“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.” Romans 8:9(a) NIV

 “And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.” Romans 8:11 NIV

 That’s You, God!

Recently, the Lord has been prompting me to listen to a worship song prior to coming before His Word in my morning time with Him. It sort of welcomes the Spirit into my midst and calms my mind a little bit so I can focus on what’s ahead.

One morning a while back, as I listened and watched a music video, I got goose bumps. This is not an abnormal occurrence for me, but I never really noticed before that, for me, goose bumps are a physical, outward expression of the Holy Spirit’s presence. Does this seem like a stretch to you? Hear me out… after this happened, I started to think about the other physical manifestations of the Spirit in my earthly body, the other things that happen to me when the Spirit is leading. My eyes well up with tears when I am moved by Scripture or by a story of someone sharing what God has done in their life. Conversely, my stomach gets a knot in it when I hear something that goes against God’s Word, or when I am in decision-making mode and I’m considering the wrong path. When I hear how someone else is hurting as they go through one of life’s many trials and tribulations, my body sometimes literally aches for them.

Most of all, when I feel God’s unmistakable presence in a situation, it takes my breath away and on occasion I have even felt a little lightheaded. Prior to the last couple of weeks, I hadn’t really paid attention to these phenomena, but since it occurred to me, I’m definitely paying more attention! In another devotional recently, the writer asked for the readers to share their experiences in the comments section. I love that. If you have some other ways that you have experienced something similar, please share and help us all to take note and not miss this miracle!

“Father, thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to guide us. May we never forget that You are with us always, in every circumstance. Help us to pay attention and to stay alert to Your leading.”