Pray for forgiveness, wisdom and then the Holy Spirit. His coming into your life is not a feeling, just a fact.
Not sure if I ever received the Holy Spirit
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In your first post there are a lot of "I feel" and "I don"t feel" statements. Our feelings/emotions often lie to us and cannot be trusted to be truth. I suggest you just put your trust in what scripture says and your feelings with eventually line up with truth. Please be patient with yourself and GOD.
You are going to get a lot of different OPINIONS about this and a lot of different answers. So let me advise you to go to the Bible for your answers and not men. The apostle Paul says that the Bible is the “mind of Christ.” 1 Cor. 2:16 and God assures us that the scriptures are “INSPIRED by God and are COMPLETE, PERFECT, and can equip us with ALL we need. 2 Tim. 3:16. So my first advice is to believe and trust the scriptures. John 17 says that God’s word is “TRUTH.”
Second, Roman’s 10:17 tells us that “FAITH comes by hearing the word of God.” You have a “faith problem.” The only way to get more “faith” is to read and study God’s word. You need to get “built up” on scripture. Let me suggest you read the Bible stories in the Old Testament—they tell of the mighty wonderful works of God. They will get you acquainted with JEHOVAH. Specifically, the stories of Noah, Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and Joseph in the book of Genesis. The story of Moses and the exodus out of Egypt in Exodus, Joshua, Judges, the kings of the Jews and Esther. Ruth is a short story about a young girl like yourself who is a great role model for you.
In reading the Old Testament you really get to know God. You understand his great love and long suffering but you also realize His mighty power and you will LEARN to fear Him.
The New Testament is all about Christ the Messiah. And you will learn about the Holy Spirit and how He works. It is helpful to understand and get to know BOTH Jehovah God and Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit because they make up the Trinity or God head. So build your faith by reading the Bible. Build your faith in Jesus Christ by reading the 4 books that tell all about His life Here on earth—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Last, do a study of nothing but the Holy Spirit. Read every scripture about the Holy Spirit in the New Testament to get the “big picture.”. That way you will know all God tells us about Him. Here are some things to look for. 1)people in the New Testament got the Holy Spirit in different ways—not just 1 way. There were ONLY 2 times in the New Testament that the Holy Spirit was poured out on people in a miraculous way. Once, was in Acts 2, on the apostles, when they spoke in different tongues. This was a miracle. This time it was only on the Jews. The second time was in Acts 10. It was suddenly poured out on Cornelius and his house. This time it was poured out on the gentiles. When you study these 2 examples you will see that these people were NOT seeking the Spirit; they were NOT praying for it. It was a miraculous “sign.” First to show the Jews that the apostles were from God and that what they preached was from God. The second time it was to show the Jews that the gospel was for the gentiles, too, and not only the Jews. It was never given to “save” anyone. And no one else ever got a MIRACULOUS baptism of the Spirit. It was not intended for everybody. And it was only given at God’s discretion. No one could just have it because they wanted it. It was not given that way.
The second way people got the Spirit in the New Testament was by the apostles “laying their hands on them and giving it to them. Read Acts 8:18. Once all of the apostles died, the Spirit could no longer be given this way.
The last way the Spirit was given in the New Testament was when a person was baptized. Read Acts 2:38. The apostle Peter told those people—EVERYONE OF THEM—to be baptized,…FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the only way anyone can get the Spirit today. We have to get it the same way THEY got it.
The Spirit has been promised to everyone who is baptized in the name of Jesus (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-Matt. 38:18-19), for the forgiveness of sins. This is what God says in His Word. You can trust him to do what He says He will do. But God has NOT promised to save or give the Spirit to anyone who does not do what He says to do. Beware!! Men will tell you that baptism is NOT for the remission of sins and that you don’t even have to be baptized. But God has not promised to give His Spirit to anyone who does not obey his commands. Trust what God says in the Bible. Don’t listen to men. You must be saved by the Bible plan of salvation in order to get God’s Holy Spirit. His plan of salvation is to BELIEVE that Jesus is the Son of God, REPENT of your sins, Acts 3:19, CONFESS your belief in Jesus Romans 10:10 and Acts 8:37, and be baptized for the remission of sins. Acts 2:38, 1Peter 3:21, Acts 22:16, Mark 16:16. Please contact me if I can help you in your Bible study or answer any questions. Praying for you.
