How do I know if I am being compelled by the Holy Spirit to do something?

[grandvizier1006]

I'm a rational, facts-oriented person. I try not to have an emotional bias in certain issues. I was also raised Presbyterian (PCA), and in the churches I grew up in the Holy Spirit simply wasn't talked about much or elaborated upon. Now I'm in a church with a different denomination and I am trying to understand my faith better. Lately I've been having a lot of time to myself that I've used to try and understand some faith-related topics. Now I'm having this urge--that's the best way I can describe it, but it's a small, resistable urge--to talk about some of this stuff with my friends, but I don't know if I should. Some of what I want to talk about would involve opening myself up too much and I don't know if it would be better to just ignore these feelings and keep living my life.

Any answers are welcome, but please note that as someone who grew up in a PCA church, I may not "get" certain suggestions if it involves something I'm not accustomed to doing. For example, I've never fasted before. I'm skinny and weigh around 150 pounds, and I think a physical abstaining from food would be dangerous for my health. I need meals to satiate hunger, and as person who likes evidence-based facts I'd want proof that fasting would be helpful, not just anecdotal evidence or appeals to tradition.

 

[Dave-W]

This is an outline from Derek Prince Ministries. While specific toward personal prophecy, the principles stand for any communication direct from the Lord:

TESTING PROPHECY

Taken from How to Judge Prophecy, Derek Prince Publications.

1. The end purpose of all true prophecy is to build up, to admonish, and to encourage the people of God. Anything that is not directed to that end is not true prophecy. (1 Cor.14:3)

2. All true prophecy agrees with the letter and the spirit of the Scriptures. (2 Tim. 3:16)

3. All true prophecy centres in Jesus Christ and exalts and glorifies him. (John 16:13)

4. True prophecy produces fruit in character and conduct that agrees with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. (Gal. 5:22-23)

5. If a prophetic revelation contains predictions concerning the future, are these predictions fulfilled? If not, the revelation is not from God. (Deut. 18:20-22)

6. The fact that a person makes a prediction about the future that comes true does not necessarily prove that the person is a true prophet. If such a person, by their ministry, turns others away from obedience to the one true God, then that person is a false prophet, even if the predictions they make are correct about the future. (Deut. 13:1-5)

7. True prophecy, given by the Holy Spirit, gives freedom and not bondage. (Gal. 5:1)

8. True prophecy, given by the Holy Spirit, gives life and not death. (2 Cor. 3:6)

9. True prophecy, given by the Holy Spirit, agrees with the Holy Spirit within each believer who hears it. (1 John 2:27)

 

[Tolworth John]

Now I'm having this urge--that's the best way I can describe it, but it's a small, resistable urge--to talk about some of this stuff with my friends, but I don't know if I should.

Do they know you are a Christian?
Either way talk as naturally as you can about Church, something that has stuck in your memory, or anything about Christianity.
If they want a debate or an argument they will pick up on your going to church and talk about it.

You will have to know what and why you belief, and should challenge any who are being rude about Christianity by asking them why do they believe that? What evidence do they have for that belief?

 

[zoidar]

Deleted

 

[Dave-W]

Friend, I think you have a lot to learn, what it means to be a Christian.

I think you put this in the wrong thread.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I'm a rational, facts-oriented person. I try not to have an emotional bias in certain issues. I was also raised Presbyterian (PCA), and in the churches I grew up in the Holy Spirit simply wasn't talked about much or elaborated upon. Now I'm in a church with a different denomination and I am trying to understand my faith better. Lately I've been having a lot of time to myself that I've used to try and understand some faith-related topics. Now I'm having this urge--that's the best way I can describe it, but it's a small, resistable urge--to talk about some of this stuff with my friends, but I don't know if I should. Some of what I want to talk about would involve opening myself up too much and I don't know if it would be better to just ignore these feelings and keep living my life.

Choose who you open up to with some care, but do share the burden with someone who is a wise Christian. Don't blurt it all out, but do find someone to share it with. Not doing so can lead to a mess. Doing theology in a vacuum leads to heresy more often than not.

