How can I know that I have the presence of Holy Spirit in my heart?
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Asked September 20 2013
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Kuriakose Kadapurathu Chacko
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Kelli Trujillo
Supporter
First of all, if you’ve truly accepted Jesus as your Savior, the Spirit is at work in your heart. When Jesus prepared to leave His disciples, He promised them the Holy Spirit. John 20:22 says, “And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.” Similarly, John 15: 26-27 says, “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.” From a more practical standpoint, you can tell that the Holy Spirit is working in you when the fruit of the Holy Spirit is evident in you. Matthew 7:16 says, “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” But what kind of fruit should you be looking for? Galatians 5:22-23 says this, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” We’ll never be perfect, but we should at least see growth in these areas in our lives on an increasing basis. 2 Cor. 3:18 says, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” We should also experience a desire to grow in Christ, which you clearly show since you’re asking this question. 1Peter 2:2 says, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” Hopefully we’re all growing in increasing knowledge of Jesus and will continue to do so until Jesus returns. As you grow, don’t be discouraged when you see that you fall short--in fact, you should expect it. No one--NO ONE--is perfect, and as Christians we are all in process. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Similarly, Phil. 2:12 says, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” The fact that you are even asking the question about how you can see evidence of the Holy Spirit in your life is--in and of itself--evidence that the Holy Spirit is working in you. The Spirit causes us to long for more of all that God has to give us and to long to reflect Him to the world. In Phil. 3:12-14 Paul says, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” God bless you and may you know that the Spirit is alive and well in you!
Singapore Moses
We cannot overemphasize our need of the Spirit's power today because so much is attempted by mere fleshly enthusiasm and human strength. In today's Church the Holy Spirit is the most ignored Person among the Godhead. Christians are afraid to make even a casual reference to Him lest they would be labelled Pentecostals—as if that matters! God the Father is in Heaven, God the Son is seated at the Father's right hand in Heaven, and it is God the Holy Spirit who in all His personality is here on earth. This is the Dispensation of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called the "Paraclete," meaning a Helper (Jn 14:26). One of His primary helps is in the area of prayer, because we are all "weak" in it. We know not what to pray and how. The Holy Spirit not only helps us in our prayer but also intercedes for us "with groans that words cannot express" (Rom 8:26). One of the first signs of those baptized with the Spirit is the desire and depth in prayer. The early disciples following Pentecost received a renewed interest in prayer and never missed the hour of prayer! (Acts 2:42; 3:1). "Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" burst forth from a Spirit-filled heart. The Holy Spirit excites us to sing and make music in our heart to the Lord, "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph 5:18-20). All Church leaders agree that one of the greatest contributions of the charismatic movement to the Church is the restoration of "worship," which A. W. Tozer (1897-1963) calls "the missing jewel of evangelical Christianity!" Several Scripture passages are set to music, and the traditional and conservative forms of worship give way to spontaneous and joyful worship. Hallelujah is no more a denominational shout! Speaking in tongues has a tremendous devotional value in praise and private prayer (1 Cor 14:4,14-17). I spend some time daily in private prayer speaking in tongues since 1991 when I was baptized with the Spirit. It's refreshing! Of the nine gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Cor 12:8-10, the one primarily directed to God is "speaking in tongues."
Gary Patton
There are many ways as others have suggested. And Dan above makes an excellent point in last two sentences above.
Humbly, my suggestion is one that for me is key and similar to Dan's point:
Romans 8:15-17 New International Version (NIV)
"15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[a] And by him we cry, “Abba,[b] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
Footnotes:
Romans 8:15 The Greek word for adoption to sonship is a term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture; also in verse 23.
Romans 8:15 Aramaic for father
Blessings all!
Anonymous
Read Galatians 3:2,5 and 14. Ephesians 1:13 and 14. Word of God clearly says that when we heard the gospel of our salvation through the Atonement of our Lord Jesus and believed and received Christ Jesus into our heart that very moment the Holy Spirit of God took residence in our heart and HE will be with us till we reach our eternal home.
Dan Rivers
I think knowing you have the indwelling Holy Spirit is a subjective thing. Paul tells us that we can examine ourselves to see if Christ is in you, 2 Cor 13:5. Whether a person is "good" doesn't really mean you have the HS. There are "good" Muslims, Buddhist, Hindus, Jehovah witnesses, etc, but they deny and/or don't believe in Jesus. We also have to remember the parable of the sower, where Jesus tells us that only those "Christians" of the "good" soil WILL produce fruit. The others don't and eventually fall away. IMHO if you don't know you have the HS in you, you probably don't... 1 John 5:13-20 tells us that we should "know" we have eternal life. What does it mean if you don't know it?
Don Pollock
Scripture defines how we can "initially" know someone receives the Holy Spirit. (More fruit will follow) Acts 10:44-46 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Acts 10:47-48 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Emanuel khangale
First of all you have to be sure that u receive the promise of the Holy Spirit Luke 24:49 I'm going to send you what my father has promised you, Acts 1:4 do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my father promised, which you heard me speak about, in Acts 2:4 they receive the promise of Holy Spirit and they start to pray in other tongues as the Spirit enables them How to receive the Holy Spirit Romans 10:9-11, which Paul call it the baptism of the Holy Spirit in Acts 19:2-6. once you receive the Holy Spirit u are saved, if a person is not sure that Jesus save him he/she must know that the Holy Spirit is not present in his/her heart because James 1:6 if you doubt, don't expect to receive anything from Lord. And if u are still live in fear know that the presence of the Holy Spirit is not in your heart 1Tim 1:7 for God hath not given us the spirit of fear.
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