I totally understand, i feel the complete same thing. But to say this as simple as possible. Maybe the enemy is involved? And trying to drag you away from his love. But as the other guy said, i think as soon as you repent and accept jesus christ you will receive the holy spirit and youll be able to handle that temptation and feeling of not fearing, loving and knowing god.
God says that the way to get more faith is to read, study or listen to the word of God (the Bible). Roman’s 10:17.
I would especially recommend reading about the life of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The more you know about Him, the stronger your faith will be.
Then, read the book of Acts to see how people in the New Testament were saved. If God saved them a certain way, we can be assured that He will save us the same way, because God is no respecter of persons.
You need to know what the Bible says because you seem to be going about this in the wrong way. For instance, you don’t get saved by crying out to God to save you. God has told us in the scriptures exactly what we must do to be saved and no one in the New Testament was ever saved by saying a prayer. Jesus tells us in Mark 16:16 “He that believes and is baptized will be saved.” Read what the apostle Peter told the Jews to do innActs 2:38. 3000 of them obeyed the gospel of Peter. They believed Jesus was the Son of God and they were baptized in His name for the remission of sins. Just like Jesus said in Mark 16:16. Peter said that you will be given the “gift” of the Holy Spirit when you are baptized. It will not be the MIRACULOUS portion of the Spirit like the apostles had or SOME had in the New Testament, because Paul said that part of the Holy Spirit has CEASED! Read 1 Cor. 13:9. We have the perfect revelation of God in the Bible. We don’t need those “gifts” anymore. But after your baptism you will have the Holy Spirit living in you. 1Corinthians tells us that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and He lives in our body—as long as we do right. If we live sinful lives The Spirit will leave us. But if we repent, God forgives us if we are His child. He is full of mercy and forgiveness.
God also tells us in the scriptures that we must confess Christ as the Son of God. Romans 10:9,10 and Matthew 10:32. This is just what the Ethiopian eunuch did in Acts 8:37.Read about what he did to be saved in Acts 8:26-40. Other conversions in the Book of Acts are Saul in chapter 9, and 22:, Cornelius in chapter 10, Lydia and the jailer in chapter 16 and the Corinthians in chapter 18:8. You will find that they ALL did the same thing to be saved. They were all saved the same way. The obeyed Jesus in Mark 16:16–they everyone BELIEVED AND WERE BAPTIZED.
This is why it is so important to read and know what God says in The Bible. It is our instruction book. Don’t listen to any preacher or man. Read it for yourself and BE SURE you obey what God tells you to do. Praying for you
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Being filled with the holy spirit can be thought of as a metaphor, it's there but it isn't always obvious. You may have an experience now and then where the holy spirit is fairly obvious, hence filled, I've had a few such moments, but don't assume you don't have it just because you don't see it active.
With all due respect, the Holy Spirit is a person - not an 'it'.
your experience is what millions go thru. the devil has you right where he wants you. when a person becomes a born again Christian, you don't have to ask for the Holy Spirit. he dwells in every b.a. Christian's life. the devil knows everyone's weaknesses & is always on the attack. as a b.a. Christian, you can cast out the devil at all times. in other words, the evil has NO POWER against the believer unless the believer lets him. it could be that Jesus is calling out to you thru CC. Hebrews 3:7 & 8, 2nd Corinthians 6:2 & Psalms 3:7 &8 all teach NOW is the time to accept the Lord Jesus, to be born again. nothing may have happened because of your sin. that's possible. it really sounds like you need to be born again 1st!!!!!!!! then you will see & understand the truth of Jesus. don't allow yourself all this torment. BECOME A BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN NOW. DON'T TARRY!!!! blessings to you.
First off, it sounds like you are squarely on the path to me. Pretty standard stuff that some of us have to find our way through with God.