Any answers are welcome, but please note that as someone who grew up in a PCA church, I may not "get" certain suggestions if it involves something I'm not accustomed to doing. For example, I've never fasted before. I'm skinny and weigh around 150 pounds, and I think a physical abstaining from food would be dangerous for my health. I need meals to satiate hunger, and as person who likes evidence-based facts I'd want proof that fasting would be helpful, not just anecdotal evidence or appeals to tradition.

Fasting is not something I should be doing according to my doctors. But I would if I could. There is another option you may not have heard of, and that is abstinence, to temporarily not avail yourself of some good thing. It does not sharpen the mind quite as much as the hunger of fasting, but it still does do that. Christians of Orthodox and Catholic persuasions have historically fasted from meat on Fridays, or even Wednesdays and Fridays. It's fun to poke fun at such practices, but they did do some good. If you can't fast, consider that.

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

I think you put this in the wrong thread.

I think he put it in the wrong forum, entirely.

 

[grandvizier1006]

I should clarify that the other person is a Christian. It’s basically some theological issues I want some advice on, but I’m concerned that it will just lead to disagreement.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I should clarify that the other person is a Christian. It’s basically some theological issues I want some advice on, but I’m concerned that it will just lead to disagreement.

It probably will, sad to say. But if you have chosen the right person you could work out a better understanding instead of having an undiscussed disagreement. Theology is best done on one's knees but is also an ecclesial discipline not intended to be done without reference to the community of faith.

 

[AWorkInProgress]

I'm a rational, facts-oriented person. I try not to have an emotional bias in certain issues. I was also raised Presbyterian (PCA), and in the churches I grew up in the Holy Spirit simply wasn't talked about much or elaborated upon. Now I'm in a church with a different denomination and I am trying to understand my faith better. Lately I've been having a lot of time to myself that I've used to try and understand some faith-related topics. Now I'm having this urge--that's the best way I can describe it, but it's a small, resistable urge--to talk about some of this stuff with my friends, but I don't know if I should. Some of what I want to talk about would involve opening myself up too much and I don't know if it would be better to just ignore these feelings and keep living my life.

Hello Grandvizier1006,

There is nothing wrong with wanting to learn and explore the person and role of the Holy Spirit.

As a person who is saved or regenerated, the Holy Spirit has been a big part of your walk all this time. You are sealed by the Holy Spirit. You are connected and adopted into the family of God via the Holy Spirit and the work of Christ. The scriptures are illuminated and they speak to you by the Holy Spirit. We are convicted of our sins in the light of the Word of God by the Holy Spirit. We are empowered and appointed for service as part of the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. Even when we are lost and confused, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. Out of the trinity, Jesus stated that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit will not be tolerated.

Everyone's walk is different. These are my experiences and they might not be the same as yours. I hope they help out in your walk to learn more about the Holy Spirit. I am a part empath, so emotions is part of my walk.

I started out nondenominational trying to learn and apply the scriptures with my technical mind. It really started when I was trying to learn how to do my job without procrastinating. I worked for an insurance company maintaining their records. Little to no oversight, which means I got soooo bored that I would go to my computer to look stuff up instead of working. Now that I was saved I hated the fact I was doing that. I did a study about it and I learned about the fruit of the Spirit was self-control. (Galatians 5:16-26) That there was a war going on inside of me between my sinful nature and the Holy Spirit. I had to learn to listen to and follow the Holy Spirit. Naturally, the next step was how do I listen to the Holy Spirit?

I did another study about that and found 1 Kings 19:11-12. With all of the power, God displayed it all came down to a still small voice. So to obtain self-control I learned to follow and listen to the Holy Spirit. So I tried to do so, meditating to find that still small voice. (please note I am reformed now and I know this is very dangerous to do, but during this time I was trying to sort out this matters with a sincere heart.)

My first attempts weren't too successful, but later they would pay off. I was struggling really badly with depression during this time. I know now it was my self-loathing condition. Voices in my head would beat me up verbally really bad to the point of tears over any and all mistakes I made. I would feel very suicidal. One night after the storm in my mind was over, I did find that voice. It was different from the screams in my head. It was telling me that I was OK. That it is OK to make a mistake and just to learn from it. It encouraged me that I was going to get better and to trust Him. In my mind's eye like a father lifting up the face of his discouraged son and telling him it was going to be alright. No one has ever done that to me before.

