The Power of Personal

The Problem With “It”

It’s one of the most common—and subtle—errors in Christian speech: referring to the Holy Spirit as “it.”

Walk into almost any church and listen carefully. You’ll hear people talk about “feeling it,” “getting it,” “needing more of it.” Even good, mature believers do it without thinking. And yet we all know that the Holy Spirit is a Person, not an “it.” But that one small pronoun exposes a larger misunderstanding.

You see, the issue isn’t the language—it’s what that language reveals. We’ve traded relationship with a Person for control of a cosmic force and, in the process, lost touch with the very presence that makes the Church alive.

Our thinking becomes more Star Wars than Scripture. We talk to others as if the Holy Spirit were a “force” to manipulate rather than a Person to trust. And in doing so, we unknowingly push away the very relationship Jesus promised would sustain us.

A Paraclete, Not a Power Source

In John 14:15 and following, Jesus introduces the Spirit not as an impersonal power, but as “another Counselor”—the Paraclete. The Greek word paraklētos means “one who comes alongside to help.”

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16-17 CSB).

That’s deeply personal language. Advocate. Teacher. Guide.

Jesus didn’t promise us an energy field. He promised us Himself—through the Spirit—continuing His work of presence, comfort, and truth.

Christian philosopher Dallas Willard rightly commented that the greatest need in the Church is not more power but more presence. The Spirit is not divine voltage; He is divine companionship.

The Danger of Impersonal Faith

When the Spirit becomes a force, faith becomes mechanical.
We start looking for techniques—how to “tap into” the Spirit, how to “activate” His gifts, how to “make” something happen.

But when the Spirit is personal, faith becomes relational.
We learn to listen, to wait, to follow. We start seeing transformation not as a switch to flip but as a friendship to nurture.

Bible scholar Gordon Fee wrote that “the Spirit is God’s empowering presence.”³ Notice the balance: empowering and presence. The Spirit gives strength—but never apart from relationship.

When that relationship is replaced with formulas, we lose both intimacy and authenticity. The Spirit becomes a tool of our agenda rather than the heart of God shaping ours.

The Spirit in Everyday Life

Understanding the Spirit personally changes everything about how we live and lead.

• In leadership: You stop trying to manage outcomes and start trusting guidance. The Spirit doesn’t give us spreadsheets; He gives us discernment.
• In prayer: You move from “God, fix this” to “Spirit, teach me.”
• In conflict: You remember He’s called Comforter and Advocate. That means you’re never standing alone.
• In burnout: The Spirit doesn’t just recharge you—He renews you from within.

New Testament scholar N.T. Wright describes the Spirit as the “breath of new creation,” restoring what was lost and empowering what is being made new.⁴ The Spirit’s work is not only in miracles but in the quiet shaping of character, courage, and compassion.

The Power of Presence

Trinitarian theologian Catherine LaCugna reminds us that God’s being is relationship. The Spirit is not a divine add-on; He is the very love of God shared between Father and Son—and now shared with us.

To know the Spirit personally is to experience the inner life of God as our own source of life. That’s why the early church could move mountains without resources, budgets, or influence. They knew the Spirit as Someone, not something.

Real spiritual power is never impersonal. It’s the power of a Person who abides, advocates, and transforms us from the inside out.

A Personal Relationship That Changes Everything

If your understanding of the Spirit has drifted toward the impersonal, start simply. Talk to Him.
Ask, “Holy Spirit, help me know You as You truly are.”

Then listen.
The One who came to guide, teach, and comfort will do just that.

We don’t depend on a force. We depend on a Friend.

And that is where the true power lies—the power of the personal.

Leadership Reflection Questions:

1. How might your ministry change if you related to the Spirit as Person rather than power?
2. Where have you been trying to control outcomes instead of cultivating dependence?
3. What practices could help you listen to the Spirit’s personal guidance this week?
4. How can your church teach the Spirit’s personality—not just His power?

References

1. Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988), 225.
2. Scripture quotations are from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers.
3. Gordon Fee, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 14.
4. N.T. Wright, Simply Christian (New York: HarperOne, 2006), 123.

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Dr. Rupert Loyd Jr. has a BA in history from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, an MDiv from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston, and a PhD in Leadership from Union University in Cincinnati. He has over 40 years of pastoral experience in both urban and suburban churches, including multiethnic, multi-congregational churches. Throughout his career, he has maintained a presence in both the church and the academy. Dr. Loyd currently teaches graduate and undergraduate classes in the College of Business and Leadership at Lourdes University, and he holds the post of lead pastor at Marketplace Community Church in Toledo, Ohio.