Recognize, Respect, and Respond to the Holy Spirit

Our Helper_pt.2

One of the most important things I can learn as a Christian is how to be Spirit led. After I am born again, the Holy Spirit comes to live on the inside of me. He is my Helper. He knows everything about everything. He knows my past, He knows what I am facing today, and He already knows my future. But having the Holy Spirit living within me does not automatically mean I have learned how to recognize His voice. That is why I need to learn three things. I need to recognize the Holy Spirit, respect the Holy Spirit, and respond to the Holy Spirit. Those three things can change the way I live, the way I lead, and the way I make decisions.

Do Not Be Head Led

Many people make decisions primarily through logic and reasoning. What makes sense? What do the numbers say? What does everyone else think? What is everybody else doing? As leaders, we need wisdom. We need to think. We need to plan. We need to analyze. But I have learned that my reasoning cannot become my final authority. Proverbs tells us not to lean on our own understanding. There have been times when I followed my own reasoning and missed God. Something can make perfect sense to my head and still not be the direction of the Holy Spirit. I do not want to be led by trends, culture, circumstances, money, friends, or what everybody else is doing. I do not want to be head led. I want to be Spirit led.

Do Not Be Dread Led

There is another way people make decisions, and that is out of fear. I call that being dread led. Fear tells me I have to act right now. Fear tells me everything is going to fall apart. Fear tells me to make a decision because I am afraid of what might happen if I do not. Every time I have made an important decision out of fear, worry, or anxiousness, I have missed God. The Holy Spirit does not lead me through panic. So when I feel pressured to make a major decision because I am afraid, I need to stop and ask myself a question: am I being Spirit led, or am I being dread led? Do not be head led. Do not be dread led. Be Spirit led.

Recognize the Holy Spirit

If I want to be led by the Holy Spirit, I first have to recognize Him for who He is. The Holy Spirit is not an it. He is not a cloud, a feeling, a force, a dove, fire, or wind. He is a person. He is God the Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. Jesus said that the Father would give us another Comforter. Scripture reveals Him as our Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby. I am never helpless because I always have a Helper. But I cannot develop close fellowship with someone I continually ignore. So I have to begin recognizing His presence throughout my day. One simple way I can begin is through gratefulness. “Thank You, Jesus, for the Holy Spirit.” I can say that when I wake up, before I begin my workday, before a meeting, and before I make a decision. Gratefulness makes me conscious of the Helper God has already given me.

Learn to Listen

We are surrounded by voices. Social media is talking. Culture is talking. Friends are talking. News is talking. Our phones are talking. But am I listening to the voice I need the most? Listening requires attention. If someone is talking to me while I am distracted, I might hear their words without really listening to them. The same principle applies spiritually. Sometimes the issue is not that the Holy Spirit has stopped speaking, the issue is that I have stopped listening. The Holy Spirit does not have to get louder. I have to become a better listener. There are moments when I need to put everything else down, get quiet, and say, “Holy Spirit, speak to me. I am listening.”

Respect the Holy Spirit

Once I recognize the Holy Spirit, I need to respect Him. Scripture teaches us that the Holy Spirit can be quenched, He can be grieved, He can be offended, and He can be resisted. First Thessalonians 5:19 tells us not to quench the Spirit, and Ephesians 4:30 tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit. Those Scriptures reveal something important about our relationship with Him. My actions matter. My attitudes matter. My obedience matters. The things I allow into my life matter. If I want close fellowship with the Holy Spirit, I should want to know what honors Him and what grieves Him. That changes the questions I ask. Instead of only asking, “Can I do this?” I begin asking, “Holy Spirit, do You want me doing this?” Do You want me around these people? Do You want me taking this opportunity? Do You want me making this investment? Do You want me saying this? Do You want me watching this? Do You want me taking this job? That is what close fellowship looks like.

