Who is the Holy Spirit? That’s a question circulating in the American church right now. I want to give you my answer today.
Who Is the Holy Spirit?
Unfortunately, the majority of professing Christians in the U.S. don’t believe the Holy Spirit is real, according to this recent finding. I find this news heartbreaking, but not totally surprising.
When it comes to all three persons of the Trinity, we often hear the least about the Holy Spirit. Opinions on him can be divided within the Church. We have not learned enough about him, and we often learn the wrong things about him.
As I’ve been pondering this survey, I feel passion rising in me to teach my followers about who the Holy Spirit is. I think the best way to do this is to list his clear roles from Scripture, then tell you the testimony of how he has manifested himself in my life through these roles. I pray that my testimony will inspire you to seek a deeper relationship with him, because he is most certainly real (as I hope my stories demonstrate).
Though the majority of U.S. Christians don't believe the Holy Spirit is real, here's proof positive of his presence. #holyspirit #testimony #christianity Click To TweetWho the Holy Spirit Is
Scripture is very clear about certain roles that the Holy Spirit takes in our lives. Here, I’ll share the roles, verses and my testimonies about his work in my life.
Guide
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. John 16:13 NLT
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. Galatians 5:16 NLT
Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:25 NLT
The Holy Spirit has guided so many of my choices. Often they don’t make sense, or would be the opposite of what I would normally choose. The biggest one was giving up a full ride scholarship to a local university, plus $2K of Missouri Bright Flight cash per year, to attend a private Christian college where I would incur $20K+ in student debt over two years. It didn’t make financial sense, and it took a long time to pay back my loans. But it’s still one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for many reasons, and I would never have made it without the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
He will guide you too, if you ask him for guidance.
Helper
But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. John 15:26 ESV
I can’t count how many times the Holy Spirit has helped me just get through the day. I remember this vividly as a mom of three under age 5, when I was using cloth diapers and pullups for all of them (!). One time, rotavirus hit our house while I was still nursing. Somehow, in ways that still don’t make sense, the Holy Spirit helped me keep body and soul together for myself, my husband and all three children through that mini health crisis. He helps us in so many ways, practical and spiritual both.
What do you need his help with today?
Advocate
But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. John 16:7 NIV
An advocate defends and speaks on behalf of one who needs help. I remember how the Advocate moved other Christ-followers to defend me on Twitter and Instagram, when people attacked me for my strong stances on God’s Word. He even sent other people to defend me and my family in toxic situations. What a blessing that the Holy Spirit was moving through them to defend me, and I didn’t even need to defend myself! His advocate role lifts me up when I’m down.
How do you need the Holy Spirit to advocate on your behalf?
Intercessor
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. Romans 8:26 NLT
I think that I’ve heard some of the Holy Spirit’s groans on my behalf. Especially in the mornings after horrible fights with my husband, when I simply lay in the Father’s arms in my bed and moaned with heartache and suffering. I knew the Holy Spirit’s presence was in my bedroom, like it was when I was a suicidal teen. I have felt his presence as a warm hovering more than once, most often when I’m close to despair. In the lowest points of my life, I am sure beyond all doubt that the Holy Spirit was wordlessly praying for me. He has taught me to intercede for others too.
When do you think the Holy Spirit was interceding for you?
Teacher
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 have said to you. John 14:26 ESV
When I started reading the Bible every day in 2003, it was just me, my Bible and the Holy Spirit at breakfast. He taught me new things I had never seen in the Bible before, even as a church girl. The Holy Spirit has also taught me to pray in the Spirit, when I simply wait for his prompts to pray for others. He teaches me not only through the Bible, but through Christian books, sermons, podcasts, videos and more. The Holy Spirit is so gracious to teach me through other Christians and always through his Word.
How has the Holy Spirit been your teacher?
Enlightener
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Cor. 2:14 ESV
People often say to me, “How did you get THAT from the Scripture reading?” The only explanation I have is that the Holy Spirit gives me the gift of insight. There is no way I could discern everything I know about God and his Word with my own intellect. I believe the Holy Spirit enlightens us to his truth not only for our own benefit, but so we can share it with others. When you ask the Holy Spirit for enlightenment and discernment, he is delighted to answer.
In which situation do you need the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment, discernment and insight?
Thought Life Manager
Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. Romans 8:5 NLT
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Ephesians 4:23 NLT
I’ve written two books about how to manage our thought lives, and this was made possible only through the Holy Spirit. He taught me how to manage my thoughts by meditating on God’s truths instead of the lies I was believing. His work in my mind sank the truths deep into my heart, and help me fight back in spiritual warfare. By reading God’s Word each day, my thoughts and attitudes are renewed by the Holy Spirit.
Which thoughts do you need the Holy Spirit to help you manage today?
Life-Giver
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:11 NLT
There is no greater power than the Holy Spirit raising Jesus from the dead, and he will do the same for us if we choose to follow him. He not only gives us eternal life when our lives on earth end, but he has given me new life in emotional dead-ends, difficult relationships and broken dreams. I credit him with breathing new life into my story, and I’m so grateful.
In which situation do you need the Holy Spirit’s life-giving power today?
