Do you ever wonder if the Holy Spirit is nudging you to believe something or to do something?

If so, you wouldn’t be alone.

But the Holy Spirit can be confusing to people. After all, he’s invisible! So let me explain a few things.

The Holy Spirit is the Person, power, and presence of God in our lives and world.

Because of the element of mystery, many people think the Holy Spirit is “at work” or “on the move” whenever they feel something strongly. When that feeling is directed toward a goal which seems loving or kind, it can strengthen their suspicion that God must be behind it.

But 1 John 4:1 advises us to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God…” In other words, just because you feel strongly about a nice idea that doesn’t mean it’s from God. You need to test it.

So one way to tell if something is from God is whether or not it agrees with biblical teaching.

In John 10:35 Jesus says that “Scripture cannot be set aside…” In John 16:13 he tells his followers that the Holy Spirit “will guide you into all the truth.” In Mark 7, Jesus quotes the Old Testament teachings through Moses and calls them the “word of God” (v. 13) and “the commands of God” (v. 7). There is a harmony between Scripture, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, the Spirit will never contradict God’s word.

Do you sometimes have a strong feeling about something and wonder if it’s the Holy Spirit prompting you? If so, ask yourself whether it agrees with biblical teaching. If not, don’t be hoodwinked.

The Spirit will never contradict God’s word.

By Matthew Ruttan

–“Help when it hurts.” That’s a new teaching series I’ll be starting this Sunday (June 9 at Westminster). No one gets a free pass through life. But we are promised God’s presence and help along the way. Click here for a 41-second YouTube video I made about what to expect.
–“Up!” is published 5 days a week (Monday – Friday) and returns on June 10.
–Bible quotes are from the NIV.