Do you know for certain that you have the Holy Spirit indwelling you?

Matthew B said:

I am asking because for me I do not know that the Holy Spirit is indwelling me. Whenever somebody asks me if He is I cannot answer confidently. If somebody asks me if Jesus is Lord I say Yes! But if someone asks me whether or not I have the Holy Spirit I cannot say yes so confidently. It is more like a maybe. This is something I find interesting because Jesus said you must be born again to see the kingdom of God. If someone here can confidently say yes I have the Holy Spirit inside my body please tell me! Thanks!

Click to expand...

Matthew, yes son . The word of God grabs my attention when I'm reading His word (or sometimes from other sources like an ASME magazine!). Words like "I'm still with you" is the assurance of the Holy Spirit that I always have. Further, the boldness that comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit is unmistakable (Acts 4:13). To others the Holy Spirit may manifest through speaking in tongues or other physical forms. God bless .

Hi Matthew, do you know 'when' you became a Christian? If you do, and if you became a Christian as a teenager or as an adult, how would you describe your day to day life now in comparison to the life you led BEFORE you became a Christian?

I have a few more questions to ask, but I'll just leave it at that for now.

Thanks!

Yours and His,
David

Matthew,
I too have had such thoughts and questions and for me it comes down to expectation of feelings, not faith. Doubting Thomas you might say. As a result my Walk hasn't been what it could/should have been. What I find helpful is starting in the Bible searching for other scripture that relates to the matter at hand and provides additional confirmation or support for that which I am concerned. I then spend some time viewing biblical commentary from reliable sources to help me better understand, then I continue my research reading or listening to other reliable Christian sources that expound on the issue at hand. For me my favorite site is Search GotQuestions.org. Forums such as this can be an encouragement and offer what we hope is a good, solid Christian foundation and advice. I will say as long as you are making an earnest effort in seeking Him and finding truth in His Word, then I believe you are heading in the right direction and my prayer for you is that you'll grow in the Word with understanding and experience all that He has promised.

yes, absolutely, and without a single doubt I do have the Holy Spirit residing and active within me.
The whole purpose of the Holy Spirit is to spiritually strengthen, encourage, enlighten, and facilitate communication between men, God, and Jesus.
He does this through the gifts He gives us. And as we use these gifts we begin to understand more about God and Jesus.

How this works is that the words and knowledge of the Holy Spirit originate from outside of us, and are thus independent of our own thought processes.
And most importantly those words and knowledge of the Holy Spirit will always point us back to God and Jesus, and confirm what God's word says.

Matthew B said:

I am asking because for me I do not know that the Holy Spirit is indwelling me. Whenever somebody asks me if He is I cannot answer confidently. If somebody asks me if Jesus is Lord I say Yes! But if someone asks me whether or not I have the Holy Spirit I cannot say yes so confidently. It is more like a maybe. This is something I find interesting because Jesus said you must be born again to see the kingdom of God. If someone here can confidently say yes I have the Holy Spirit inside my body please tell me! Thanks!

Click to expand...

Please see below for the test procedure.
Discover Answered Prayer! -Click Here-

Matthew B said:

I am asking because for me I do not know that the Holy Spirit is indwelling me. Whenever somebody asks me if He is I cannot answer confidently. If somebody asks me if Jesus is Lord I say Yes! But if someone asks me whether or not I have the Holy Spirit I cannot say yes so confidently. It is more like a maybe. This is something I find interesting because Jesus said you must be born again to see the kingdom of God. If someone here can confidently say yes I have the Holy Spirit inside my body please tell me! Thanks!

Click to expand...

Hi Matthew,
Yes, I am confident of the Holy Spirit's presence is abiding within me. He has made His presence known throughout my Christian life and is responsible for all the godly change in my life. He has given me courage when I had none. The Spirit gives me words to speak, songs to sing, actions to take, and a very great joy in contemplating God's Holy Word because I now know the Word is for my edification. I'm acutely aware of God's Spirit within me as I worship, pray, testify and fellowship with Christians from all over the world. I see the Spirit moving in others as well, which is a great opportunity for rejoicing as well. When you see the Spirit of God refashioning and transforming the landscape pressing history towards its culmination you cannot help but rejoice with the Spirit and in the Spirit.

