How many times have you heard someone say something along the lines of:

“The Holy Spirit was telling me to_____”
“God told me to ____”
“The Spirit placed it on my heart to ____”

I don’t know about you guys, but every time I hear someone use the Holy Spirit as the authority for some decision they made…it scares me. I see these people as potentially dangerous. Because in so many words, they’ve elevated themselves to God himself.

And to oppose their actions or decisions…you run the risk of feeling like you’re going against God.

How do we know if it’s really the Holy Spirit that’s telling you to do things…and it’s not simply your own personal desires, emotions, fears, impulses, or preferences?