"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come" (John 16:13, emphasis mine).
     This verse speaks volumes, but we need to consider four key truths before we go any further in our discussion.

The Holy Spirit will guide us.

1. The emphasis is on the word guide. Jesus doesn't promise that the Holy Spirit will control us. He doesn't promise that He will drive us. He doesn't say that the Holy Spirit will force us to do anything. He says He will guide us.
2. Granted, there are times when I wish the Holy Spirit would control me. For instance, when I am tempted. Or when I become so task oriented that I become insensitive. Or when it's a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I need to study, but everything in me wants to grab my camera and head for the mountains. Life would be much easier—and I would be a much more enjoyable person—if the Holy Spirit would reach out and take control of me.
3. But that is not the case. He is our guide, not our controller. At no point do we lose our ability to choose to follow His leading. Consequently, we are always responsible for our words and actions.

The Holy Spirit is a trustworthy guide.

1. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth. He guides believers into truth and according to what is true. That makes Him a trustworthy guide.
2. The Holy Spirit helps believers discern between what is true and what is not; what is wise and what is foolish; what is best and what is simply OK. Each day is full of decisions. Most of our decisions concern issues not clearly spelled out in the Scriptures, for example, where to attend school, whether to hire a particular applicant, how much to budget for vacation, on and on it goes.
3. As you are barraged with the details of everyday living, the Holy Spirit will guide you. He will give you that extra on-the-spot sense of discernment you need to make both big and small decisions. And the wonderful thing is that as you develop a greater sensitivity to His guidance, you will worry much less about the decisions you make. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is a trustworthy guide.

The Holy Spirit is God's mouthpiece to believers.

1. The Holy Spirit does not speak on His own. Like Christ, this member of the Trinity has willingly submitted to the authority of the Father. Everything He communicates to us is directly from the Father: "He will not speak on His own initiative." (John 16:13).
2. God has chosen to communicate to His children through the Holy Spirit (see Acts 11:12). He is God's mouthpiece to believers. When God chooses to speak directly to you, it will be through the Holy Spirit.
3. When you think about it, this really makes perfect sense. After all, where does the Holy Spirit reside? In you! And in me! Therefore, He is the perfect candidate for communicating God's will to Christians. Living inside us, He has direct access to our minds, emotions, and consciences.

The Holy Spirit speaks.

1. The question of whether God still speaks today is one that has spawned numerous books, articles, and lectures. It is not my purpose to present a tightly woven argument about why I believe God still speaks today. Suffice it to say, I do believe God, through the Holy Spirit, communicates directly with believers. No, I don't write these revelations in the back of my Bible and call them inspired. Neither do I run around telling everybody what "God told me."
2. My experience (as well as the experience of many godly men and women) is that the Holy Spirit, at the prompting of the heavenly Father, still communicates with believers today . . . The Holy Spirit indwells me. He doesn't need my ears. What He needs is a listening heart and a renewed mind . . .