As I struggled with my inappropriate content addiction and other things. I felt the Holy Spirit was teaching and speaking to me with different things. I was a gamer all my life and a movie came out Final Fantasy Advent Children. My friend got his hands on it and I was watching it over and over again. Like something about it was trying to speak to me and it did. Cloud the main character is struggling with depression between sickness and his emotional state. He carries a burden of losing his best friend that he blames himself for letting her die. Cloud's friends need him, but he resists. He finally makes a move and he has a moment with the spirit of his friend. She asks him why has he come? Cloud says he wants to be forgiven, then she says "by who?". That scene hit me hard like the Lord was telling me that he had forgiven me of my sins, but I have not forgiven myself.

Not long after this when I came across others who carried the same pain as I did. I would be moved to encourage them as the Holy Spirit had encouraged me. In many cases, I started to learn it was the same Holy Spirit that spoke to me in my darkest hour was talking to these people. I had to learn not to get in the way of that. Let the Holy Spirit move and reign, and my joy was knowing that person was changed and walked away different than how I first met them. That became my prayer, that people would have an encounter that would change their lives. I would become sensitive to detecting that the Lord had set up something that he was about to do. Like a gamer, I would discern what my role was to play and play it. Sometimes I would minister, other times I got out of sight and started interceding.

To me those were the glory days, seeing God move. The Holy Spirit working in us. Today I learned a lot about theology and I am convinced of the Reformed faith. I struggle now how it all comes together. Heck, we aren't part of a church anymore and I am praying this morning for God to direct our paths. I don't know if it is safe to go back to that line of thinking anymore, but I can not deny that it happened and the beauty of it.

Don't give up on your search for the Holy Spirit, just as I won't give up on mine.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I'm a rational, facts-oriented person. I try not to have an emotional bias in certain issues. I was also raised Presbyterian (PCA), and in the churches I grew up in the Holy Spirit simply wasn't talked about much or elaborated upon. Now I'm in a church with a different denomination and I am trying to understand my faith better. Lately I've been having a lot of time to myself that I've used to try and understand some faith-related topics. Now I'm having this urge--that's the best way I can describe it, but it's a small, resistable urge--to talk about some of this stuff with my friends, but I don't know if I should. Some of what I want to talk about would involve opening myself up too much and I don't know if it would be better to just ignore these feelings and keep living my life.

Any answers are welcome, but please note that as someone who grew up in a PCA church, I may not "get" certain suggestions if it involves something I'm not accustomed to doing. For example, I've never fasted before. I'm skinny and weigh around 150 pounds, and I think a physical abstaining from food would be dangerous for my health. I need meals to satiate hunger, and as person who likes evidence-based facts I'd want proof that fasting would be helpful, not just anecdotal evidence or appeals to tradition.

The Holy Spirit never forces anyone to do anything. He presents what He wants you to know about an issue and leaves it to you to make your choice. This is why we need to carefully consider the pros and cons about something we are prompted to do. If the prompting comes in the form of an urge which one may feel condemned if they don't do it, then we can safely assume that it is not the Holy Spirit prompting.

If you need to discuss personal issues with anyone, and there is nothing wrong with that, you need to carefully choose the person, and that person has to have a good track record of non-judgmental advice, and one who will be discrete and treat the conversation as confidential. Church people are inclined to gossip, and the most insidious form is through prayer meetings when the person you talk to decides to outline your issue to the others in the prayer group, and what do you know? You issue is made common knowledge around the whole church!

It was a bit of a scandal in a church I went to where if one went for counselling with an elder of the church, the elder would tell his wife during their "pillow talk", and some quite personal issues were gossiped around the church - to the point where many felt a lack of confidence in going to the elders for counselling!

A professional counsellor is bound by strict confidentiality rules as a condition for having a practicing certificate. A counsellor can be fired for disclosing clients' personal information to third parties. I think a church pastor or elder who does the same should be subject to serious disciplinary action and fired from their position for bringing the church into disrepute. Such a person could be subject to litigation for defamation of character and also under privacy legislation because they passed on information to people who had no right to it.