Respond Through Obedience

Recognition is not enough. Respect is not enough. I also have to respond. How do I get closer to the Holy Spirit? Through obedience. When the Holy Spirit speaks and I recognize His direction, I want to respond quickly. Delayed obedience affects fellowship. If He continually speaks to me and I continually ignore Him, resist Him, or postpone what He tells me to do, I should not expect greater sensitivity to His voice. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, which means His leading will always agree with God's Word. So when I sense His direction, I compare it with Scripture. If it contradicts God's Word, it is not the Holy Spirit. But when His leading agrees with the Word, my responsibility is to obey. The more I learn to obey His voice, the more sensitive I become to His leadership.

Judge Every Voice by the Word

Not every spiritual sounding message comes from God. Someone can say, “I have a word for you,” or give a prophecy, and still be wrong. That is why I have to judge what I hear according to the Word of God. The Bible is truth, and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. The Holy Spirit will never contradict Himself. I do not build my life on somebody else's opinion about me. I do not allow a person, a peer, an enemy, or even my past to frame my identity. I go to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to discover who I am in Christ.

The Holy Spirit Reveals Who You Are

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would take what belongs to Him and reveal it to us. Without the Holy Spirit, I will never fully understand who I am, what belongs to me, or what God has called me to become. People will try to frame your life for you. Your past will try to frame your life. Your failures will try to frame your life. Your circumstances will try to frame your life. Do not let them. Let the Holy Spirit reveal your identity. Let Him reveal what God says about you. Let Him reveal the purpose God has placed inside you. Let Him reveal the inheritance you have in Christ. As a leader, I cannot afford to build my identity around people's opinions. I need my identity rooted in what God says about me.

Protect Your Fellowship

Scripture gives us serious warnings about how we relate to the Holy Spirit. We are told not to quench Him, not to grieve Him, and we are warned about resisting and insulting Him. Acts 5 shows us that we can lie to the Holy Spirit, and Jesus also warns about blaspheming the Holy Spirit. These passages remind me that my relationship with the Holy Spirit is not something to treat casually. I want to honor His presence, value His voice, respond when He speaks, and protect my fellowship with my Helper.

Spiritual Dryness Can Be a Listening Problem

If I am not hearing God's voice, I can eventually become spiritually dry. Then I begin drifting, then I become cold. Sometimes we say, “I am not getting anything,” but maybe the question is not what I am getting, maybe I need to ask, “Am I listening?” Am I creating room for the Holy Spirit? Am I responding to what He has already told me? Am I obeying what I already know? Am I filling every quiet moment with another voice? I have to tune my spirit to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Three Decisions for Spirit Led Leadership

I want you to make three decisions. Recognize Him, become conscious of the Holy Spirit throughout your day and remember that your Helper is with you. Respect Him, honor His presence and learn what pleases Him and what grieves Him. Respond to Him, and when He speaks in agreement with God's Word, obey quickly. Those three decisions will help you develop the close fellowship Jesus intended you to have with the Holy Spirit.

Questions to Consider

Am I primarily head led, dread led, or Spirit led when making important decisions? What voices are getting most of my attention right now? How often do I intentionally acknowledge the Holy Spirit throughout my day? Is there something the Holy Spirit has been prompting me to do that I have not obeyed? Are there attitudes, habits, distractions, or behaviors in my life that could be grieving or quenching the Holy Spirit? When I receive advice or a spiritual word from someone, do I judge it according to Scripture? What would change in my leadership if I consistently asked the Holy Spirit for direction before making decisions?

Put It Into Practice

Continue reading John chapters 14, 15, and 16 and pay special attention to what Jesus teaches about the person, character, and work of the Holy Spirit. Then create some quiet in your life. Turn off the noise for a few minutes, put your phone down, remove distractions, and get still before God. Begin by saying, “Thank You, Jesus, for the Holy Spirit,” then pray, “Holy Spirit, speak to me. I am listening.” Do not be head led. Do not be dread led. Be Spirit led. Recognize Him. Respect Him. Respond to Him. The Holy Spirit is your Helper, and learning to hear and obey His voice is one of the most important things you will ever learn.