Evidence for God from Science

Hello everyone, I"m still trying to get to the bottom of the issue of what the Holy Spirit is supposed to feel like or what role the Spirit is supposed to play in my life. I've been reading up on what William Lane Craig has to say about it. Surprisingly he says that the inner witness of the Holy Spirit is supposed to be our primary witness to begin with but if and when the time comes when the main arguments for God's existence are greatly challenged or in the extreme case disproven or shown to be very unlikely the inner witness of the Holy Spirit should be our refuge and act almost like our back up plan. He went on to say if all of our arguments went away he says the Spirit's inner witness is more than enough to secure one's confidence that Christianity is true. Now with that said, what does the Spirit do to believers (and what the Spirit should be doing for me) that would keep believers from being overwhelmed with doubts that would eventually cause one to leave the faith? And I"m still hung up on what we are supposed to feel or sense or automatically do when we have the Spirit living inside of us. I'm still nervous that if I truly had the Spirit in me I would be more confident in my faith, I would be much more of a better person morally, I would constantly sense God's presence and I would receive clear advice and direction from God either through feelings, dreams, visions, hearing a audible voice and so on. So on one end I'm nervous that I don't have the Spirit in me at all, but another part of me thinks I do but it's barley noticeable. For example, since becoming a Christian (or at least thinking when I became a Christian) over time I started developing a love for God and a love for being around believers or being around thing that have to do with Christianity like the church and the Bible. Now in more recent times because of my intellectual issues I've been deeply attracted to apologetics, whether it be resources, our being around like minded people like I am right now with you all. Not to mention at times while praying, I've felt feelings of warmth and peace which may or may not be from God, but I"m hopeful that they could be. And as far as I know I tend to display the fruits of the Spirit, even though others may do a much better job than I do. But anyway, from looking into your own lives, is your experience of the Holy Spirit much like mine or do you all have something more that I'm not experiencing yet? And if so, what do you think I"m doing wrong (as in not believing enough or believing the right way)? Thank you all for your time and God bless.

The HS is our back up plan? Does Craig actually say this. If he does, then I would take anything he has written and throw it away.

Hey Jlay, here is one of the articles where it appears that this is what he's saying. Or that's how I read it.

http://www.reasonablefaith.org/site/New ... le&id=5889

derrick09 wrote:Hello everyone, I"m still trying to get to the bottom of the issue of what the Holy Spirit is supposed to feel like or what role the Spirit is supposed to play in my life. I've been reading up on what William Lane Craig has to say about it. Surprisingly he says that the inner witness of the Holy Spirit is supposed to be our primary witness to begin with but if and when the time comes when the main arguments for God's existence are greatly challenged or in the extreme case disproven or shown to be very unlikely the inner witness of the Holy Spirit should be our refuge and act almost like our back up plan. He went on to say if all of our arguments went away he says the Spirit's inner witness is more than enough to secure one's confidence that Christianity is true. Now with that said, what does the Spirit do to believers (and what the Spirit should be doing for me) that would keep believers from being overwhelmed with doubts that would eventually cause one to leave the faith? And I"m still hung up on what we are supposed to feel or sense or automatically do when we have the Spirit living inside of us. I'm still nervous that if I truly had the Spirit in me I would be more confident in my faith, I would be much more of a better person morally, I would constantly sense God's presence and I would receive clear advice and direction from God either through feelings, dreams, visions, hearing a audible voice and so on. So on one end I'm nervous that I don't have the Spirit in me at all, but another part of me thinks I do but it's barley noticeable. For example, since becoming a Christian (or at least thinking when I became a Christian) over time I started developing a love for God and a love for being around believers or being around thing that have to do with Christianity like the church and the Bible. Now in more recent times because of my intellectual issues I've been deeply attracted to apologetics, whether it be resources, our being around like minded people like I am right now with you all. Not to mention at times while praying, I've felt feelings of warmth and peace which may or may not be from God, but I"m hopeful that they could be. And as far as I know I tend to display the fruits of the Spirit, even though others may do a much better job than I do. But anyway, from looking into your own lives, is your experience of the Holy Spirit much like mine or do you all have something more that I'm not experiencing yet? And if so, what do you think I"m doing wrong (as in not believing enough or believing the right way)? Thank you all for your time and God bless.

Hey Derrick, do'nt worry. If you're a genuine believer in the Lord, you have the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13, 14). Granted, we are not always tuned in to Him, but He is nevertheless always with us (John 14:15-16, 17-18; Hebrews 13:5) and in us. As far as what you describe (warmth & peace while praying, along with love for everything to do with Christ and God) I have felt and still do feel quite often, so again do'nt worry.

In regard to the fruit of the Spirit, do'nt compare yourself to others, as doing so wreaks havoc on your morale... just ask God in prayer what you can do for Him each day, and allow Him to work in you and through you for the praise of His glory, the benefit of other people, and for your own good as well. Trust Him one day at a time. People often want to do great things for God, and often feel discouraged when they do'nt and have doubts. News flash: the Lord notices even the smallest of service (Mark 9:41), hence it is not the size of your service that matters to God, but rather the amount of love you put into it. Also, about doubts, do'nt feel bad if you doubt, because even John the Baptist, the greatest among us who had the Spirit from birth, had his doubts (Luke 7:19) because something happened in his life that he did'nt see coming (prison and later execution). Make your doubts known to God, and ask Him to help you. If you need understanding, pray for it (Proverbs 4:3-4, 5-6, 7; James 1:5). Make your requests known to God, and He will guard your mind (Philippians 4:6-7).

If you are seriously unsure about how to approach the Spirit, then I recommend reading Forgotten God by Francis Chan. It helped me with my questions about the Spirit, so I believe it will help you too. I should really read it again, though.

Later, and God Bless.