As born-again believers in Jesus Christ, we serve a triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In Genesis 1:26 (AMP) God says, “Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image. … ” This verse reveals God as the Trinity, and we need to worship and have relationship with each Person of the Godhead.
It seems more common to hear people talk about God and Jesus, but the Holy Spirit does not get enough of our attention. It’s important to understand that He is a person who has a personality, a will, knowledge, a mind, and He thinks and knows things. For example, 1 Corinthians 2:11 (AMP) tells us that “no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”
In John 16:7, we learn some of the facets of His personality and how we need Him to work in our lives. In this verse Jesus says, “…If I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you]” (AMP).
This Scripture teaches that He is our …
- Counselor—always go to God first for counsel and let Him speak to you His way, through the people or things He chooses.
- Advocate—He pleads our case when we’re in trouble.
- Intercessor—He prays for us and through us when we don’t know how to pray on our own.
- Standby—He stands by us, ready to act on our behalf when we need something.
- Strengthener—He gives us God’s grace to do whatever we need to do in every situation.
He’s all these things and so much more! God is literally everything we need, and as we fellowship with the Holy Spirit, we can have “the mind of Christ…and…hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart” (1 Corinthians 2:16).
Learn the Sound of His Voice
The Holy Spirit is the only One who fully knows the mind of God, so when we pray for God to give us wisdom or the knowledge we need, it’s important for us to realize the Spirit is in us (1 Corinthians 2:12; 6:19). And He communicates to us what He hears God say. John 16:13 explains that He is “the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit)” and He guides us into the Truth. “For He will not speak His own message … but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father. …]”
One way we learn how to hear the Holy Spirit is by understanding that He has emotions and He can be grieved. Ephesians 4:30 (AMP) says, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him]. … ” Because He lives in us, when He feels grieved, we will feel it too.
Ephesians 4:29-31 (AMP) lists some behaviors that cause Him to be grieved: foul, polluting language; evil, unwholesome, worthless talk; bitterness, indignation, wrath, rage, a bad temper, resentment, anger, quarreling, contention and slander. So when we choose to think and speak in ways that go against His nature, we will feel conviction, and the best thing we can do is confess our sin and repent immediately.
James 3 teaches that no one can “tame the tongue” and sometimes we make mistakes and say wrong things. But we can learn from our mistakes; we can pray and ask God to help us only say things that are right and pleasing to Him.
I know it’s easy to be insensitive and say the wrong things sometimes. The other day I was wearing a blouse that didn’t fit me right, and I said to someone, “This thing is way too big for me but it would probably fit you.” Afterward, I couldn’t believe I said it!
The Bible teaches us that “no one can tame the tongue” (James 3:8). We need to pray for God to help us hear His voice, giving us wisdom and direction in the thoughts we choose to think about and the words we speak.
As our Counselor, He wants to guide us in everything we do, and we can learn how to hear His voice. So listen for the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart. You’ll hear it as you wait quietly in His presence, while you’re studying His Word, in your circumstances and even through nature. God is talking to you!
Joyce Meyer is a New York Times best-selling author and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. She has authored nearly 100 books, including Battlefield of the Mind and The Mind Connection (Hachette). She hosts the Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of stations worldwide. For more information, visit www.joycemeyer.org.
