RECOGNIZING THE HOLY SPIRIT | 10.22.25

October 22, 2025

John 10:27, My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 

  •  Recognizing the Holy Spirit’s voice isn’t a skill to be acquired, it’s a sense to be sharpened.  

1 Samuel 3:1-10 

How Does the Holy Spirit Speak? 

1) The Word – It is the foundation of your familiarity with the voice of the Holy Spirit. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17, 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 

  •  The more familiar you become with the written Word of God, the more familiar you will become with the voice of the Holy Spirit. 

2) Wisdom – It is God’s reasoning within you, developed through the practicing of the Word. 

Romans 12:2, Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

  •  Wisdom is more of a way of thinking than a detailed instruction . . . a sense rather than a sentence. 

3) Whisper – It is specific instructions for details of our lives not directly addressed in Scripture. 

John 14:26, But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 

  •  When we are grounded with the Word and the godly wisdom that comes from it, we are more sensitive to the whisper.   

4) Wonders – It is the power of the Holy Spirit demonstrated through prophecy, visions, dreams, and miracles. 

Mark 16:20 (NLT), And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs. 

1 Thessalonians 5:19-21; Acts 2:17-18 

  •  We must base our lives on the Word and wisdom while supplementing with the whisper and wonders, not the other way around.  

How Do We Listen? 

1) Silence – It is the removal of distractions.  

Matthew 6:6 (NLT), But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. 

  •  Silence is a matter of proper planning and practical action.  

2) Stillness – It is the quieting of the soul.  

Psalm 62:5 (NLT), Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. 

Isaiah 26:3 

  •  Stillness can only be accomplished through trust-filled waiting and Jesus-focused worship.  

3) Obedience – It is the practice of recognizing His voice. 

1 Samuel 15:22, But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 

  •  When we walk in obedience our faith is strengthened, and we gain a familiarity with His voice that produces bold action.