The truth about the Holy Spirit

Growing up, I was part of a family who moved around a lot, and I attended many different churches of all different denominational and non-denominational backgrounds. What I discovered is that whenever I would ask questions about the Holy Spirit, I would often get very different answers. Yet as I’ve read the pages of scripture, I’ve asked even more questions: 

“Who are you, Holy Spirit?” 

“Do you still work today?” 

“How do I recognise you in my life?”

Maybe you’ve had some of those questions too. If so, you are not alone.

Over the course of the last few years, I’ve gone on a biblical expedition to look at the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, and what I’ve discovered has changed the way that I read the Bible forever. 

An ongoing work

When I used to ask about the Holy Spirit, many people would say to me: “Go look at Acts 2 and the arrival at Pentecost.” But what I’ve been discovering is that once we start to recognise the Holy Spirit throughout the Old Testament, then Pentecost and the book of Acts makes so much more sense – and seems so much more normal.

The scene in Acts 2 can feel jarring at first – wind rushing through a house, flames dancing above heads, people speaking in languages they’ve never learned. It’s easy to read Pentecost as something completely unprecedented, a divine interruption that came out of nowhere. Yet for the disciples gathered in that upper room, they turned to the scripture they had in hand to understand what was happening:

“They were all together in one place…All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:1-4). That word ‘all’ carries profound weight. It echoes Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21 for unity among believers (“that all of them may be one”), and it directly fulfils Joel’s ancient prophecy: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people” (Joel 2:28).

Pentecost wasn’t a last-minute decision by God. It was a culmination of what the Spirit had been doing since the beginning of time. 

What I’ve discovered has changed the way that I read the Bible forever

The “sound like the blowing of violent wind” that filled the house (Acts 2:2) connects to something fundamental about the Spirit. Both the Greek word pneuma and the Hebrew ruach can be translated as ‘wind’ and ‘spirit’. 

The flames resting on each person’s head were much like the hovering of the Spirit over the waters (Genesis 1:2). And the flames echo the previous displays of the divine, including the pillar of fire that guided Israel through wilderness nights (Exodus 13:20) and the burning coal that purified Isaiah’s lips before his prophetic calling (Isaiah 6:1-7).

When the disciples “began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:4), “declaring the wonders of God” (Acts 2:11), they joined a long tradition of Spirit-empowered speech. Ezekiel’s prophesies, Mary’s Magnificat, Elizabeth’s prophetic blessing, even John the Baptist’s prenatal stirring in response to Jesus’ presence (see Luke 1) – all were manifestations of the same Spirit, who would enable followers to declare the “wonders of God”. 

The same Spirit who hovered over the waters at creation, who filled artisans and prophets, who spoke through David and “clothed Gideon” like a garment (Judges 6:34, ESV) had long been present and active. This realisation changes how we read the Bible. The Old Testament becomes a treasure map of the Spirit’s activity. The good news is that the Spirit who blew through that upper room continues to work in our lives today. The Holy Spirit still unifies diverse communities, still empowers ordinary people for extraordinary purposes and still speaks through willing hearts.

Knowing the Holy Spirit today

When we recognise the golden thread of the Spirit’s presence woven throughout scripture, we become expectant for the ways the Holy Spirit is working in our lives here, now, today. 

So why do we struggle to experience or recognise the Holy Spirit? 

Some of us were never taught about the Holy Spirit. Others have been wounded by the unhealthy ways leaders claimed to do something ‘by the Spirit’, when the Spirit was never involved. And for others, the Holy Spirit seems too ethereal or mystical. 

Yet the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity – Father, Son and Spirit, three in one. While at certain times in scripture one may take the lead, like in a dance, the others are always present. And just as we can have a relationship with God and Jesus, we can have a relationship with the Holy Spirit. 

After all, on the night of his arrest, Jesus could have given the disciples anything. Yet he promised them the paraclete, the advocate and advisor – like a barrister, the comforter and helper who is the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17). 

My hunch is even if you’ve never been aware of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit has been very aware of you – working in and through and all around you, even if you haven’t noticed. 

Even if you’ve never been aware of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit has been very aware of you

So awakening a relationship with the Spirit and becoming more sensitive to the God prompts in our lives is really about changing our posture. We can grow in our awareness of the Spirit by spending time in scripture, which is God’s love letter to us. And as we spend more time delighting in the Bible, then we find that the Holy Spirit will use passages and stories at times to encourage, inspire and challenge us. 

Another way to grow is to pay attention to all the little details of your life that you’ve dismissed as chance or circumstance. What if the Spirit of the Living God has been trying to awaken you to the wonder of the presence of the Holy Spirit? 

You can also start asking other believers, especially those more mature in the faith, about how the Holy Spirit works in their lives. So often, as others share stories of how the Spirit worked in their lives, it stirs our hunger to know and experience the Spirit in our own lives. 

I think so many of us, myself included, can wrestle with “How do I…” questions, such as: “How do I discern the promptings of the Spirit?” Or “How can I distinguish Holy Spirit’s voice from my own?” And how do we, as believers filled with the Spirit, engage with others with humility, kindness and grace, both nurturing life and spreading peace?

Here are five practical questions to use whenever you’re trying to discern: “Was that the Holy Spirit?”

1. Is the prompting consistent with scripture and the character of God?

This is the gold standard question. The Bible is our first and foremost ‘go-to’. If something is from the Spirit, it will align with scripture; if it doesn’t, chuck it out.

The Bible consistently reveals the character of God, so whatever the Holy Spirit prompts will be consistent with who God is and who he’s calling us to be as Jesus followers. Because ultimately, when the Spirit prompts us, it’s not so much to give us a piece of information but an invitation to transformation.

2. Does the prompting cause me to love God and love others more?

One of the markers of the Holy Spirit’s promptings is that they will cause you to love God or others more – and probably both. They will help move you from the ‘me’ to the ‘we’. Whatever the Spirit speaks will pull you away from self-centred, self-sabotaging, self-indulgent focus and push you toward sacrificial acts of love and kindness.

3. Will the prompting yield the fruit of the Spirit?

If what you’ve heard is from the Holy Spirit, then your obedience to it will produce good fruit in your life. It will help you grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And if it doesn’t, there’s a good chance it’s not from the Spirit.

Sometime ago, I met someone who said: “The Spirit’s telling me I can leave my spouse and run away with this person.” I was like: “Nope! That’s not consistent with scripture, doesn’t cause you to love God or others more, and the fruit is hurt and harm. That doesn’t have a single marker of the Holy Spirit.”

4. Does wise godly counsel affirm this prompting?

Community plays such a crucial role in the discernment process. Build rich friendships with those who have been walking with Jesus longer than you. When you’re wondering if a prompting is from the Spirit – ask them. 

5. Does the prompt leave me with a sense of deep peace?

If you sense a prompting and it leaves you spinning in anxiety or overwhelmed by fear, it is likely not from the Spirit. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and the promptings of the Spirit will bring peace.