How to Know If You Have the Holy Spirit

I’m going to teach you how to know if you have the Holy Spirit.

Maybe you’re asking this question in fear, wondering if the Holy Spirit has abandoned you. Or maybe you’re asking if the signs of His presence and power are actually being displayed in your life. I believe, and I know by the Word of God, that if you are a born-again believer, the Holy Spirit does indeed dwell in you. 

Here are 8 signs that the Holy Spirit’s presence and power dwell in you.

1. Confidence in Your Salvation

I don’t want you to panic here. Sometimes when people hear this, they become worried because they say, “There are times when I doubt my salvation. I fear that God might ultimately reject me.” That fear alone doesn’t mean you don’t belong to God.

The Holy Spirit gives us the assurance of salvation. But the flesh is still at work. Demons still lie to you. The enemy still attacks you. So it’s not a matter of having no doubt at all. It’s having that assurance within you, even in the face of those doubts.

"For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering." - Romans 8:16-17 (NLT)

If you are a child of God, the Holy Spirit dwells in you. Romans 8:9 makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is present at the very moment of salvation.

"But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you." - Romans 8:9 (NLT)

And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all. So you don’t need to be afraid that He’s abandoned you just because you made a mistake. You don’t need to be afraid that He’s rejected you just because you’re not perfect. For believers, it’s not about being perfect. It’s about being perfected, submitted to the process of sanctification that only comes by the Holy Spirit.

If you struggle with intrusive thoughts or that constant checking, “Did I commit the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Is God going to reject me?” be aware that the enemy uses your weaknesses against you. Those who commit the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit don’t care if they committed it or not. That’s already a good sign to you. When we make mistakes, the Holy Spirit within us grieves. He doesn’t abandon you. Nor does He condones the sin. You sense that conviction because He still dwells in you. 

2. Godly Character

The greatest demonstration that you’ve received Christ isn’t necessarily power or miracles. It’s the character of Christ in you. You can prophesy and not have love. You can heal the sick and not have love. You can preach a great message and still not be patient or kind.

When you begin to surrender to the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit begins to manifest. That fruit is the character of Christ.

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" - Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

Love is selflessness. Joy is joy despite what’s happening around you. Peace is peace with God, peace with others, and peace within. Patience is the attitude you have toward others’ shortcomings. Kindness is simple and powerful. Christians should be kind. Goodness is moral excellence. Faithfulness is reliability. Gentleness is the way you deal with others. Self-control is mastery over self. 

As you begin to see these demonstrations of godly character in your life, that’s evidence that the Holy Spirit dwells in you.

Every believer has the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t necessarily have every believer.

He has been deposited in you. The question is whether He has the parts of your life you’ve yet to surrender. The fruit is already in you. Surrender is how it comes to the forefront.

Spirituality is not a personality trait. It is not sounding serious or quoting Scripture a certain way. Spirituality has to do with your character.

3. Power

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." - Acts 1:8 (NLT)

When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you receive power. 

The key to the power of the Holy Spirit is the presence of the Holy Spirit. There are no special rituals. There are no formulas. There is no list of rigid protocols. It’s just the Holy Spirit. It’s simple. It’s the power of God. 

Power can be a sign that you have the Holy Spirit. That does not mean every demonstration of power is from the Holy Spirit. Some preach from false motivation. The true power of the Holy Spirit comes with His presence. 

Remember, power alone is not the proof, but His presence does come with power, and that power has already been deposited in you. 

When the Holy Spirit came to dwell in you, His power came with Him, but that doesn’t mean you will immediately see the full expression or maturity of that power in your life. These signs can develop and grow as you learn to yield to the Holy Spirit. 

You may be growing in an area without yet seeing its fullest demonstration.

4. The Evidence of Speaking in Tongues

When the presence and power of the Holy Spirit come upon someone, one of the signs that can manifest is speaking in tongues.

"And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability." - Acts 2:4 (NLT)

In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul speaks of the public gift of tongues used in the church for the benefit of all. He also speaks of the personal prayer language that edifies you, that no one understands.

I am not saying that you have to speak in tongues to be saved. I am not saying that speaking in tongues is the ultimate sign that you’ve received salvation. What I am saying is this: if you’ve received the Holy Spirit at salvation, the potential to speak in tongues, the potential to use your heavenly prayer language, has already been deposited in you. 

