There are several metaphors used in the New Testament to describe the Holy Spirit. We are told that the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in the form of a dove. We are told that the Holy Spirit came upon the believers in the upper room in the form of flames. We are also told the Holy Spirit is like wind.
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)
We can sense and discern the move of God’s Spirit, but we cannot see it nor predict it. My friend Sarah Bowling describes it as, “an elusive perception of a infinite reality.” This mysterious quality of the moving of the Holy Spirit also implies that we could miss it.
Have you ever been somewhere and sensed God’s presence only to find out that others around you were totally oblivious? The Holy Spirit was totally touching your heart, yet others seem unmoved and unaffected.
I remember being at the Los Angeles Coliseum for the 1997 Promise Keepers gathering. There were 50,000+ men there and God’s presence was so strong that most of us hit the ground and bowed our heads. I say most of us because while I was kneeling I lifted my head to wipe the tears out of my eyes and noticed that an entire group of men near me were still standing totally out of touch with what was happening.
How can it be that one person can experience a dynamic touch of God’s Spirit while someone right next to them does not? No doubt there have been times when all of us have missed what God was doing. He was touching others, they were sensing His presence, and yet we felt dull in our senses.
The bible tells us that in order to discern spiritual things and not miss when God is working, we must have our spiritual senses developed.
“But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)
In other words, in order to discern spiritual things and not miss the move of God’s Spirit, we must have our spiritual senses developed. We must stay open to the Holy Spirit, loving His presence more than anything else, and desiring above all else to be a part of what He is doing.
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