Today I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “Conversation with the Holy Spirit.” People cannot have conversations with nonliving things or animals. This is because nonliving things or animals do not have personalities like human beings who have knowledge, emotions, and will. God made human beings following His image and likeness. Therefore, human beings have personalities. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Unlike animals humans are created as spiritual beings. Genesis 2:7 says, “the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Therefore, we humans are created as spiritual beings that can have conversations with God. In the Bible, before the fall, Adam used to have conversations with God all the time. As we have knowledge, emotions, and will, we can have conversations with ourselves, our neighbors, and God who is far beyond us. In 1 Peter Chapter 1, Peter called believers “strangers in the world.” We are living as strangers in the world. It is hard to walk alone along the path of life. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” If we walk with good friends, not alone, we can overcome any hardships. Furthermore, if God walks with us, how confident we are! We should not be alone, but walk with God. Suppose we walk with someone without bothering with conversation. It is like walking with a stranger. If we do not have any conversation with the Holy Spirit, it is just like walking with someone we don’t talk to. It is not necessary for the Holy Spirit to stay with us. If our conversation with the Holy Spirit is severed, we are just walking with someone without having conversation. We must confide with the Holy Spirit and listen to His voice to be guided by Him. The Holy Spirit is not just a mere influence or mysterious power. The Holy Spirit is a God with personality. Like Father God’s personality and the Son’s personality, the Hoy Spirit also has His own personality: He has His own knowledge, emotion and will. First, the Holy Spirit has intelligence. 1 Corinthians 2:10 says, “but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” This shows that the Holy Spirit has intelligence. In our daily lives, the Holy Spirit penetrates our inner beings. The Holy Spirit with intelligence is fully aware of our hardships and problems. Therefore, when we do not know what we ought to pray for and depend on the Holy Spirit, the Spirit Himself who knows our every problem intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. The Holy Spirit is fully aware of our circumstances. Therefore, when we rely on the Holy Spirit our Advocate, He will guide us well. And the Holy Spirit has emotion. Ephesians 4:30 says, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” To grieve means that the Holy Spirit has emotion. Therefore, we must recognize, welcome, and invite the Holy Spirit to please Him. Furthermore, as the Holy Spirit has emotion, He comforts us in our hardship. Acts 9:31 says, “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.” The Holy Spirit gives believers peace of mind and joy. In the Early Church, after the Holy Spirit came, within their difficult and hard church life they would become encouraged and peaceful. As the Holy Spirit comforted believers, the church was strengthened and an amazing revival began to rise. The Holy Spirit has not only intelligence and emotion but also will. In the Acts, the Holy Spirit led the mission journey of Paul according to His will. When the church at Antioch sent off missionaries, the Holy Spirit had a strong will to say, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." and sent them off as missionaries. When working as missionaries, the Holy Spirit is guiding us according to His will even today. Therefore, we must listen to His voice and follow His guidance. When we seek His will and guidance, we can have conscious fellowship with the Holy Spirit. How can we know whether we receive the Holy Spirit or not? Speaking in tongues can be sure evidence. When the Israelites crucified Jesus on the cross and all His followers were dispersed everywhere, as some of them gathered together and prayed in Mark’s upstairs room, the Holy Spirit came upon them. It is speaking in tongues that they all received the Holy Spirit. As they began to speak in tongues, others could hear it with their ears and realize the coming of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:1-4 says, “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” They began to speak in other tongues that they did not know. Some people force to speak in other tongues, but it can’t be speaking in tongues. It is released by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:28-31 says, “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.” When the Holy Spirit comes, various gifts manifest through Him. The Holy Spirit reveals a special gift through His chosen people. Then those who receive the gift of speaking in other tongues pray with it and testify the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is because when people begin to speak in tongues, others can acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit. Then we can experience the presence of the Holy Spirit, we become more brave and bolder and much delighted. All believers who receive the Holy Spirit can become brave and bold because they have firm evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit through speaking in tongues; when we recognize, welcome, invite and rely on the Holy Spirit, amazing work of God will manifest. When we speak in other tongues, it edifies us and we can help our suffering neighbors through praying with speaking in tongues. Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:18 as follows, “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.” While Paul suffered so many hardships as he diligently preached the gospel, he always won over those hard circumstances because he prayed much through speaking in tongues and then received much help from God through it. We need to pray speaking in tongues. It is really a precious treasure in our life of faith. Those who neglect prayer may ignore the importance of prayer, but without prayer our faith will be dormant and die at last. Only through prayer in speaking in tongues can we receive God’s help even if we aren’t aware of our problems. The Holy Spirit shows us valuable things through speaking in tongues and resolves our problems and then through dreams and visions He speaks to us. Acts 2:17 says, "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” The Holy Spirit comes upon us and converses with us not only through speaking in tongues but also through dreams and visions. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through dreams and visions too, in Acts, when Apostle Paul had been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia, he had a vision by the Holy Spirit. “During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."(Acts 16:9) Moreover, the Holy Spirit told Peter through visions. By showing him the vision of a large sheet which contained all kinds of animals forbidden to eat three times, He told him to go to the house of Cornelius. Whenever God teaches us some important things, He always speaks to us through dreams and visions. Therefore, when the Spirit-filled people pray in the Spirit, God teaches us what to do through dreams and visions. The Holy Spirit also speaks through the Bible, the word of God. When we study the Bible with great impression, our hearts will burn and be changed with the word of God. 2 Peter 1:21 says, “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” It is dreams and visions and prophecy that the Holy Spirit gives in our hearts and minds. And when we read the word of God and meditate on it, we can have conversations with the Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” The Bible reveals the will, thoughts and mind of God to us. However, the Holy Spirit should work on the recorded word of God to make us realize it and have faith. And the Holy Spirit speaks to us through prayer. Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” When we pray all kinds of prayers and requests, we must pray with the Holy Spirit in our prayers and requests; then the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. We are able to pray in mild suffering. We can kneel down and pray, “Oh, God. I am so painful. I am afflicted. Please help me now!” But if we are overwhelmed too much by problems, prayer itself seems to be impossible. Then praying in speaking tongues is much better. We can’t express our pain with our known language in our prayer. To pray with speaking in tongues will be much easier. Paul said concerning the benefit of speaking in tongues. 1 Corinthians 14:15 says, “So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.” Praying with one’s spirit means praying with speaking in tongues. Paul said that he praised God and prayed to Him with his known language and also his unknown language. When we are unable to pray, if we pray with speaking in tongues, the Holy Spirit will help us in our prayer. Romans 8:26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” The Holy Spirit helps us on our side. When we pray with speaking in tongues for a long time, we can fell peace of mind. Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah” The Holy Spirit is glad to converse with us. Through conversations with us, He will guide us to the path of life and helps us to prosper spiritually, physically and materially.