January 31

However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. — John 16:13 BSB

“He shall not speak of Himself.” There is something deeply gracious about the way the Holy Spirit operates. He does not glorify Himself in the same way the Father and the Son do. Throughout Scripture, we hear the Father speak of Himself, and we see the Son speak of Himself, but the Holy Spirit does not draw attention to Himself in this direct, personal way. Though the Holy Spirit inspired the entire Bible, He does not call us to worship Him directly, but His work is to testify of both the Father and the Son.

As the Spirit of adoption, He enables us to cry, “Abba, Father,” testifying to our hearts of the Father. As the Spirit of revelation, He reveals Christ to our souls and testifies of the Son. However, the Holy Spirit does not testify of Himself in a personal way.

How then do we know the Holy Spirit? We know Him by His operations—His teachings, comfort, strength, and grace in our lives. Jesus said to His disciples, “But you know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you.” We experience the Holy Spirit’s presence through the light He gives us to see our spiritual evidences, the life He breathes into our souls, the submission He grants in affliction, and the meekness He bestows under God’s chastening hand. We know Him through the boldness He gives us to stand for the truth and the zeal He kindles in our hearts for the glory of God.

Though the Holy Spirit does not speak of Himself, He makes Himself known through His indwelling power and grace. O blessed Teacher, Holy Comforter, gracious Intercessor, and heavenly Witness, come and dwell in our hearts! Reveal and form Christ within us, shed abroad God’s love, bear witness to our sonship, and teach, sanctify, and bless us. May we, and all in whom You have worked, be “filled with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit.”