Can You Feel the Presence of the Spirit?
The advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26 NIV)
Do you take the leading of the Holy Spirit for granted? Or do you feel like you’re not being led by the Spirit at all? Maybe you plainly see him at work in your life, knowing that without him, the path you’ve been walking would be fraught with worry or stress. Or maybe you’ve been ignoring him completely, even when you know what he’s leading or calling you to do.
I’ve had all these kinds of experiences—even throughout a single day. Some days I wake up and invite the Holy Spirit to lead me right away. Sometimes I’m totally aware of his presence, and I really feel like I can see him coming out in me. Other times I invite him in and then move on with my day, pushing away his presence or ignoring it.
Being led by the Spirit doesn’t come with an aura of light around us or a feeling of floating on a cloud all day. I think I look for those things sometimes, but of course, they never come. That’s because the Holy Spirit is in our hearts, leading us from the inside out. We might feel his presence in the peace we have when we make decisions, when we talk to our kids or coworkers without annoyance or disdain, or when we commune with him by talking to him.
I’m working on being mindful of the presence of the Spirit, but mindfulness in every second of every day just doesn’t seem possible. Sitting still and talking to God, asking the Holy Spirit to lead, is an obvious way to begin. So often when I do this, right away I feel a peace in my heart that I didn’t have when I began praying. But I can’t sit and pray all day. People would definitely interrupt that.
How do we feel the presence of the Spirit amid all the activity in our days? Since I’m still a work in progress, I don’t have all the answers. I just know I have to keep returning to those little moments of prayer in between things and ask again and again for the Holy Spirit to let me feel him, to make me gentle with my words and actions, to set aside my annoyance at interruptions to “my time.” Coming back to God a hundred times, refocusing on him as many times as we need to, is so much better than not returning to him.
Asking forgiveness when I know I’ve moved far from God is another way back. When I have a moment of bad attitude, yelling, or losing it, I need to own it and move on. When I give these moments to him rather than hold on to them throughout my day, I have more peace and less strife both in my heart and in my relationships. Wearing many hats is challenging, so I always have lots of opportunities to stop and ask forgiveness.
Taking the time to give thanks for all my blessings is another way I try to stay in tune with the Spirit. I automatically feel stress relief when I remember everything I have to be thankful for. Practicing a grateful posture reminds me who is in control and that I don’t have to worry about perfection. The great love of a good Father becomes apparent when we count our blessings.
Lord, help us not only let the Spirit lead us but notice his leading and, therefore, your hand in our lives. Let the leading of the Holy Spirit make us more like Jesus, loving our people the way he would. Amen.
Scripture for Reflection
“Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 13:11 NIV)
“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:4 NIV)
Reach for More
Today is a new day! Right now, say a prayer, asking that the Holy Spirit’s presence in your heart, day, and life will be made apparent to you. Next, ask forgiveness for anything that comes to mind that needs forgiving. Now let those things go and move on. Jesus has covered it all. Finally, jot down whatever comes to mind that you’re grateful for. Those things can be both small and large, like waking up in the morning with a roof over your head and breakfast on the table or the way your baby smells and the taste of hot, smooth coffee. God is faithful in it all, and when we notice what he gives us, we’re noticing the Holy Spirit at work.
enjoys a crazy, beautiful life with her military husband, four sons, and a daughter. A baby interrupts her homeschool days in the best ways, and she is always attempting to live with mindfulness of each moment. She hopes to look at the world and each person in it in light of our amazing Creator, and therefore, to see each moment presented as an opportunity to love and serve him more. Carla relishes time to ponder God’s Word and have quiet moments with him and her coffee. She loves doing life with other mamas and encouraging them to simply be who God has made them to be.
Photograph © Motoki Tonn, used with permission
Wonderful post! We can feel the Holy Spirit’s presence; and we can surrender our lives to His leading. It’s taken me many years to fully understand that He (the Holy Spirit) is God within me. Not that I am a god, far from it, but that our God, our Creator, resides in His dear children in the form of the indwelling Holy Spirit We can entrust our entire lives to Him just as we did the moment we believed in faith on Christ for His free gift of salvation to us. When I’ve been asked “How do I know I’m truly saved?” be folks, I always respond with a question of my own. “Before you jump into the sin pool, do you feel a tugging at your heart? Do you hesitate because something inside you tells you to stop? If not, then once you’ve done whatever it is your flesh wanted to do (i.e. you succumbed to temptation) did you feel remorse? ” If they answer yes to either of these, then I remind them that those feelings are an indication of the presence of the Holy Spirit within you. If you don’t feel anything when you sin, then folks, you ain’t saved.