How Can You Know?

Yesterday we celebrated Pentecost in worship at our church.  The entire service was devoted to the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit.  The sermon, Power to Change, explored how the various roles of the Holy Spirit can bring about the necessary changes in us to make us fully functioning witnesses for Jesus.
The time of worship ended with an invitation to respond to God's word by praying for the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives and to make us the people God created us to be.  Those who responded and prayed might be wondering if there is any way of knowing for sure if God released the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives.  Though the Spirit moves at his own pleasure and not the same in every person, there are some ways that God gives us assurance.

• The witness of the Spirit - Romans 8:16 teaches us that the Holy Spirit confirms divine activity to the human spirit.  This brings a spiritual certainty deeper than at the level of the intellect or emotions; a knowing that cannot be explained but is nonetheless unmistakable.
• The witness of the word - God does what He says He will do.  Acts 1:4, 8; Mt 3:11; Lk 11:13; Jn 14:26 are examples of promises God made concerning the gift of the Holy Spirit.  God's word is true and it is trustworthy.  We have assurance because of the certainty of His word and His faithfulness to keep it.
• The witness of the Church - The Bible and Church history are full of examples of supernatural changes Holy Spirit brought to the lives of individuals.  Acts 10:46 and 19:6 cite examples of immediate evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit as individuals were given supernatural ability to speak in languages they had never learned.  Some manifested an immediate ability to speak on behalf of God (prophecy, also Acts 19:6).  These immediate and sometimes dramatic transformations in individuals was never the experience of every person.  For most, changes emerged gradually over time.
• The witness of a changed life - Perhaps one of the greatest examples of the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit is the life the apostle Paul (Acts 26:9-23).  A man who had hated Christians and did all he could to exterminate them became a devout follower of Jesus after the Holy Spirit took control of his life.

If you have invited the Holy Spirit to be THE governing power in your life, you can trust that he will.  You might not feel anything right away (or maybe you will) but over time you will gradually become more and more the person God created you to be.  Psalm 37:4 teaches us that when the most important thing to us is bringing pleasure to the heart of God, He will give us the desires of our heart.  God wants you to be filled with and controlled by His Spirit and if you have asked Him to do that for you, you can BELIEVE that He has!