What is it like to experience God? What should we expect? How can we know for sure that He is really there and involved in our lives? What kind of answers satisfy these questions? Where should the questioner look, and what standard is necessary to determine the truthfulness of various answers? Is anecdotal evidence enough? What about the opinion of a respected advisor? Would miraculous signs convince us, or overwhelming ecstatic experiences—something a person can feel?

An intense desire is rooted in every human heart for connectedness with our Creator—to somehow experience Him. This draws us to explore the nature of spiritual reality and question what a relationship with God should be like. God purposefully created us as personal, spiritual beings, and until we are confident in our relationship with Him and His purpose for our lives, we will be restless and lacking peace. This confidence should not be based on something unreliable, like an emotional illusion that makes us arbitrarily feel that all is well. Instead, our confidence must come from a deep-rooted conviction that we are accepted before God and we relate to Him within the boundaries of His Divine plan—by faith and not by sight.

We invite you to consider an essay that delves into some false notions about what it means to know God’s presence, with the hope that it may address some of the uncertainties that accompany the search to feel God’s presence. This article was written about 25 years ago as a response to some of the teachings found in the so-called “Signs and Wonders” movement (also called the 3rd Wave of the Holy Spirit), the “Toronto Blessing,” and before that, the excesses of the charismatic movement. While these movements and their respective terminologies are somewhat different, this broad critique may help Christians today understand why their spirits are unsettled when they seek an emotional feeling or sense of the Holy Spirit’s presence.

Read Spiritual Reality or Subtle Deception: A Critique of Some Common Patterns and Ideas Rooted in the “Signs & Wonders” Movement, by Chuck Gianotti and Shannon (Gianotti) Baker.