Physical sensation: the Holy Spirit?

[11822]

If the Holy Spirit is sharing His love with us, we cant help but get emotional and experience good feelings. Praise God, He does Love us.

 

[DavidBrainard]

Hi Guys ,

Sorry if this reply is a little too late noticing that the first of this post started in 2010 (or may be 2011)
I have experienced the presence of the holy spirit. Unmistakably. No doubt about it.

Being possessed with the holy ghost, as many people say, like speaking in tongues, going in a frenzy , let me tell you I have not "felt" any of that. But I "felt" it. its a beautiful feeling. no amount of ct scan or MRI or any diagnostic tool can describe that. you feel the peace. Make no mistake, its God's hand that is touching you. It is God who is communicating to you, that he loves you. I get tears and I am not crying. It is Joy and a strange unusual feeling, being at peace. all you need to do is submit, let go of resentment, forgive and just ask God to take control. no matter where you are.

That has been my experience. I don't know how many resonate with me on this. But i am feeling it as I type this.

Imagine if you are facing God right now. right this second, you see him physically. what would you do ? what would you say ? what would you feel ? ( like in the films Bruce Almighty / Evan Almighty ). just remember He is God. He can see through you ! you cannot BS (i think majority of you know what this means) with him. He knows your flaws, your weakness, He knows that you may have, in small measure, coveted something. What if He is asking you to explain what you did. What explanation can you give for missing that Sunday service or Mass ? How are you going to explain why you judged someone.



Being with the holy spirit is just as good as being in God's presence.

Hope this Helps !!

God Bless you all !!

 

[random person]

We can not rely on our emotions and we can not rely on our hearts either because it is deceitful.

Not to create an offense amongst the Charismatics, but I have attended their services before.

They work themselves up in order to hyperventilate and experience lightheadedness and believe this is the movement of the Holy Spirit.

They will do things such as run around the pews, sing praises in an louder and increasing rate, close their eyes with a minister speaking over them and laying on of the hands created the sensation of falling backwards or fainting, basically mass hypnosis occurs in congregation. It can get crazy with holy laughter and even barking like animals. Worship services at charismatic congregations can be extremely energetic and physical and every one is invited to participate. It is necessary.

If your ministry engages in these activities, bring a brown paperbag next time you feel lightheaded and euphoric from participating in such activities and breath into said bag and increase the carbon dioxide in your blood.

But there is a real and physical reason for one experiencing this euphoria and it is not a movement of the Holy Spirit.

Again, I am not pointing any fingers and I am not stating all charismatic churches do this.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

I hope this is OK to ask about in this forum, but I wanted to check with believers who perhaps are more mature.

I have recently started having some physical experiences that feel like a coldness in my limbs and maybe my back. I've also had some extreme anxiety this month, but I think it's getting better. Still, I wonder if the sensations could be the Holy Spirit?

I would say you have the Holy Spirit, but these feelings are not from God. From my experience I would say it is a demon, trying to discourage you from seeking God. Cold feelings are in my experience demonic. There is also a possibility it could be health related, and you may need to see a doctor.

The sensations do come when I have God in mind or am praying. They don't just happen as I'm walking down the street, for example.

I find often that when I pray that demons will attack me, they hate it. So keep up the praying you must be messing with his (satan's) mind. Good work.

Thank you for any discernment you may offer, or any stories of your own experiences.

 

[bort]

There have been some good posts so far! I would just add that sometimes God does work out of what we would consider the "norm". Whatever you are experiencing, whether its dreams, sensations or anything else, will always result in what we know God to be and the kind of fruit that comes from the work of His Holy Spirit. It may take time waiting in His presence, but you stated in your post about fasting for 40 days. Not many people are going to do that who dont sincerely love Jesus. So you obviously have a deep relationship with God. Just spend time with Him. He will let you know whats going on.

Off topic: Sometimes when I read things that God did and how He did them in the Bible, I easily overlook how radical some things were. Take Jesus anointing a blind man with spit and dirt for instance. If someone were to try that today they would probably get arrested or beat up. Unfortunately, there are those who would try to do "charismatic" things in the name of Jesus that God has no part with, but eventually the fruit is found. The Bible says deceivers will get worse and worse. Sooner or later they expose and end up destroying themselves.


