How Do We Know If We Have The Holy Spirit?

When I was a teenager, a group of young missionaries came to our church and I was absolutely riveted by their faith, their "cool-factor" while being an unashamed witness for Christ, and mostly just the fact that they seemed to be filled with "spirit". One of these young people stayed at our house that week and so I had a chance to observe him and ask him alot of questions. I was also curious because he (like several of the others) had the gift of speaking in tongues. Bottom line: I wanted what they had and wanted to know how to get it. My houseguest said that what I was observing in him was the Holy Spirit and that all I had to do after accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior was to ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to allow myself to be totally open to it happening.

Well, I did ask...... and ask..... and maybe that's part of the problem. Jesus says to ask and then BELIEVE that it has been given and we will receive what we have asked for. I think perhaps I did not then, and perhapsI haven't yet now, completely surrendered to God taking complete control of my life. While doing an Internet search on the topic of this post, I ran across a sermon by a preacher who voiced alot of the things I've been thinking. He said that alot of people ask for the Holy Spirit but then are apprehensive about what that might really mean and thus there is ambivalence in their asking and, therefore, ambivalence in the giving. He said that having the Spirit of God take up permanent residence inside of us and be given complete control of our lives is very scary to many and, frankly, many don't want to give up certain aspects of their lives or control over certain aspects of their lives. In other words, having the Holy Spirit is a form of responsibility and many don't want that kind of responsibility. On the other hand, living under God's complete control gives us access to His unerring direction, constant support and love and lack of desire to engage in things not of God. This makes the responsibility a partnership and responsibility is always easier when it is shared with another.

The preacher I found on the Internet also says that having the Holy Spirit is not always (and maybe rarely) a case of being thunderstruck with overwhelming joy, immediately being able to speak in tongues, or being able to perform healing miracles at one's merest touch. Rather, one may know they are filled with the Holy Spirit by the deep sense of peace and serenity they feel on a regular basis, the feeling of being drawn to those things of God and away from things not of God (or beginning to love those things of God more than those things of the world) and hearing God's direction in that "still, small voice" in our everyday practices.

So, when I ask myself if I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I am going to answer yes because I do feel myself drawn to the things of God on a much more constant basis. I find myself praying and talking to God and wanting to talk to God on a regular basis. I find myself wanting to read more and more about God and his word. I feel more serene and peaceful than ever before. I find myself relinquishing my addictions to anger, resentment, jealousy, self-pity, and revenge. I find myself in a state of forgiveness and love more and more often. I find that I am craving the company of other followers of Christ and am less satisfied when around those who are not Christ followers. The preacher I spoke of earlier also says that he believes receiving the Holy Spirit is a process and not a product or result. I like that and believe that I am in the process of daily receipt of the Holy Spirit in my life. I don't have all the answers (in fact I have no answers except that Jesus Christ is my Saviour), but I don't need to have all the answers because God has all the answers for me and I need only ask Him to guide me in the right direction. I simply ask for God to help me be in a state of complete surrender (faith) each and every day and to give me the courage and the strength to do the things He wants me to do out of His love for me and concern for my growth.