A big part of that is coming to understand both that our feelings are not always trustworthy, and that there is an enemy who lies to us, including by playing with our thoughts and feelings. For the latter, understand that not everything that goes on between your ears is coming from you or God, and you need to be careful not to accept responsibility for what isn't yours. At the very least you can recognize that it isn't what you are choosing going forward and that God's grace is sufficient.
In particular, understand that in the Bible Satan is described as the accuser of the brethren. One of the ways this comes up is how he makes us feel inappropriately guilty. You need to learn not to entertain this enemy thought which is really calling God a liar when He declares you forgiven. You can't always change your feelings but you can change your decisions. Decide who you are going to believe - Satan who says you are still guilty, or God who declares you clean?
Speaking again on feelings, they often function like an alarm. That is, they can help draw your attention to a situation for assessment but they can't tell you if the house is on fire or if someone burnt the popcorn. That has to be determined by other means. This also means that you have to be wise enough to recognize the truth about what is going on even if you don't experience an alarm / feelings. By all this I am speaking mostly of emotional feelings, for there are many different kinds of feelings with varying degrees of reliability.
I am two months a believing christian (my family does'nt know that I was not a christian, I have a christian background.) and, scince my life-change, I have gained new clarity. If you have asked for forgiveness, and if you believe him, you are saved. if you know you are saved, you are. it's that simple. there is no feeling that will tell you that you are saved, (unless you are mormon) I personally, if you read my thread, have complete faith, and I get a feeling of peace, from the nightmares. the regret, the guilt. I've done some bad things. but, through him, I know, that I am saved. before, I was like, ''what if i got the words wrong, what if i did it wrong? if you believe in him, you are saved. its in the bible. you don't even need to pray the prayer. it's all about belief.
Such a great topic! Thanks for bringing it up. I've had a relationship with Jesus for many years. Been doing a lot of study and research on The Holy Spirit. Ruache. Like wind. God's breath. You don't know where it' coming from or where it's going, but it's there. And sometimes you don't "feel" it at all. I sense The Holy Spirit in lots of different ways: through cloud formations, in troubling moments where I should feel a lot more fearful, but I'm not. Through people. Through writing. Through music. The Holy Spirit is different than the Father (Abba) and The Son (your friend and companion walking by your side in each moment). The Holy Spirit brings you awareness of the Father and Son and helps you see each moment thrrough their lens. So, even by asking the question, you're feeling the Holy Spirit's nudge. Look for it in the unexpected. Hope that helps.
Let’s start with the Bible. What is the Bible for? It is a “REVELATION” from God. God, himself wrote it. 2 Timothy 3:16. You want to know what God says about a particular subject ? Read the Bible. 1 Corinthians 2:16 says the Bible is “THE MIND OF CHRIST.” If you want to get to know God or His Son Jesus, read the Bible. This is the way God has communicated with us. All we know about Him comes from the Bible. We talk to God through “prayer.” God talks to us through the Bible.
God said, COME, and let us reason together.” Isaiah 1:18. You cannot get to God by doing “what is right in your own eyes.” People have already tried that.( see Judges 21:25). God says that there are “ways” that may seem right to you, but they are not. Proverbs 16:25.The only way that is “right” is the one God has specified in His revelation —the Bible. We cannot get to God on our own terms. It must be HIS WAY. ON his terms.
Proverbs 3:5 tells us not to “lean on our own understanding but to trust the Lord. The Bible is full of this kind of admonition. Have you read the Bible to see what God says and what He would have you to do?
God places great value on His Word and desires “obedience.” He says His word ( the Bible) is eternal . “ Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall never pass away.” It also will judge us in the last day—at judgement. When Jesus “opens the books” on the judgment day, Revelation 20:12, you and I will be “judged according to our works, by the things which are written in the books.” Have you ever taken a test on a book which you have never read? How likely are you to “pass”?
