Two of the most common questions I get when spiritually counseling is how do you feel the Spirit of God, because I never feel anything, and how do you know when it’s God speaking? My response is, how much time a day do you spend pursuing God? And how can you expect to feel or hear something when you don’t spend the time pursuing God?
Some people expect to hear a booming voice from God commanding us to do something. In the Old Testament, God did exactly that, He spoke to people. But in the New Testament, Jesus dies on the cross, rises from the grave, appears for forty days, then ascends into Heaven and sends the Holy Spirit to be with us and in us. If you believe what the Bible says, and you spend quality time pursuing Him, you should be able to feel and hear the Holy Spirit.
I carve out time at the beginning of every day to spend quality time with God. I call it coffee time with God. I sit with the lights out, in silence, and while enjoying my coffee, I pursue God. I start by thanking Him for every positive thing in my life. This helps to start the day in positive Light instead of negative darkness. No matter our circumstances, in sickness and in health, there’s always reasons to be thankful. When I do hear or feel the Spirit of God, its heart felt, its gentle, and its life changing.
In John 14:15-17, 26 (NLT), Jesus says, “If you love me obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative-that is, the Holy Spirit-He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”
Bruce is a Christian counselor by degree and a spiritual counselor by God. You can ask Bruce direct questions by hitting the Contact Bruce page at battlecrygoodvsevil.com. Be sure to “like” and “follow” the Battle Cry Facebook page for future blogs.