Have you felt to have Holy Spirit? (page 2)

Londo111

There are many crazy lunes who run around believing they've holy spirit, but then, there are crazy people in general who believe or do not believe in any number of things. Of course, I am suspicious of anybody who claims divine revelation. Pentecostals and other fundamentalists have made a mockery of Christianity, as has the Society.

But wisdom is proven righteous by its works. Is the person more balanced or extreme? More loving or judgemental? More reasonable or less? These are a good indicators.

snowbird

Is the person more balanced or extreme? More loving or judgemental? More reasonable or less These are a good indicators.

Amen.

Fernando

Hey wolfman85!

My experience has led me to conclude that God speaks to all of us all the time.

Some merely discern this better than others.

It is normal for everyone to hear (discern) God speaking. Returning to normal after the fall of man is what our struggle and journey is all about.

God speaks gently through our human spirit. The resulting thoughts not jarring or intrusive, but natural. These are easily drowned out by contradictory religion and the busy-ness of life.

The map that leads to a spiritual awakening and reconciliation with our heavenly father is available to one and all. This map is known as the full unabridged gospel message (or "good news").

One of the main intentions and outcomes of this message is to free us from all human control, especially that of religion/ists.

It is no accident that nothing is more hated and obfuscated by Pharisees than the liberating "good news". Yet they are also way too cowardly to attack it directly for fear of exposing themselves for what they really are, enemies of humans and Jesus. The Franzgate 1980 bethel witch hunt was just a replay of this sorry saga that repeats itself year after year.

As with Ray Franz, it was the liberating power of the unabridged "good news" that helped me beat my severe lifelong addiction to religion as a third generation born-in. It is the "good news" that made the scriptures come alive as never before, for me an ordinary fallen sinner. None of these profound experiences however constitute "evidence" for those "so closed-minded that they can't take in new information" (words borrowed from Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton in her televised response to the baby Azaria dingo verdict yesterday).

zacktac

Wolfman,

I have never been a JW (I’m an ex-Mormon), but I can tell you that those of other religions claim to feel the Holy Spirit too. This often happens in association with beliefs or inspirations that are contradictory. As a believing Mormon, I experienced this many times. I had prayed for this experience to help me determine if I should join the Mormon Church. I thought the Holy Spirit had communicated to me the Mormon Church was God’s kingdom on earth and that I should join it. After turning from the Mormon Church because I found it was not what it claimed to be, I felt the same feelings and had an increase in love and desire to serve my fellow man because of things that contradicted my former Mormon beliefs.

Here’s a site that discusses these sensations of elevation (euphoria, increased desire to help mankind, overwhelming sense of love, perceptions of pure knowledge, etc.) regarding contradictory world views:

http://www.theamateurthinker.com/2011/02/how-can-we-find-truth-part-4/

Go to the heading “A Short Experiment – Comparing Descriptions of Spiritual Feelings from Different Religions” for a description of this phenomena. The author cites many elevation experiences from persons of differing faith (one from a Mormon and even one from an atheist).

I’m not saying these sensations are not good. It seems clear these experiences inspire us to serve and help one another. To me, that’s precisely what good is. I hope you continue to seek these experiences. If you are struggling to understand your own values and beliefs since leaving the WT, this may be the reason you struggle to feel what you call the Holy Spirit. It may require self-discovery of what is truly important to you, and of course that takes time. I don’t think your lack these feelings is because of God’s disapproval. I have no way of knowing, but I would be more easily persuaded that you lack these feelings because you don’t approve of yourself.

May the rest of your journey through life be inspiring to you and those around you!

Zack

wolfman85

Thanks cofty, snowbird, L111, Cedars for your post, and L111 I will vist jwstruggle.

Having a clear manifestation of the Holy Spirit among Christians of the first century is likely that someone expect to feel something "special" in our time. Whenever I have in mind Joel 2:28,29: Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
Joel 2:29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

Or maybe it has not yet come the time when God will pour out His spirit?

wolfman85

Fernando, zacktac thank you both for your words and blessings.

Fernando

Hey wolfman85!

It's a pleasure chatting with you.

Many ordinary persons ("maidservants") are "seeing" the Joel 2:28,29 visions of discernment at this time, due to a wide opening of their spiritual eyes, most notably after hearing and embracing the full "good news" (Rom 10:16,17; Isa 61:1). This is happening quite apart from, and often despite, the ruling religious clergy class and hierarchy.

A broader understanding of sin as dysfunction, aberration and corruption is one such vision.

Understanding that apostasy is "spiritual unfaithfulness" is another such vision (revelation by Holy Spirit).

Understanding that a prophesy is not a prediction but a message, is yet another such vision (revelation by Holy Spirit).

Understanding that a prophet is not a foreteller but a lowly messenger, is yet another such vision (revelation by Holy Spirit).

"Seeing" the apostasy of the WBTS in detail, is yet another such vision (revelation by Holy Spirit).

It is the Holy Spirit that is bringing Joel 2:28,29 to your attention. It is the Holy Spirit that will quicken your spirit to its significance and meaning in your life. These scriptures spoke very loudly to me in the mid-1980's but my spiritual awakening only began end 2005, with God sending my (also ordinary) wife sometime after to clarify the meaning of "vision"!

Greetings and blessings

Fernando

tec

The Spirit speaks to us all... and Fernando put it eloquently above... we discern this voice differently. (some not at all)

This is what gave me comfort when I was worrying a bit about this too, and had questions.

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."

If you love him, follow him. Listen for Him, and to Him if you can discern His voice. If He and His Father come and make their home with you, then the Spirit dwells within you.

I personally put my faith in this promise. Hearing him did not make me special, or better than anyone... on the contrary. I simply trusted Him to keep his promise.

Peace to you,

tammy

Fernando

Further to what zacktac said.

God's approval is not earned, deserved or merited as (controlling) religion/ists would have us believe.

God's approval is a free gift, granted by unmerited favour (grace) to any who would receive it (Acts 20:24, ironically WBTS year text 2009!!!!).

This is at the core of the unabridged "good news".

It destroys Pharisaic merits or works based self-righteousness (achieved by rule-keeping, or external adherence to a moral code, or doctrinal dissection, or special knowledge).

God IMPUTES a right standing (righteousness) to anyone that pursues the unabridged "good news" and yields to it. This is called justification, and is a key topic of Paul's writings.

God IMPUTES a clean standing (holiness) to anyone that pursues the unabridged "good news" and yields to it. This is called sanctification, and is also an important topic of Paul's writings.

The persons Paul addressed as the "Holy Ones" were ordinary fallen sinners just like us. Clearly their holiness was IMPUTED, not earned, deserved, or paid for.

All the above was at the heart of Franzgate 1980. Pharisaic "bethel" heavies were horrified at the potential implications of this virulent outbreak of the "gospel of grace" right inside the "synagogue of Satan". They were highly offended at God bypassing them and handing out such priceless free gifts to loathsome SINNERS! If in God's economy and Kingdom they were to be redundant, then it and its promoters had to die, just like Jesus!!

QueenWitch

Can't say that I've felt the HS when I was JW but I did notice a different atmosphere at the KH or assembly than when I went to a church or "worldly" function. I would call it energy. For example, I went to a lesbian club with my sister. To me, there was something missing, perhaps the energy that the men would have contributed. When I do ritual by myself, it is different when I do ritual with hubs or with others.

I will say this - when I found paganism, I felt at peace, like this is where I belong. Was it spirit? Unsure. But we all have spirit as well as the other 4 elements. It is within us and without. What people call the HS is the spirit of the universe. It is not handed out to certain people. We ALL have it.

Have you felt to have Holy Spirit?

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