He was present at the creation, hovering over the waters as God formed the earth. When Jesus was conceived, He overshadowed Mary, and when Jesus was baptized, He was there again—descending on Jesus like a dove from heaven. Today, He is here, within those who believe in Jesus Christ, comforting us in our sorrow, guiding us in our decisions and relationships, teaching us, protecting us, encouraging us, and interceding for us.
The concept of the Holy Spirit can be hard to visualize. He is the Spirit of God, completing the Trinity along with the Father and Jesus, the Son of God. All three are God.
It’s easy to think of God as the Father, overseeing everything from heaven. Jesus Christ can be readily understood because He was a man as well as God. Jesus is like your brother—He lives in heaven, where He intercedes for you with the Father, providing you with forgiveness.
You might think of the Holy Spirit as Jesus Christ without His body. Christ’s Spirit comes to live within you when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit is present within you and active in your daily life. He is near. He is personal. He empowers you in your decisions and relationships—both with God and with others.
What is the evidence of the Holy Spirit within you? When He is active within you—and when you actively seek His guidance—the evidence is seen in the “fruit of the Spirit,” in how you deal with others and with difficult situations. This fruit is expressed through you as love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are outward manifestations of the love of God that the Holy Spirit is producing within you.
The Holy Spirit is sometimes also thought of as that voice within you telling you to do the right thing. He will never tell you to sin or violate God’s commandments, the most important of which are to love God with your entire being and to love others as much as you love yourself.
When you don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit steps in and prays for you what needs to be prayed. Romans 8:26 says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” The Holy Spirit understands what you need even when you don’t.
The Holy Spirit knows you intimately, better and more deeply than you know yourself. Do you feel lonely? If you have accepted Jesus Christ and asked for forgiveness, the Holy Spirit is always within you. He will never leave you, and you are never alone.
The messages and articles below dive deeper into who the Holy Spirit is.