God So Close: Experience a Life Awakened to His Spirit

By Becky Thompson

The Holy Spirit has always been a contentious character in the Christian faith and the understanding of the diversity and unity of the triune God. Christians (and even some agnostics) can get on board with God the Father or God the Creator and have little to no issue accepting Jesus as the Messiah who was fully human and fully God. 

But the Holy Spirit…He kinda loses people. They aren’t sure what to think, believe, know, or trust. Of course, the majority of those who actively follow Christ acknowledge the inner workings of God’s Spirit and accept the purpose He provides here on earth. Still, there are many who are bewildered by the idea of the Holy Spirit or who have difficulty clarifying who He is, what He does, and why He is here. 

In God So Close: Experience a Life Awakened to His Spirit, Becky Thompson offers a rich understanding of the Holy Spirit by answering commonly asked questions and ponderings about the third person of the Trinity while inviting the reader into a deeper, fuller, and more fruitful relationship with the Spirit of God. 

Using scripture as the foundation, Becky presents the Holy Spirit in a way that is both comprehendible and relatable. She teaches the reader how to recognize the Spirit’s presence, voice, wisdom, direction, and more this side of eternity while encouraging the reader to contemplate their own thoughts, feelings, knowledge, and experience with the Holy Ghost. 

For practical support, Becky shares numerous testaments to the Spirit’s power at work within her own life and the lives of those she has interacted with. These real-life experiences are incredible to read and inspire reflection on one’s personal life and relationship with God. It will lead you to wonder if you’re actively tuned into the Spirit and following His lead or if you’re missing out on opportunities to share Jesus with the world.  

Throughout God So Close, the reader will discover:

• The knowledge, mind, and holiness of God
• A scriptural basis for understanding who the Holy Spirit is, what He does, and why He’s here and available for all believers in Christ
• God’s invitation into a relationship with His Spirit 
• How God manifests His presence here on earth
• An awakening to and recognition of God’s voice, power, and promptings
• An acceptance and appreciation of individual spiritual gifts and the purpose of these gifts for serving the Kingdom
• What the Pentecost means for you 
• The role of prophetic messages 
• And more…

There are many take-aways in God So Close that reveal what it looks like to live a Spirit-led life. One element that stood out to me was discerning the Spirit’s voice by weighing what you’re hearing against the ability for it to strengthen, encourage, and comfort either you or the person you’re feeling led to witness to. As someone who has a strong spiritual gifting for discernment, I found this portion of the book to be very beneficial for strengthening my faith and pulling me closer into relationship with the Holy Spirit. 

Becky offers the following questions to assist in spiritual discernment:

• Does the Bible confirm what I’m hearing? 
• Does what I’m hearing sound like Jesus?
• Does what I’m hearing lead me (or the person you’re prophesying to or for) toward God or away from God?
• Does this message testify of the work of Jesus?

No matter where you are in your faith journey, God So Close will show you there is always more to learn and discover about God because God is infinite. Even so, there is an important difference between pursuing God and pursuing knowledge.

Does the Holy Spirit reveal Jesus to us or do we just know about Him?

To tackle this topic, Becky digs into the roots underneath the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (as seen in Genesis 2-3) while outlining the dangers that come with exchanging intimacy with God for knowledge about God.  

I valued the reflection questions at the end of each chapter as well as the guided prayer section for the opportunity to apply the content communicated. In all honesty, this closing portion of each chapter was quite convicting as it challenged me to evaluate what I think and believe while opening my heart to receive the goodness and fullness of the Spirit. 

Similarly, the final chapter of this book examines the reader’s motives and intentions for pursuing Jesus and asks the reader to consider what they’re seeking, looking to obtain, or hoping to receive from God. It is a soul-searching question that encourages spiritual growth over lukewarm complacency. I have the utmost respect for the author taking this truth-based, grace-laced, yet straight-forward and to-the-point approach because it offers accountability. I believe truth and love should always go hand-in-hand and one should never be compromised for the other. 

I recommend God So Close for anyone who seeks to worship God in both Spirit and Truth. God So Close is a call to carry God’s love and power with you everywhere you go and with everyone you encounter. It will push your spiritual and intellectual limits as it draws you closer into relationship with a God who is forever close to you. 

*I personally purchased this book. All the thoughts and opinions expressed are my very own.