How Do We Know it is the Holy Spirit Speaking
And Not Our Own Thoughts
The Holy Spirit Speaking or our thoughts / Many of us spend a great deal of time wondering what God wants us to do tomorrow, next month, or next year. We want clarity about the future. We want assurance that we are making the right decisions. Yet God is more concerned about whether we are faithfully depending on Him today. Walking in the Spirit means trusting the Lord God every moment. It means surrendering our plans, thoughts, and desires to Him daily and learning to follow His leadership with humility and obedience.
Three thousand years ago, when David was hiding from his enemies in the depths of a limestone cave, he wrote these words, speaking about God, “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path” (Psalm 142:3). The same is true for us. Even when we feel uncertain or overwhelmed, God is never confused about where He is leading us.
The Holy Spirit’s Guidance Always Lines Up with Scripture / Sometimes people say, “I feel like the Spirit impressed this on my heart.” Our response should always be the same: “Does it line up with what God has already said in His Word?” The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to take the Scriptures, apply them to our lives, and teach us what we need to know. Just to give one example, many couples in pre-marital counseling share that they are already living together outside the covenant of marriage. When that happens, their counselor is faithful in saying, “What you are doing is not right. The Word of God does not allow that.” To that some have replied “You know what, we know that’s what the Bible says, but we prayed about it, and we’ve got real peace from God that this is okay.” No—whatever peace they are referring to is not from God because the Holy Spirit will never contradict the Word of God. Not ever. We will never read something in the Bible and the next day get some vision from God that contradicts what the Bible says.
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Scripture is our standard for what is true, and what is right and wrong. We do not have to doubt it because God wrote it down for us. So, when we have a thought or feeling that does not align with the Word of God, it may be a spirit we are listening to, but it is not the Spirit of God.
Pay Attention to Spiritual Promptings / There are moments in life when we must make quick decisions. Sometimes the logical choice may seem obvious, yet deep within our hearts we sense the Lord leading us in a different direction. We might feel prompted to stop and speak to someone about the Gospel. We might sense a burden to give generously to a ministry need beyond what feels comfortable. At other times, we may feel compelled to serve in a way we had never previously considered. There are also moments when we experience an unusual sense of compassion toward someone who is hurting. We may suddenly feel drawn toward a person, situation, or opportunity for ministry in a way that cannot easily be explained. When those promptings align with the love, wisdom, and Truth of God’s Word, we should prayerfully pay attention. This is the time to pray to God for clarity, because if the thoughts are rooted in the love and kindness of His Word, it is most certainly a prompting of the Holy Spirit. When we are faithful to obey God instead of our own logic, a moment always follows when we think to ourselves, “Good thing I did not do what was logical. I am glad I did what was spiritual.”
How Do I Listen to the Holy Spirit?
We can fill our hearts with God’s Word by reading it, memorizing it, and listening to it. Many worship songs are built around Scripture, and you can play them in your heart. That is the part we play in all of this. You do not have to beg the Holy Spirit to help you—just keep filling up the tank with godly things. When the right moment comes, the Holy Spirit will be there to give you the wisdom you need.
God bless you,
David Jeremiah