The Holy Spirit Loves When You Do This…

I was inspired by a story from a book by R.T. Kendall about a British couple on a missionary trip in Israel, which beautifully illustrates how our actions can affect the Holy Spirit.

The couple moved into a house near Jerusalem, where a dove began living with them. They saw this as a sign of God’s approval. However, they noticed that loud noises or slamming doors would disturb the dove, causing it to flee. This led to a realization: to keep the dove, they needed to adjust their behavior, not the other way around.

Like the dove, the Spirit of God does not adjust to us; we must adjust to Him.

Seven Things That Please the Holy Spirit

1. Worship Jesus

Jesus explained that the Holy Spirit’s role is to glorify Him (Jn 16:14). The closer you are to the Him, the more you will love Jesus.

His assignment is not to draw attention to Himself but to put all the attention on Jesus. As we worship Jesus, the Holy Spirit is pleased.

2. Respond to His Leading

The Holy Spirit wants to lead us the same way He led Jesus into the wilderness. In fact one of the characteristics of being being a child of God is that you’re led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14). The culture we live in today is led by their sight; however, we’re called to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit and be obedient to Him.

3. Repent When Convicted

The Bible says that the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). As we understand what pleases Him, a vital understanding of what this passage refers to in reference to conviction is important.

For example, general conviction says, “You spoke harshly to your wife;” while condemnation says, “You are a worthless husband.” We must recognize that He will typically highlight a specific area in our life that needs adjustment, while the devil will try and attack the entire identity, which leaves feelings of hopelessness.

4. Trust His Witness Over Your Emotions

Romans 8:16 tells us the Holy Spirit confirms our identity as God’s children.

The Holy Spirit will bear witness to God’s truth in our life, and typically, His witness is in line with God’s Word and opposed with how we feel.

If you want to please the Holy Spirit, lean more on the side with His witness and less with your emotions. He loves when you trust in His witness more than in your circumstances.

5. Ask Him for Help

The Holy Spirit is our Helper and desires to help us in our weaknesses (Romans 8:26). He loves when we call out to Him in times of need. It doesn’t have to be an extended prayer, it just has to be an honest prayer.

6. Kind to People

Ephesians 4:30-32 tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit with negative behaviors like bitterness and anger.

He loves when we’re kind and tenderhearted. He loves when we give the benefit of the doubt and forgive people instead of being vengeful. This doesn’t mean that we become a doormat for people to walk over, but rather we reflecting on the nature of the Holy Spirit and choose to not grieve Him with our actions.

7. Talk to Him

Lastly, 2 Corinthians 13:14 highlights the fellowship we can have with the Holy Spirit. He wants to commune and have fellowship with you and I. I want to encourage you to take time every day to speak with Him and watch how your relationship will flourish.

Final Thoughts

Doing these things will only strengthen your relationship and intimacy with the Lord. As He begins to reveal things to you, don’t push them under the rug but rather deal with them so you can be free from guilt and shame.

May you get to know Him deeper than ever before.

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