That said, it is true that there are times when I am more acutely aware of His abiding Spirit than at other times. But even if I find myself in the driest desert and dark places without much light I still know He's there with me in the trials and tribulations I encounter. Ever faithful He never deserts the wounded and does not allow us to be left behind for the enemy to devour. He dresses our wounds and provides respite for us to regain our strength in Him. He picks me up when I fail and fall and encourages me to pursue Him despite myself. I am always learning from Him and I am still astounded by the things He shows me about the depth of God's great love and mercy. Walking in the Spirit is the only way to go! We have found an infinite mine of treasure of diamonds the deeper we go into the mine of God's love. So it is my desire is to lose myself in Christ; less of me more of Him and avoid the distractions along the world, realizing I am in the world but that my heart and soul belongs to Jesus. This becomes a reality as He draws us to Himself.

The Spirit of God first came and washed over me as I truly contemplated the depth of the cross and began to understand how Jesus truly bore my sins on the tree. I literally wept like a baby recounting my sins that held my Jesus there. How I wanted to be a true follower of Jesus and not just some nominal Christian giving lip service to God but having my heart far from Him. That night I was broken on the altar of God's love and my plea to Holy God was without knowing what to expect for an answer as I called out to Him. But O how I desired God to do or say something. I can relate to Jacob's wrestling with the angel and crying out to get blessed. God blessed me that night as well. I was certainly not prepared for the ocean breakers of God's mercy that washed over my soul like huge waves crashing on the beach but there were tears of great joy in knowing God I was truly His child. This knowledge was too great and overwhelmed my soul. I just couldn't stop praising God and thanking Him for His mercy, love and grace, which I was completely undeserving of. It found expression it utterances too deep for words though words came flooding too, some in English. I felt like God had touched me and the knowledge of God and God's love was something so profound that I could never be the same ever again, nor would I want to. I did not want the knowledge of God's love through that open door to ever end. That was many years ago but it feels like it happened yesterday and I grateful to tell of the great mercy and love that God has for sinners such as I just like the many other before me and after me that God has made wholesome and holy in Christ.

I believe the Spirit moves people in different ways and that we manifest the Spirit of God in various forms of actions and words. Together we are working towards the same goal, "Thy kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it already is in heaven eternal". The Spirit has been given and will be given to as many as have genuinely asked. It is given free without cost and that we cannot merit or buy, just as Jesus told us in the below passage.
Luke 11:13

• “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

John 16:5-11

• The Work of the Holy Spirit which will be manifest in Christians (the Church)
  “But now I (Jesus) go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper *the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

In Christ, John 17:20

No I'm not certain to be honest. Sometimes I "feel" like I have. But feelings can be an unreliable guide. I have a conscience but I know that's not the same thing. According to my heritage, the Holy Spirit entered me in Baptism. But did he stay the whole time?

Yes, I do. If I ever needed confirmation, it happened when I was head of the elder board at our church and our senior pastor took his own life. We had no idea how to lead our scarred and stunned and confused congregation through that, so we simply prayed for the Holy Spirit to reveal the next step we should take. He did, and then we prayed for the next step. Repeated many times. Church is now in a wonderful place that He took it to, much better than I ever would have believed.

Hi Matthew, thanks for telling me all of that I'm about to ask you more questions as well as make some assumptions about your life based on the things you've just told me. Please correct any of the assumptions that I get wrong about you. Thanks!

So, something profound happened to you about 2.5 yrs ago, something that you might describe as a paradigm shift in your thinking when you came to faith in Jesus Christ (is that about right?). And this "change" still remains constant today, and is now not only part of you, it is you, yes?

How did all of this happen to you do you think and by what power have you remained faithful since late 2014? You went from trying to please yourself, to being concerned about pleasing God instead, right? You went from someone living a sinful, self-directed lifestyle to living what could at least loosely be described as a holy lifestyle, devoid of the kinds of sins that you used to commit regularly, yes?

Please let me know if most of this is correct, and then I'll continue (Dv). It will probably have to be a little later today however as I need to go.

Yours and His,
David
p.s. - many of the characteristics that are common to all believers are described for us by St. Paul in the passage below. However, v14 describes some of the typical characteristics that non-believers hold in common instead, so it's an interesting contrast to study and understand. Does v14 remind you of yourself in any way prior to becoming a Christian?

