In this article we will dive into God’s Word as we explore 7 characteristics of the Holy Spirit and what these attributes mean to us as believers.
When Jesus was leaving the earth, He promised that He would not leave His disciples as orphans, but would send the Holy Spirit. He said that the Spirit would be our Helper, and would be known as the Spirit of Truth (John 14:15-18).
The Holy Spirit has incredible characteristics that we see in the Bible, and He affects our lives as believers in amazing ways.
As we reflect on the different ways that the Holy Spirit affect us as believers, let us remember that He is an amazing gift that Jesus gave to the church. He helps us in our everyday Christian lives, and that is why we are able to live godly lives that please God.
What are the Incredible Characteristics of the Holy Spirit? We will look at 7 of them below.
7 Characteristics of the Holy Spirit
It is futile for us to try to serve God without the power of the Holy Spirit. Talent, training, and experience cannot take the place of the power of the Spirit.
Warren W. Wiersbe
1. Guides Us Into All Truth
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. – John 16:13
One of the things that Jesus said about the Holy Spirit is that He would guide us into all truth. Jesus had much more to say but since it would be too much to bear at a go, He decided to send the Holy Spirit to say all those things. He called Him the Spirit of Truth.
The Holy Spirit tells us things to come because He knows the truth about every situation we face. As we listen to Him, we will not live in the dark but will be well prepared for the things that are coming into our lives.
Whenever we need to know the truth about anything, we can always call upon the Holy Spirit to show us the truth.
2. Teaches Us All Things
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. – John 14:26
In John 14:26, Jesus said that the Helper, the Holy Spirit, will teach us all things, and remind us the things that Jesus said. The Holy Spirit will teach you what you need to know about life.
I’m sure you have seen Bible teachers who teach the Bible accurately, and they have never been to Bible School. This is just one example of how the Holy Spirit can teach you things that others have gone to school to learn.
When you read the Bible, the Holy Spirit gives you revelation, and you are able to know how to deal with many situations about which you had no clue.
There is always something new to learn with the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask Him something you don’t know, and He will give you the answer.
3. Empowers Us with Inner Strength
That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love – Ephesians 3:16-17
The Holy Spirit strengthens our inner being so that Christ can dwell in our hearts by faith. The Christian faith is one that is full of ups and downs, and we need the help of the Spirit to navigate the things that come our way.
Some things are unpleasant, and can make us lose our faith, and that is why we need God’s strength.
When we are weary, God renews our strength through the Holy Spirit, and makes our journey of life easier. When our strength fails us, we can call on the strength of God that is everlasting. With the Holy Spirit, we can be strong in the Lord despite any negative circumstance we face.
4. Produces Godly Fruit in Our Hearts
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. – Galatians 5:22-23
We have seen in Galatians 5:22-23 that the Holy Spirit produces fruit in our lives. As we grow in our faith in Christ, we should be manifesting the fruit of the Spirit in our daily lives.
The beauty of it is that we don’t make it happen on our own, it is the work of the Spirit in our hearts.
We are able to live godly lives because of the transformation of the Spirit of God in our hearts. He transforms our character, and helps us become more Christ-like.
You can also pray that the Spirit will help you manifest His fruit especially in challenging situations. For example, you can pray for the peace when you are going through a storm in your life.
5. Freely Gives Spiritual Gifts
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. – 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
I once heard the quote that the fruit of the Holy Spirit is like cake and the gifts of the Holy Spirit is like the icing. When put together something wonderful happens. Lives are changed for Jesus.
Paul encourages us to earnestly desire spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14:1) These 9 gifts are free give by the Spirit. You can learn more about these gifts by visiting:
6. Helps Us in Our Weaknesses
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. – Romans 8:26
Romans 8:26 tells us that the Holy Spirit helps us when we are weak, and especially when we don’t know what to pray for. Many times, we don’t know how to pray over a certain situation and we are unsure of God’s will.
The Holy Spirit steps in by praying for you with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. He also shows you what to pray for.
The Spirit also helps us when we don’t know what to do in a given situation, and provides us with the solution we need. God’s power is made strong in our lives when we are weak, and we can call upon this power anytime we need it.
7. Leads Us in Every Part of Our Lives
We are to live by the Spirit, and follow His leading in every part of our lives. By following the leading of the Holy Spirit, you will move in the right direction and avoid making unnecessary mistakes.
We sometimes end up in trouble when we decided to do things our way instead of listening to the directions the Spirit is giving us.
The Holy Spirit guides us in everything we do, for example, which neighborhood to live in, when to make a certain purchase, where to go or not, and the friendships we should keep or let go of.
Our lives will be ordered when we keep in step with the Holy Spirit, and obey His instructions.
More on the Holy Spirit
If you would like to grow more on the topic of the precious Holy Spirit I have some more article you can read. You can check these out below.
There are more incredible characteristics of the Holy Spirit, and as you read the Bible you will see them. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to you so that you will know Him more. He features in every part of the Bible, whether the Old or New Testament.
He helped people fulfill their assignments on earth, and He does the same today.
When you live by the Spirit of God, you will not gratify the desires of the flesh but will be attracted to what God desires. The Holy Spirit is very vital to our wellbeing today, and we can praise God for this amazing gift He gave us to help us throughout our lives.
Feel free to leave me a comment below. I would love to know what you are learning about the Holy Spirit.
Melissa is a passionate minister, speaker and an ongoing learner of the Bible. She has been involved in church and vocational ministry for over 18 years. And is the founder of Think About Such Things. She has the heart to equip the saints by helping them get into the Word of God and fall more in love with Jesus. She also enjoys family, cooking, and reading.
She has spoken in churches in California, Oregon, Texas, and Mexico and has been featured in Guidepost Magazine and All Recipes Magazine. Read More…