Would you know if the Holy Spirit was missing?

I once heard a pastor on the radio say something to the effect of “if the Holy Spirit was to leave, there would be many Christians that wouldn’t notice for weeks, even months.”

Whoa.

What?

Hearing that shocked me. It prompted some deep reflection and questioning in my life.  

I challenge you to ask yourself the question: Would you know if the Holy Spirit was missing?

Or maybe the first question you’re needing to ask is, “what is the Holy Spirit?”

It’s the helper. In John 16:7 Jesus says, “it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Comforter won’t come. If I do go away, he will come because I will send him to you.”  Then in John 16:13, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth…he will tell you about your future, he will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me.”

If the Holy Spirit wasn’t here, we wouldn’t receive comfort, nurturing, instruction, etc. And we wouldn’t have God’s thoughts and ideas about us presented to us. We would be lost making our own decisions…and that is a bad, dead-end, lifeless place to be in.

Also, in Romans 8:6, If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.

And with the Holy Spirit in us, we can do the same works as Jesus, and even greater! Says so in John 14:12.

Annnnd, in Romans 14:17, For the kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Simply put, the kingdom of God is IN the Holy Spirit. If we are in tune with the Holy Spirit, we are in tune with the kingdom of God. 

So, let’s go back to the question. Would you know if the Holy Spirit was missing?

My answer today would be a yes! I would know within minutes if the Holy Spirit was gone. But that hasn’t always been my answer. Honestly, there were many seasons in my life where I just did my own thing. I let Him in when it was convenient, but it was on my terms. Let me tell you, those seasons were exhausting, joyless, lifeless and full of bad decisions. I had a God-shaped hole in my heart that I filled with so many things other than Him. In those seasons, the Holy Spirit could have been gone for months and I wouldn’t have known.

In my defense (and maybe yours, too?), listening to the Holy Spirit wasn’t something I was taught how to do in my early churchgoing years. I grew up in a church that didn’t talk about the supernatural realm, so I knew nothing about it, much less how to even operate in it. Being a Christian meant I read my Bible and went to church to sing songs and listen to a sermon. Honestly, Christian life was boring to me back then. So much so, I stopped going to church for a period of time. Hence, the seasons of doing my own thing.

My desire to hear from God grew in college at a Bible study that offered free pizza. In all honesty, I attended because of the pizza (read: broke college student needed dinner), but it was at that time that seeds were planted. God will use your partial “yes.”

It’s one thing to believe in God and go to church, but it’s a whole different thing to know and experience God supernaturally through the Holy Spirit. He wants to talk to us. He wants a real relationship. And let me tell you, life with the Holy Spirit is anything but boring! 

When I began (nervously) saying “yes” to Him is when I began to see real fruit in my life. I’m happier, more appreciative, productive, make better decisions, and am at peace. Life is more exciting! I walk in fullness. And I love partnering and operating with Him in the spiritual gifts. No longer do I feel like I’m just “getting by.” My life no longer feels empty. I talk to God daily and trust He is with me and for me (says so in Deuteronomy 31:8). I’ve also seen how He has shown up for me and because of that my faith has grown.

If you would like to experience God beyond the church walls, I challenge you to go for it! It’s one thing to know of Him, it’s another to know Him. Experience God in a supernatural way for yourself. If the Bible says so (it does in Revelation 3:20 and Matthew 11:27-30 and more) then it’s real and go for it!

Ask God to show up in your workouts. Ask Him to show up at your work, on your drive, at school, when you’re at the coffee shop, during a big life decision, when you’re down in the dumps, wherever! He will come! He sends His comforter/instructor/counselor, the Holy Spirit.

Check out my post on how to do a writing activation to practice spending time with God and learning how to hear from Him. 

Check out this great post (that I didn’t write) on the ways the Holy Spirit talks to us. 

Feel free to comment! I would love to hear your thoughts!