For many Christian believers, the Holy Spirit can feel like the most mysterious member of the Trinity — unseen but working on our behalf to provide wisdom and guidance, and even positive intervention.
We are taught to pray and rely on the Holy Spirit’s guidance in whatever areas are needed for each day. And yes, it takes time to understand what he provides and how to hear and see his moves.
That’s the journey author Janet L. Williams wants to make easier for others. In her new book, “Life With the Holy Spirit,” she shares her own encounters — moments when God became more than a concept and the Spirit’s presence became unmistakable.
“God became my family and my friend,” she writes. “We developed a very close relationship that felt even stronger than the bond of a brother.”
Williams recounts “the moment I repeated the sinner’s prayer while watching a Christian program. That prayer marked the beginning of my journey with God, and from that day forward, He has been a constant, guiding presence in my life.”
So she’s no stranger to the workings of an intimate relationship with the Lord. She went on to write about her first experience with the Holy Spirit.
“I experienced an overwhelming sense of love at that moment as an intense emotion coursed through my heart and body,” she writes. “Tears covered my cheeks, but not because I was upset; I was thrilled to be loved and understood. My loneliness and confusion vanished, leaving me with unbelievable serenity and joy. It was like a veil was lifted, and I could see and sense God’s presence. I felt the Holy Spirit in every aspect of my life, not just as a notion.”
That experience transformed her relationship with God her “relationship with Jesus Christ became alive,” she wrote. She tells Word In Black more about how the book came to be and why she believes every reader can connect with the Holy Spirit.
Word In Black: How did you come to write “Life With the Holy Spirit?”
Janet L. Williams: God asked me to write it. My publisher called me out of the blue and asked me to write a book at first. I was about to tell him no, not now, but I heard the Holy Spirit telling me yes, write it.
WIB: Is the Holy Spirit available to everyone?
JLW: Yes, once you’ve given your life to Jesus and have submitted your will to him. He will come and live inside of you. He will guide you when you ask for his help. Just repeat the sinner’s prayer and mean it because then the Lord will know if you’re being a hypocrite. Put him first instead of yourself. This is the sinner’s prayer: Jesus is Lord and Savior of my life. I believe in my heart, you died on the cross and God raised you from the dead. Thank you for saving me.
WIB: How did your relationship with the Holy Spirit heighten?
JLW: I was in an accident and thrown into a coma that lasted three months. After I came to myself, I was very anxious to start rehab, so I could get my life back. I knew I needed him then. And when I completed rehab, I was able to return to my son.
WIB: How do you describe him to newcomers to the faith?
JLW: The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God that lives inside you when you sincerely believe in Jesus Christ.
WIB: How does a person sense the presence of the Holy Spirit?
JLW: Sometimes you can feel his presence, and you look around and no one is there.
WIB: In what way will he do for believers?
JLW: He will do for his children because you are born again, when you ask in line with his word, he will make it happen. Not on your timing, but his, and know he will not be rushed.
