In the Gospel of John, when Jesus Christ had the Last Supper with His disciples and His hour for crucifixion was at hand, He gave the disciples something that you can call a valedictory speech. In John 14:15–18 and verse 26, He said:
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
The Holy Spirit is a promise of God for His children.
He is the third Person of the Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is God’s active presence.
The Holy Spirit is not a thing or a force. He is a Person, and He is not inferior to God or Jesus Christ. He is fully divine.
He is the Counsellor (Parakletos – Greek) — the One called alongside to help, translated as Advocate, Helper, Comforter, or Counsellor.
He is a Teacher — Hebrews 12:12 — and brings to our remembrance the words of Jesus.
He is a gift from God — Acts 2:38 — and also a giver. He gives abilities, wisdom, and strength to build our Christian faith.
He is the River of Living Water — John 7:39.
He is the Power — Acts 1:8.
He lives in your body — 1 Corinthians 6:19.
He is a Builder — Jude 1:20.
He is given to those who ask — Luke 11:13.
He can sanctify — Romans 15:16.
The Holy Spirit transforms. He produces positive moral traits in a Christian’s life — Galatians 5:22, Ephesians 5:9.
As I said earlier, the Holy Spirit is a Person, and therefore He can speak. He has a voice. In Acts 8:29:
Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
This also means it is possible for Him to be ignored. Ephesians 4:30 says:
And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
This means, do not cause sorrow or distress to Him.
Because He is a Person, He also has a will, and that means He can be disobeyed. He also has feelings, so He can be hurt.
He will not force Himself on you. He will come if you invite Him into your life.
HOLY SPIRIT AND SPEAKING IN TONGUES
In Acts 1:8, when Jesus’ directive was given:
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
And when the fullness of time came, the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:1–4 says:
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
So, we can say speaking in tongues is one of the evidences of being filled with the Holy Spirit. There are other evidences that must be seen in your life.
There are many tongues. Apostle Paul explained this clearly to us in 1 Corinthians 13:1:
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
Be not deceived; there are diverse tongues on earth. Not every tongue you hear is by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. By their fruits you shall know them.
The Holy Spirit gives you the language to help you in your prayer life. When you pray in the Spirit, you speak to God — 1 Corinthians 14:2, 4.
However, if your mission is to give understanding to men, you will need the gift of interpretation of tongues as well.
The Holy Spirit is a great help when you do not know what to do or how to go about things. He is the Spirit of God and knows what is in the heart of the Father for you at every point in time.
So, beloved, avail yourself of this vast help available to you.