Jesus says if you love me you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15). And again, “You are my friends if you do what I say.” (John 15:14). Do you know what God’s commandments are? Are you obeying Him? Consider this: John 9:31. God does not hear sinners. If you are living in sin, your sins have come between you and God. He is aware of your prayers but will not “hear” them. But the Bible goes on to say that “if anyone is a WORSHIPPER of God, and DOES HIS WILL, He hears him. Maybe this is at the root of your problem. It’s not enough just to believe in God. You must be a “WORSHIPPER” of Him and “DO HIS WILL.” You are wanting God to do something for you; what are you willing to do for Him? If you are unwilling to honor Him, then dont expect Him to answer your prayers.
Are you one of God’s “spiritual” children? We are all God’s “physical” children because He created every one of us, but to be His “spiritual” child, you must be “born again.” Do not go to men to find out how to be saved. They will give you many different answers. Most of them wrong. Go to the Bible. Let God tell you what HE wants you to do to be saved. He has not left us without guidance or instruction. Mark 16:16, JESUS says, “HE THAT BELIEVES AND IS BAPTIZED SHALL BE SAVED.” Most people and denominations do not believe this and will lead you astray. ( That is Satan’s work). God tells you to TRUST Him and HIS words.
So you want to know how to get the Holy Spirit? Acts 2:38, “ Repent and be baptized … for the remission of your sins, and YOU SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.” If you are trying to get it on your own terms and in your own way, you will never truly have it..
Excuse me? Sir? SIR? am I on ignore?
They been gone for over 400 days now.
Can we please stop calling the Holy Spirit "it"?
He is a person. The 3rd person of the Godhead.
He is a person. The 3rd person of the Godhead.
funny story, When I first got saved, they take you in a side room to make sure you understand. When we prayed, I spoke in Hebrew which I knew. They stopped me and said, we don't do that in our church. I smiled and said, I know Hebrew, Litich and Charokee. I was praying in Hebrew. It was a Free Methodist Church. The Pastor asked me to teach him Hebrew which I did.
The apostle Paul did not give us many different answers but a direct straightforward answer: Acts 16:30 - And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Read the rest of the verse - but he who does not believe will be condemned. The omission of baptized with "does not believe" shows that Jesus does not make baptism absolutely necessary for salvation. Condemnation rests on unbelief and not on a lack of baptism. *NOWHERE does the Bible say, "baptized or condemned." If he who believes shall be saved, then he who believes and is baptized shall be saved as well.
If water baptism was absolutely required for salvation, then we would expect Jesus to mention it in the following verses. (3:15,16,18; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26) Yet what is the ONE requirement that Jesus mentions NINE different times in each of these complete statements *BELIEVES. *What happened to baptism? *Hermeneutics.
John 3:18 - He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who (is not water baptized? - NO) does not believe is condemned already, because he has not (been water baptized? - NO) because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Acts 2:38 must be read alongside verses like (Luke 24:47; Acts 3:19; 5:31; 10:43-47; 11:17,18; 13:38-39; 15:7-9; 16:31; 26:18) where forgiveness is explicitly tied to repentance/belief/faith and not the ritual itself. Water baptism is a sign of that reality but not the source of it. You are trying to turn a sign into a savior. Look beyond your pet verses and consider the totality of scripture.
Luke 24:47 - and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. *What happened to baptism?
Acts 3:19 - Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. *What happened to baptism?
Acts 5:31 - Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. *What happened to baptism?
Acts 10:43 - Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. *What happened to baptism?
Acts 11:17 - If therefore God gave them the same gift (Holy Spirit) as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?” 18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance unto life.” *What happened to baptism?
Acts 13:38 - Therefore, let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. *What happened to baptism?
Acts 15:7 - And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. *What happened to baptism?
Acts 16:30 - And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” *What happened to baptism?
Acts 26:18 - to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me. *What happened to baptism? *Hermeneutics.
*So, the only logical and Biblical conclusion when properly harmonizing scripture with scripture is that faith in Jesus Christ "implied in repentance" (rather than water baptism) brings the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 10:43-47; 11:17,18; 13:38-39; 15:7-9; 16:31; 26:18) *Perfect Harmony*