Today we will be focusing on a major key element that every believer must understand, to reach their full potential in their relationship with God. Jesus makes a very important statement that I think is key for us to understand. I'm going to use the Amplified Bible version for this passage reading in John 16:7 which says...

"7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you]."

Could you imagine that you have been walking around with Jesus for about 3 years, and he tells you, "I'm going to be leaving soon." I could imagine how His disciples felt at that moment–I bet their hearts dropped. After he makes that statement, he then proceeds to tell you He should go so that the Holy Spirit would come. I don't know about you, but I would have had a million questions for Jesus. I'm sure you have a few questions as well, so we will look at a few different questions and pieces of scripture that will develop a foundational understanding of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit Is God
Acts 5:3-4 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

This verse points out that the Holy Spirit is not just some spiritual entity, but is God himself. It affirms that if they lied to the Holy Spirit, then they lied to God, which if you tie the text together shows that the Holy Spirit is representing God. Next, we see a very simple but clear example of this idea in John 4.

John 4:24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.

The Spirit Draws & Helps Us To Recognize Sin
John 16:7-11  But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

1 Thessalonians 1:5  because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.

The Holy Spirit plays a significant part in our salvation process; we see in John 16:8 and 1 Thessalonians 1:5 that the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, which leads us to know that we need a savior, Jesus Christ. Take a second to reflect back to the moment you accepted Jesus; someone might have told you that you need Jesus, but something inwardly convinced you and convicted you to move to say yes to Jesus. That, my friend, I strongly believe was the work of the Holy Spirit in you.


The Spirit Is A Part Of Our New Birth
John 3:3-7  Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
 
Titus 3:5  he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
 
 
The Holy Spirit Is Evidence Of Our Salvation
Ephesians 1:13-14  And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

1 John 4:13  This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.

Your body is the "temple" for the Holy Spirit, meaning God wants to rest His spirit within man. The only way to have the Spirit dwell within the human being is to be born again, which means you have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior. Remember it was God who created you; you are His creation and He designed humans in His image. As image bearers, He wants us to experience the fullest expression of Himself by placing the power of His Spirit within us.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20  Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
 
Next, it's important to recognize that there is a process of maturing in the Lord and recognizing the Spirit's leading. It is natural to question if you have the Holy Spirit. We have to practice the skill of listening (which includes reflecting and slowing down to listen), but then by faith, actively live out the Spirit's guidance and direction within our lives which in return builds our confidence in His leading. Here are a few practical ways to identify the Holy Spirit is present in your life (this isn't an exhaustive list).
 
When You Desire And Want To Obey God's Way.
1 John 3:24  The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
 
When We See The Manifestation Of The Spirit In Our Lives.
Galatians 5:22-23  the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.
 
When You Sense His Presence.
Ephesians 3:16-19  pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
 
When His Words And Thoughts Start Forming How We Understand Life.
1 Corinthians 2:10-12  These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.
 
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Bible does tell us we can suffocate the spirit's leading and voice in our lives (1 Thessalonians 5:19), so we have to be cautious about how we live. There will be some things that supernaturally happen quicker than others within our maturing process, but remember if you seek God with your whole heart, He will be found (Jeremiah 29:13), and understanding the Spirit's guidance will come naturally as you pursue God. The key is not just listening, it's stepping out in faith and putting his guidance into practice, which will produce confidence in us to hear His voice.

(this is not an exhaustive list)

Convicts Us Of Our Sin.
John 16:8  When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:


Gives Us Spiritual Gifts For The Works Of The Ministry & To Edify The Church.
1 Corinthians 12:4  There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them


Empowers The Believer.
Acts 1:8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”


Intercedes For The Believer In Prayer.
Romans 8:26-27  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.


Produces Good Works Within The Believer.
Philippians 2:13  for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.


Teaches Us His Way.
John 14:26  But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.