What questions do you have about the Holy Spirit? Do you wonder when you receive the Holy Spirit? Do you wonder if the Holy Spirit is in you? Have you had experiences with the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is a mystery to many Christians. They don’t talk about Him. They don’t study Him. They know about the Father and the Son, but the Holy Spirit is the one member of the trinity that is often misunderstood or not understood at all.
Despite popular belief, the Holy Spirit doesn’t necessarily come to indwell us when we are baptized. If someone wants to dispute that, they need only look at the story of Peter going to visit Cornelius, a centurion, a Roman soldier who is the leader of one hundred Roman soldiers (Acts 10). In today’s military, he would be a company commander. As we can see in today’s verse, after Peter had told them about Jesus and recognized them as believers, the Holy Spirit came upon them. Peter then stated they should be baptized. Not quite how we might think about events transpiring based on our traditions.
To answer the question of when the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us, we must suffice it to say He indwells us as God pleases. Now, don’t take that the wrong way. God isn’t holding His Spirit back from us until we’ve checked all the right boxes. In fact, God gives us His Spirit to guide us into a closer relationship with Him.
We experience the Holy Spirit in dreams, thoughts, nudging’s, intuition, and through study. He communicates with us regularly. The question is not so much whether we can experience the Holy Spirit, but are we paying attention? Are we listening for Him? Far too often, we drown Him out with the noise of this world. We use entertainment to occupy our time and dull our senses. We need quiet time to hear the Holy Spirit, to focus on Him, to gain a better relationship with God.
I pray we all seek to hear the Holy Spirit. I pray we spend quiet time with God. I pray each of us will listen for the Holy Spirit and choose to follow His guidance. Trust God to give you His Spirit. Trust the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Listen for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Follow His guidance.
Acts 10:47-48 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
Marty Pressey 