Of course you can speak to the Holy Spirit. The Bible makes a number of mentions about the communion/fellowship of the Holy Spirit that we are to have on a daily basis. The Holy Spirit is a Person after all, and it would be very awkward not to speak to someone who is always with you.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
This verse reveals to us that we are to have consistent communion with the Holy Spirit. And communion simply means to fellowship or to talk with one another.
In fact, when we closely analyze this verse we realize how foundational the communion of the Holy Spirit is meant to be in the life of the believer.
Think about it; how foundational and of extreme value is “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ”? How foundational and valuable is “the love of God”?
They’re both extremely foundational and extremely valuable! In fact, without these two things, we’re not saved.
And without the communion of the Holy Spirit, we can’t be sanctified because sanctification only comes by walking with the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). And how can you walk with someone through life without ever taking with them?
Another scripture that reveals this is the first couple verses of Philippians chapter 2.
“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:1-2).
The apostle Paul is trying to make the point that just as sure as there is consolation in Christ, comfort of love, fellowship of the Spirit, and affection and mercy, so there too should be like-mindedness and love among the brethren.
But notice this – Paul is placing the same amount of importance on fellowshipping with the Spirit as He is on consolation in Christ and the comfort of love.
Consolation simply means to provide comfort, encouragement, and compassion to someone. I think we would all agree that Christ does this for us.
Well, the fellowship that we have with the Holy Spirit is to be just as sure as the consolation we have in Christ. How profound!
So, in short, yes you can talk to the Holy Spirit. In fact, talking to the Holy Spirit should be the foundation of every person’s prayer life.
[Related article: Bible Study on Fellowship (Complete Lesson & Teaching)].
How to talk to the Holy Spirit
There are a few roles of the Holy Spirit that I must establish before we can understand how we should talk to the Holy Spirit because once we understand the role of the Spirit on the earth and inside of us, it will become easy to speak with Him.
Role #1: The Holy Spirit is living inside us to teach us and lead us into all truth (John 14:26).
Role #2: Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus on the earth (Romans 8:9).
Role #3: Holy Spirit is here to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11).
Role #4: Holy Spirit is here to bear witness of the risen Lord (John 15:26-27).
Role #5: Holy Spirit is here to comfort us (John 15:26-27).
Role #6: Holy Spirit is here to endue the believer with power (Acts 1:8).
Role #7: Holy Spirit is the presence of God on the earth (John 16:5-7).
Role #8: Holy Spirit helps us in prayer (Zechariah 12:10 & Romans 8:26).
Role #9: Holy Spirit guides us and tells us things to come (John 16:13).
Role #10: Holy Spirit sanctifies the believer who spends time in His presence (2 Corinthians 3:18).
[Related articles: Is the Presence of God the Holy Spirit? (Biblical Answer) & 9 Ways the Holy Spirit Influences/Works in a Person’s Life].
So now that we understand the foundational roles of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can now begin to discover how we can talk to Him and develop a relationship with Him.
We develop a relationship with Him by talking to Him about the things that He desires to do. Every role of the Holy Spirit listed above is the will of God. It is His desire and His pleasure to fulfill these things on the earth.
And just as we would speak to people about what they may like or about their life, so too we should speak to the Holy Spirit about what He likes. The more we do this, the things He desires will become our desires, and suddenly we become best friends.
Let me give you an example of what this may look like practically. We know that He is our sanctifier and the one who transforms us into the image of Christ. So when we come before Him we should match our desire to be holy with His desire to make us holy.
It looks something like this…
“Holy Spirit, I appreciate that you are my sanctifier. I thank you that you are the one transforming me into the image of Christ. I have already proven through my fleshly works that I cannot accomplish God’s righteous law in the flesh.
“So I come before you right now in total faith, that you are removing anger out of my life. Frustration no longer has a hold on me. Impatience is falling off. Through your presence, the love of God is manifesting in my life. Thank you for quickening my mortal body so that I no longer have to be subject to it. Help me to see this truth all the days of my life. I love you, Lord. You are my absolute best friend. Amen.”
The more we do this, the closer we will get to Him and the more we will be walking in the Spirit. And remember, when we walk in the Spirit we will never fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
[Related article: 26 Benefits of Walking in the Spirit (+ Consequences)].
How does the Holy Spirit speak to us?
There are many ways that the Holy Spirit can speak to us. He can speak to us through visions, dreams, the word of God, an audible voice, a prophetic word, etc. But the primary way is through a still small voice that takes place on the inside of us.
I’m not going to talk about the dreams and the visions and all the super spectacular stuff. Because if that takes place, you’ll know its God and it’ll be clear what He is trying to tell you.
Instead, I’m going to focus on the primary way the Holy Spirit speaks to us and how we can learn to hear Him more clearly.
This way that He speaks is revealed in 1 Corinthians 2:10-13 & 16.
“For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God.
“Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words...For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.“
This passage shows us that the Spirit of God reveals the thoughts of God to us. We literally have the mind of Christ in our spirits because the Spirit of Christ is in our spirits.
So when the Holy Spirit speaks to us it often sounds like a thought, or it may even sound like a phrase.
This is what happened to Philip in Acts 8 when he approached the Ethiopian Eunuch to preach Jesus to Him.
“Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” (Acts 8:29:30).
It’s important to understand that Philipp most likely didn’t hear an audible voice. Remember, since Jesus rose from the dead the Holy Spirit lives inside of believers, not outside. So when He speaks it comes from the inside.
Now if we compare this verse to the above passage, we then we can come to the conclusion that Philipp heard this thought that sounded like a phrase coming from somewhere else, not his own headspace. He was hearing the Holy Spirit speak to Him. And he was sensitive enough to the Spirit’s leading to follow it.
Now of course there is always a word of caution when speaking about spiritual things. We need to learn to develop this and to discern whether or not it is the Holy Spirit. This is how Paul gives the word of caution.
“But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. But the one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is discerned by no one” (1 Corinthians 2:14-15).
There are two ways to view these few verses: first, an unbeliever or a “religious” man cannot accept the things of the Spirit of God because they are living so carnal they have never considered the spiritual realm as a reality. Second, if we live carnal it’ll be very difficult to hear God’s voice, if not impossible. But the more spiritual we become in the Lord the more we will grow in hearing the thoughts of God.
So how do we grow in spiritual discernment?
First, we must consume the word of God. God’s voice will never contradict His word because His word is established forever. In fact, the word of God already reveals God’s thoughts about many subjects. So if we want to hear His spoken word we need to honor His written word and be established in it.
Second, we need to obey what He is already telling us through His word. Why would God give us more of His voice if we haven’t stewarded what He has already given us? Mark 4:24-25 says that.
Finally, we need to dwell in God’s presence by spending time with Him on a daily basis. Just as we learn how people speak and how people act in different situations the more we spend time with them, so too we should spend so much time with God that his voice and leading becomes all too familiar.
I hope you enjoyed this article and that it assisted you in your walk with God.
God bless you all!
P.S. Here are some more articles on the Holy Spirit that I think you’ll enjoy.
7 Tips to Staying Filled with the Holy Spirit (Continually)