Theres a thing thats been called "sympathy pains". Its where a person with no known history of health issues will develop a pain somewhere (temporarily) and God will use it later to direct a person to someone who shares that same ailment. This happens in healing ministries. In the end, God doesnt work in a box that we sometimes tend to try and put Him in. What an awesome God we serve!

 

[Old Seeker]

Regarding "energy or psycho-physical manifestations" and the Holy Spirit, I offer a few words as a past practitioner of Taoism & Reiki, and a present Christian, who has logged 70 years of successes and failures:
1. Energy symptoms and their power (such as in Reiki healing) are real, as are the energy centers (Chakras) and the Meridian system used in acupuncture. They are scientific law-abiding, and can be used for healing and cleansing our lives. They are linked closely to our thoughts and our will, and even to earth and universe energy sources.
2. This energy, and our energy selves are NOT the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit can use them, and may do so often, in some people, or at some times. Our energetic selves consist of an energy which is "natural, organic, and impersonal", but generally seeks health and healing.
3. The Holy Spirit is also an energy which exists in the energetic universe, and which shares many properties with our organic energy selves. However, the Holy Spirit is uniquely, personally "knowable", and offers a personality with which our personality may relate. The Holy Spirit operates in its own way and will, and is not directable, whereas organic energy can be to an extent directed or molded by skill, will and focus.
4. Experientially, the sensorial impact of all energies can feel similar, and when the Holy Spirit uses or activates our energetic body, the difference between the two can be initially confusing. Having had a number of experiences of both organic energy and the Holy Spirit, and respecting both, I conclude:
.......Only the Holy Spirit always convicts me of my sinful nature, seems to scorch away temporarily my impurities, and makes me feel completely unworthy, yet unconditionally loved. Organic energy also is impeded by sin or an impure life, and naturally seeks to cleanse and heal, but it is much different.
.......Only the Holy Spirit has impressed on me its Name...that it is the Holy Spirit associated with Jesus Christ, which has entered me to stay. I have never had organic energies, no matter how ethereal, name themselves.
........Only the Holy Spirit personally challenges me to stop sinning and to pray, and may unexpectedly urge me an act of charity.
........Only the Holy Spirit manifests when I am reading or meditating on scripture or other Christian texts. However, during these times, my organic energy will also quicken some.
5. I have been "slain in the spirit" at a Pentecostal worship service, experiencing an enormous energy surge that dropped me to the floor and rendered me unconscious. I knew church members who had similar experience and proclaimed it to be spiritually life-changing. However, for me, I just woke up numb and fuzzy and smiling, but with none of the hallmarks of the Holy Spirit. At that time, many years ago, I may have not been ready.... do not know for certain. But retrospectively it seems to have been a surge of organic healing energy, and maybe not the Holy Spirit.
....my effects....
My strongest Holy Spirit effect was the unexpected feeling of warm rain/drizzle on my head and shoulders when I was praying. It felt physical. I felt the rain enter my head and shoulders and travel through my normal organic energy pathways to my heart. Then my heart began to swell, pulse strongly (not heartbeats), and radiate heat. Then the Holy Spirit spoke to me, not in words, but impressed upon me a personal message. The hot swollen feeling in my heart lasted nearly a month. I also have twice had daytime, full-color translucent visions of Jesus Christ before me, dropping me to my knees as an unworthy sinner.

.......to conclude........
I would be slow to criticize anyone's physical or psycho-physical or energetic experiences. They are not the same as the Holy Spirit, but may accompany, or be indicators.
But be clear that the Holy Spirit is a "personality",
Who can communicate to you who He/It is,
Who knows your deepest secrets and weaknesses, convicts you of sin, and forgives,
Who has strong interest in, an wants to influence your life journey,
Who seeks an alliance with you and has an agenda for you,
Who cannot reside with you in the presence of much sin,
Who travels on currents of Love and Forgiveness.
In my energy work, I have at times seen, experienced, and even practiced amazing things, but on a very different, lower plane than the Holy Spirit.

happy to respond to any questions...
peace and love, the Old Seeker....