You can be sure you have the Holy Spirit in you currently if you feel it is God who is changing you from the inside to do His commandments that you normally could not do on your own. If you feel His presence. As it is written the Spirit bears witness that we are His children. When talking to God changes your heart. You still may have the Spirit even if you don't always have these experiences but you have to have it sometimes or not a few times

Jesus said you hear the sound of the wind but you don't know where it comes from so is everyone who is born of the Spirit. People feel it is God changing you

Matthew B said:

I am asking because for me I do not know that the Holy Spirit is indwelling me. Whenever somebody asks me if He is I cannot answer confidently. If somebody asks me if Jesus is Lord I say Yes! But if someone asks me whether or not I have the Holy Spirit I cannot say yes so confidently. It is more like a maybe. This is something I find interesting because Jesus said you must be born again to see the kingdom of God. If someone here can confidently say yes I have the Holy Spirit inside my body please tell me! Thanks!

Click to expand...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (Gal. 5:22)

My faith is not resting in what I feel or experience. My faith is resting upon God's word.

Matthew B said:

By faith I can say Jesus is the Lord. But saying that I have the Holy Spirit by faith seems like I should have some evidence behind it. The early church spoke in different languages and experienced a whirlwind. Here's a quote.
"1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. " Acts 2
Acts 2 - NIV Bible - When the day of Pentecost came, they were all......

They saw tongues or fire, violent wind from heaven and spoke in different languages. Jesus had a spirit from heaven come down upon him.

"Mark 1:9-11
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him" (23. The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan)

I'd feel very much more confident of a Holy Spirit indwelling if some of these things occurred to me.

Click to expand...

You can't compare the day of Pentecost, a onetime event, with every other day in history. And, you especially can't compare your experience with Christ's.

Should all Christians see burning bushes like Moses did?

I Corinthians 12:13 - For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13,14 - In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.

Matthew, this is very simple. If you have made a profession of faith and repented of your sin, which seems to be what you have said - then you have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside you. Period. All Believers have the Holy Spirit.

I think your struggle with understanding the Holy Spirit may be two-fold. First, the fact that you're questioning whether or not you have the Holy Spirit indicates that you don't have a good education on who the Holy Spirit is, what His role is, and how He works. This can be easily rectified with reading a good book on the Holy Spirit and His role in our lives.

I recommend The Mystery of the Holy Spirit, by RC Sproul. I think this is an important enough issue in your life that you should do the due diligence of taking the time to read this.

Secondly, one of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit is to provide you with spiritual gifts with the purpose of edifying the body of Christ and furthering the Gospel. So my question would be - are you doing this? Specifically, how are you edifying the body of Christ? Are you involved in a good local church, and are you serving there? The Spirit has given you gifts, and you should be actively using them. If you are not, then you need to be. I recommend spending more time in prayer, and getting out and finding a local church where you can use the gifts and talents you have to help edify the people there.

Matthew B said:

By faith I can say Jesus is the Lord. But saying that I have the Holy Spirit by faith seems like I should have some evidence behind it. The early church spoke in different languages and experienced a whirlwind. Here's a quote.
"1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. " Acts 2
Acts 2 - NIV Bible - When the day of Pentecost came, they were all......

They saw tongues or fire, violent wind from heaven and spoke in different languages. Jesus had a spirit from heaven come down upon him.

"Mark 1:9-11
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him" (23. The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan)

I'd feel very much more confident of a Holy Spirit indwelling if some of these things occurred to me.

Click to expand...

“and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:5-11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

There are many different gifts, I do not think I have never spoken in tongues, but that is not the only gift. Maybe there are more things elsewhere in the bible, and like someone else said the fruits of the Spirit. Maybe you can't raise the dead but you are becoming more patient, more loving towards others, humble, these are things that may help you as well.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:16-26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Hope this helps and encourages you.

Matthew B said:

I am asking because for me I do not know that the Holy Spirit is indwelling me. Whenever somebody asks me if He is I cannot answer confidently. If somebody asks me if Jesus is Lord I say Yes! But if someone asks me whether or not I have the Holy Spirit I cannot say yes so confidently. It is more like a maybe. This is something I find interesting because Jesus said you must be born again to see the kingdom of God. If someone here can confidently say yes I have the Holy Spirit inside my body please tell me! Thanks!

Click to expand...

Tangent to your question,
but directly and importantly related to it (having just now read the OP only),
remember that either obviously OR apparently,
there are a lot more hypocrites in this world
than there are true honest people,
even in 'churches'.
i.e. keep seeking and living as you say "Jesus IS Lord",
and
as it is written, let the PEACE OF CHRIST RULE in our hearts.
(not the foibles and emotions/ feelings of the flesh/ nor of men)