Listening to the Spirit
Take time to listen for the Spirit. Don't wait for an audible voice—He rarely speaks audibly—but listen as He speaks through the Word. Learn to understand what many call "the prompts" and "the checks" of the Spirit. You can experience these because the Spirit, as a divine Person, has taken a personal interest in you. Have you ever thanked Him for that?
The Holy Spirit Is God
The Holy Spirit is the all-knowing, all-seeing, everywhere-present God. Acts 5:3–4 teaches us that the Holy Spirit is God. Remember the story of Ananias and Sapphira? Before Ananias was struck dead, Peter told him, "Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? . . . You have not lied to men; but to God." From this event we can see that lying to the Holy Spirit is the same as lying to God; therefore, the Holy Spirit is God.
There is more Scriptural evidence that the Holy Spirit is God. We see from the Bible that:
* The words of God are the words the Holy Spirit inspired.11
* We are the temple of God because the Spirit indwells us.12
* The one born of the Spirit is said to be born of God.13
The Holy Spirit is God Himself, the third Person of the divine Trinity. Why is it so important to believe in the deity and personhood of the Holy Spirit? It is crucial because you cannot give Him the honor and respect that He deserves if you don't consider Him a divine Person. In fact, I find it doubtful that someone can be saved while he denies the personhood and deity of the One who tries to draw him to salvation.14