One Who Unites
Instead of keeping me in one denominational pocket of belief, the Holy Spirit has encouraged me to pursue unity with others in the larger church. He has written my story that includes different denominational influences, all which help me show greater compassion and understanding than I would have on my own. I’m grateful that he’s stretched me out of my comfort zone, mostly through my years at BSF. As I grow spiritually, he helps me overlook past offenses and differences, and pursue unity with peace.
How has the Holy Spirit helped you pursue unity?
Affirmer
For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. Romans 8:16 NLT
Every day, I need the Holy Spirit’s affirmation that I’m God’s child. As an Enneagram 1, I have a harsh inner critic which speaks to me in an unloving tone. However, the Holy Spirit brings many Bible verses back to mind that tell me I am loved, cherished, chosen and beloved by God. This affirmation helps heal emotional wounds and pours healing into my broken places, as often as I need it.
In which hurt place do you need the Holy Spirit to heal you with affirmation today?
Refiner
The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. Galatians 5:17 NLT
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Matthew 3:11 NLT
The Holy Spirit himself is a loving, refining fire in my life. He warns me before I fall into temptation. He asks me probing questions when I need to examine my motives before choosing something bad for me. His refining fire sometimes hurts, but it’s because it burns away things that I don’t need in my life. Things that stand in the way of a deeper relationship with the Lord. I’ve learned to be grateful for his prescribed fires in my life, where he sets the fire’s temperature for my greater good.
In which areas has the Holy Spirit served as your refiner, and how was his work for your good?
Fruit Producer
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
The people who know me best know that I can’t write about finding peace in God’s Word without the Holy Spirit’s indwelling. My closest friends see how he keeps bearing spiritual fruit in me through the toughest trials. Without his help, I would not be able to bear the fruit of peace, nor any of the other spiritual fruits. His glory shines through me when I submit to his pruning.
Which fruit of the Spirit do you need to ask the Holy Spirit to produce in you?
Proof Positive
And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 1 John 4:13 NLT
The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him. Ephesians 1:14 NLT
I have never laid eyes on the Holy Spirit, but his presence is “realer than real” to me. When I look at my family background, I could have ended up utterly broken without his work in my life. He is proof positive that the triune God is real. I pray directly to him, just as I pray directly to Jesus and directly to the Father. I pray for him when I need help in any of these areas mentioned above, because I know those are his roles in my life.
Do you have proof positive that the Holy Spirit lives in you?
13 roles the Holy Spirit plays in a Christian's life. #christianliving #holyspirit #spiritualgrowth Click To Tweet
The Bottom Line: Who Is the Holy Spirit?
Look carefully at this verse Jesus spoke on the night he was betrayed:
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.
John 14:15-16 NLT
Our obedience is a prerequisite to deeper fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised to give the Holy Spirit (Advocate) to his followers. He knew it was actually better for the Holy Spirit to be with them, because Jesus was limited in his human form to be only in one place at one time. Yet the Holy Spirit can be present in every believer’s heart, as he was at Pentecost.
So many Christians mistakenly think that obedience is dull and boring. But it is literally the key that unlocks the door to a rich, personal relationship with all three members of the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This has been true in my life, and it can be true in yours too!
Our obedience is a prerequisite to deeper fellowship with the Holy Spirit. #holyspirit #spiritualgrowth #christianliving Click To TweetThree Books on the Holy Spirit
If you want to learn more about the Holy Spirit and his roles in your life, I have three great book recommendations for you.
The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life
I first read this book as a teen, and it helped me develop a relationship specifically with the Holy Spirit.
Favorite quote:
“If the Christian life is simply a matter of doing our best, there was no need for God to send the Holy Spirit to help us.”
Lead Me, Holy Spirit
You’ll learn so much about developing a vibrant relationship with the Holy Spirit in this excellent book.
Favorite quote:
“You must not see Jesus as your Savior only and nothing else – even though that would be more than enough. You must also see Him as the One who empowers you to live the life God has for you. The way He does that is by giving you His Holy Spirit to spring up in you like a well that never runs dry.”
Don’t Miss Out
A comprehensive look at all of the Holy Spirit’s roles in our lives, more than I could cover here.
Favorite quote:
“I began to see how I’d treated the Holy Spirit as though He were the optional part of the Trinity… I had holy fear that I was settling for less than all of God.”
Three excellent books on the Holy Spirit. #holyspirit #christianbooks #bookrecommendations Click To TweetPrayer
Here’s a prayer to help you develop your relationship with the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit,
I praise you for all you do in my life.
You work behind the scenes in many ways, and I’m so grateful.
I confess that I have often overlooked you.
I have failed to pursue a relationship just with you.
Forgive me, Holy Spirit. Start a fresh work in me today.
Meet me daily in the Word and in prayer.
Help me see evidence of how you are working in my life.
May my obedience be the key to deeper relationship with you.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
A prayer to deepen your relationship with the Holy Spirit. #prayer #holyspirit #spiritualgrowth Click To TweetFree Printable!
Get your 3-page, free printable of these attributes of the Holy Spirit HERE.
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Who Is the Holy Spirit?
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