasn?t the first time I?d heard this encouragement, but I needed to hear it again.
“Sara, I choose you to be My voice and declare My love.”
Immediately I was reminded of the woman at the well who had been caught in adultery. Jesus stood between her and her accusers who wanted to stone her to death. Jesus saved her from the angry mob by by saying,
?He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.?
After they leave Jesus said to her,
?Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?? She said, ?No one, Lord.? And Jesus said, ?I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.?
She who has been forgiven much loves much. Sometimes we run from love we feel like we don?t deserve. But she didn?t run. And I?m not running either. His love has transformed me into a woman who has tasted and seen that He is good.
That experience moved my heart so deeply. In that one touch Jesus reminded me that, I am fully loved, and equipped. I am uniquely qualified because of my life story, and because of what He did in my life. He rescued me, forgave me and made me new. He transformed my life with godly purpose to love others with the gifts He’s given me.
And so that is my story of how I experienced a touch from the Holy Spirit. And it is my prayer that you would feel His touch too.
How to experience the Presence of God.
I know there are a million ways to feel the presence of God, and experience the promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus moves on whomever He wants, however He wants. He’s the Creator of Heaven and Earth. In the scriptures we see both people being filled with the Spirit, and learn about the Holy Spirit resting upon others.
I can’t say if you automatically receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when you are saved. But I do have some suggestions on simple ways to begin seeking the Lord for this precious Gift.
Begin by worshiping the Lord with praise
So many Psalms and scriptures share the pattern of entering into the Presence of God with praise and thanksgiving. They also speak of the Lord inhabits the praises of His people. Oftentimes, not all the time, I experience the Lord while I am worshiping Him. It could be at church, or in my car, or in my kitchen, but specifically while I am listening to worship music and singing to Him with love.
Worship honors God, encourages our heart and even prepares the atmosphere for His Presence through the declaration of His power and love and might.
Search your heart, repent and receive forgiveness for any sins.
Holy Spirit brings conviction of sins, but never condemnation. Allow the Lord to reveal to you areas where you have missed the mark, and ask for grace to live in the freedom from the bondage of sin. The wages of sin are death, and sin separates us from God. When we confess our sin, He forgive us, and erases it from us, as if it never happened. We are washed clean, and are pure before His eyes.
Ask Jesus for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then, ask Holy Spirit to reveal to how God uniquely created you.
I feel like this type of prayer is different than “intercession” which is praying for God to break into someone’s life, for healing or deliverance. This type of prayer is more intimate. I encourage you to ask Him what I did above,
“Lord why did you make me, me?” “What is the “why” for me in this season? “I want to know! “
Listen for the Holy Spirit’s voice
His voice can come in many ways. It can be a still soft voice in your spirit. Or it could be in the form of someone else praying for you. Oftentimes for me, He speaks with a scripture reference that drops into my heart.
Be patient with yourself, and Him. He doesn’t always answer right away. But He is always right on time. He will respond.
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Luke 11:9
Journal what you hear
This part is so important. Write down, or capture somewhere, what you hear. It is so easy to forget the small nudges, encouragements that God gives us. They are the seeds to build our faith and bless others. I write here about the importance of remembering God’s promises.
A touch from the Holy Spirit can be like fire, but is often a small soft whisper of encouragement. Treasure each one, beloved. Knowing that He is a God who hears and moves when He hears your voice.
So to recap, in this post about How I experienced a touch from God we’ve talked about:
- How Jesus promised us a helper, Holy Spirit
- How our bodies are a temple for the Holy Spirit
- It is biblical for believers to experience the Presence of God
- My personal story about being touched by Holy Spirit
- How the Lord inhabits the praises of His people
- How praise and worship, confession, and prayer prepare us to experience His Presence
- Some of the different ways we can be encountered by the Presence of God..in the still small voice, in the scriptures or even with a physical touch, like heat or a sense of peace.
- The importance of writing down and capturing these moments of encounter. They are treasures for us to reflect on and are seeds to build our future faith.
My prayer for you is that You?d know Jesus, God the Father and Holy Spirit, the triune God as a beloved daughter and friend of God. Fully loved and fully accepted. I pray you’d experience the Lord’s presence, Holy Spirit in a way that immediately communicates that you are loved, cherished and known by God. If you are still struggling, definitely check out my blogpost here for help with overcoming discouragement by remembering God.
Have you experienced the Presence of God ? How did it happen? I’d love to hear your testimony! Please share in the comments so that we can all be encouraged together.
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