For some people, the Holy Ghost may cause them to feel overwhelmed with emotion and moved to tears. For others, tears rarely or never come. And that's okay. For them, the Holy Ghost may produce a subtle feeling of gratitude, peace, reverence, or love (see Galatians 5:22–23).
If you want to be open to the Holy Spirit, it's often useful to pray and meditate in a quiet place. You can also feel the Holy Spirit when you pray and read the Bible and the Book of Mormon. When you take time to study God's words, you show Him that you truly want to know Him and learn from Him.
Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This power that comes from the Holy Spirit allows you to stand strong for the things of God.
The symbols of the Holy Spirit are: Dove, Fire, Oil, Wind and Water. The Dove: This can be seen in the description of the baptism of Christ (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:30-34).
Certainly the Spirit of the Lord can bring strong emotional feelings, including tears, but that outward manifestation ought not to be confused with the presence of the Spirit itself” (in Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service [2004], 99).
Just as God saw and heard the Hebrew's cry, He hears yours, too. He is aware of your affliction and suffering. Each tear we cry has meaning to our Father God. He keeps track of all our sorrows just as carefully as if He were gathering each tear and placing it in a bottle for His remembrance.
The God of all comfort keeps watch over your weeping. He gathers up all your tears and puts them in his bottle (Psalm 56:8).
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not a careless act committed only once in a moment of rage or rebellion, but a calloused attitude over time; a persistent defiance that hardens and calcifies the heart. The Pharisees had been present when Jesus healed the sick. They saw him perform miracles up close and personal.
There are many ways that the Holy Spirit works in the lives of Christians, but they all share one common goal: to make us more like Jesus Christ. He works in believers by renewing our minds to be like the mind of Christ. He does this by convicting us of sin and leading us to repentance.
He who has been anointed possesses everything. He possesses the Resurrection, the Light, the Cross, the Holy Spirit. The Father gave him this in the bridal chamber; he merely accepted the gift. The Father was in the Son and the Son in the Father.
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. While some Christans accept these as a definitive list of specific attributes, others understand them merely as examples of the Holy Spirit's work through the faithful.
Some people may see visions or hear God's voice. Others may not see or hear anything — but experience feelings of peace and joy that are beyond words. You may experience the presence of God through a song or Scripture the Spirit brings to mind. It may be through a providential encounter with a friend or stranger.
God's presence can be felt in different ways. If you've ever been in a group of people who are praying, sometimes it feels like there is a large, comforting, presence in the room, other than that of the people you are with. Sometimes you sense that same presence in church, as I said above.
Matthew 3:11: The holy Ghost sanctifies us
2006, 20). Receiving the Holy Ghost is likened to being baptized by fire because the Holy Ghost has a purifying influence in our lives.
If you know you would run from God and be angry if he never answered this prayer request, that means your heart is not ready to receive it. But if you are truly willing to serve God and love him fully even if he never gives you the thing you are asking him for, this is a great sign you are being prepared to receive it.
This can happen through prayer, contemplation and/or time in the Bible. We begin to discern God's voice over the noise of our world as we give time to these disciplines. The Holy Spirit begins speaking to us. We begin to hear God through those around us, circumstances and even our conscience.
At times, the voice of God has been described as that of a parent (which could seem benign, benevolent, or terrifying, depending on what kind of relationship you've had with your parents). We are also told that God speaks in a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12).
Joyful sorrow
Whether they result from physical pain, from emotional pain, or from an encounter with goodness and beauty, one of the gifts of tears is precisely that we pray through them. All of our tears have been taken into the divine life by Jesus, the one who has wept with us.
Research has found that in addition to being self-soothing, shedding emotional tears releases oxytocin and endorphins. These chemicals make people feel good and may also ease both physical and emotional pain. In this way, crying can help reduce pain and promote a sense of well-being.
In The Emotions of God, biblical scholar David Lamb examines seven divine emotions―hate, anger, jealousy, sorrow, joy, compassion, and love―and argues that it is not only good that God is emotional but also that we as his image-bearers can express emotions in such a way that reflects his goodness to the world.