Only those who have the Holy Spirit can truly speak in tongues. But you do not have to speak in tongues to have the Holy Spirit. 

He comes upon you first. Then the evidence can flow from that Presence.

5. A Love for Jesus

"And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." - Romans 5:5 (NLT)

The Holy Spirit is the One who deposits that love. He fans into flame the fires of your love for Jesus. No one on earth is more passionate about Jesus, or more in love with Jesus, than the Person of the Holy Spirit. That is why those who have the Holy Spirit come into that same love. I pray all the time, “Holy Spirit, help me love Jesus like You love Jesus. Help me be as focused on Jesus as You are on Jesus.”

One of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Jesus. He points to Jesus. He highlights Jesus. He reminds us of the words of Jesus. He does not make Jesus real as if Jesus were not real. He makes Jesus real to us. 

There are moments in prayer and worship when the presence of Jesus becomes more real than the room you are standing in. That is the Holy Spirit pointing you to Him.

6. Revelation or Knowledge of Truth

"But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative, that is, the Holy Spirit, he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you." - John 14:26 (NLT)

The Holy Spirit takes the Word and causes it to become not just information, but revelation.

Revelation is knowledge set on fire by the Holy Spirit. 

Sometimes when we read Scripture, the flesh tries to distract us. The mind gets cluttered with fears, doubts, questions, responsibilities, hurts, and pains. That is why you have to be attentive to His voice. 

Revelation is not receiving brand-new information. Revelation is when what you already know in your spirit becomes understood in your mind, and revelation brings transformation.

7. A Desire for Holiness

As a born-again believer, it’s not about being perfect. It’s about being perfected. Not about being complete, but about being submitted to the process of completion.

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." - Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

"And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations." - Ezekiel 36:27 (NLT)

Legalism says, “If you perform unto perfection, God will give you His Holy Spirit.” The truth says you cannot perform until you have His presence and power within you. 

First, He deposits the Holy Spirit within us. Then we begin to do good. 

The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. He prays for us. He sanctifies us. He gives you new desires. You abide. You have faith.

This does not mean you can go on sinning. You still need discipline, confession, and accountability. But all of that is done in partnership with the Holy Spirit, not apart from Him.

Are you frustrated with yourself? Does it bother you that you can’t overcome that sinful mistake?

Are you grieved when you can’t break that habit? That’s proof the Holy Spirit dwells in you.

If you didn’t have the Holy Spirit, you wouldn’t be fighting the flesh. You would just be in the

Flesh.

8. Holiness

In addition to the desire for holiness, you’ll see the fruit of that desire. You actually begin to see holiness. And this is His doing.

"God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ." - 1 Peter 1:2 (NLT)

Did you make yourself holy? No. His Spirit has made you holy. 

The Holy Spirit does the work first. Then obedience begins to result. 

Read the Word every day. Pray every day. Worship. Submit to the process. 

Here is the mistake many people make. After a failure, the last thing they want to do is pray, open the Bible, or stand in a church service. That should be the first thing you do. That’s how you abide.

While you work at it through willpower, accountability, and confession, the Holy Spirit is working at it in your nature. You work from the outside in. He works from the inside out. Eventually, those two meet, and there is a breakthrough. 

Even when you can’t see it yet, He is working in you. Sin begins to lose its allure. Desire can become disgust. Why? Because He is changing you at the level of your nature.

Final Thoughts

So this is how you know if you have the Holy Spirit: look for the evidence of His presence and work in your life. There is confidence in your salvation, godly character, spiritual power, a desire to speak in tongues, a growing love for Jesus, revelation of truth, a desire for holiness, and the fruit of holiness.

These things may not all be fully developed in your life yet. You are growing. The Holy Spirit is working in you, changing you from the inside out, and teaching you to yield more fully to Him.

The question is not whether you are good enough to have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the One who makes you new. He is the One who gives you power, produces His character in you, reveals truth to you, gives you new desires, and leads you into holiness.

If you are a born-again believer, the Holy Spirit dwells in you. Now, learn to recognize His presence, yield to His work, and allow Him to transform every area of your life.

For more insight into the biblical signs that reveal the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life, watch my full teaching, How to Know If You Have the Holy Spirit, by clicking here.

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