Are believers supposed to feel the Holy Spirit?

TL;DR:

While the Bible is certainly clear there are times when a person will sense or feel the Holy Spirit, our relationship with the Holy Spirit is not an emotional experience. Our relationship with God comes from knowing the Holy Spirit indwells and works in us, not whether or not we sense His presence.

what does the bible say?

Believers may sometimes sense or feel the Holy Spirit, but our relationship with Him is not primarily an emotional experience. The Holy Spirit’s work is focused on reflecting Christ and empowering us to live for God, not producing good feelings. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and guides us in obedience, producing fruit (Galatians 5:22-24) and leading us to live according to God’s will, regardless of whether we feel His presence (Galatians 5:16). The absence of sensation does not mean He is absent or inactive in our lives. Feelings are fleeting, and we are not to base our lives or our relationship with God on them. Instead, God’s Word, His promises, and trust in the Spirit’s ongoing work should assure and guide us, not our fluctuating emotions.

from the old testament

In the Old Testament, the Spirit’s work is often functional rather than emotional. For example, the Spirit empowered Bezalel to build the tabernacle with skill (Exodus 31:3-5), and filled Samson with strength to defeat his enemies (Judges 14:6). These passages suggest that the Spirit’s presence is more about enabling and equipping than producing a guaranteed “feeling.” The emphasis is on obedience, empowerment, and God’s purposes being accomplished, not necessarily on subjective experience.

from the new testament

The Holy Spirit remains with a believer forever (John 14:16-17) but may not always be felt emotionally.
In contrast with the controlling influence of wine, a Christian is called to be controlled by God's Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). We are not controlled by feeling the Holy Spirit but by knowing the Holy Spirit lives within us and by responding to His leading.
First Corinthians 6:19-20 says a believer receives the Spirit at the point of salvation, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."
Believers are controlled or filled with the Spirit by growing in the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 identifies what they are: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
A believer can grieve the Holy Spirit. This happens when we disobey God and continue walking in sin or follow our own ways instead of living by the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; see Isaiah 63:10). We may feel distant from the Holy Spirit at this time, or we may feel normal, but how we feel does not dictate the reality of His presence and work in our lives.
A person is controlled by the Spirit by obeying the Lord. Galatians 5:16 says, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." If we walk by, or obey, the Spirit through obedience to the Lord we will resist sin and overcome temptation.
God calls His people to live a life of love, devoted to Him and His teachings (2 Timothy 3:16-17). At times, we will experience joy; sometimes we will endure suffering. However, God's Spirit is always present with the believer, even during the most difficult times of life and even when we don't feel His presence.

implications for today

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Triune God, existing for all eternity. While He is Spirit, and we often think of our relationship with Him in terms of emotions or sensations, just like any relationship, our connection with the Holy Spirit is not primarily based on feelings. The Spirit works in our lives in ways that are real and powerful, whether or not we have an emotional response.

Because feelings are constantly changing and influenced by many factors, we must be cautious not to base decisions or gauge our spiritual state solely on them. Believers may or may not experience noticeable “feelings” of the Holy Spirit, and the absence of a sensation does not mean His presence is absent. Even with a spouse or friend, sometimes feelings are strong and sometimes they’re difficult or non-existent. However, that does not mean that we do not love the person. We don’t base our relationship with them on our feelings or else we would be in and out of relationships fairly regularly. This is analogous to our experience of the Holy Spirit. We must base our relationship with Him on what is true: If we are saved, we are sealed, empowered to live for Him, and pointed to the truth. He will never leave us, and He works to produce fruit in our lives, whether we feel it or not. Our assurance and guidance come from His Word, His promises, and His ongoing work in our lives, not from subjective emotional experiences.

understand

Feeling the Holy Spirit is possible but not guaranteed.
The Holy Spirit indwells, guides, and produces fruit in every believer.
Assurance of our faith comes from God’s Word and promises, not emotions.

reflect

How have you been tempted to measure your relationship with God based on feelings, and how can you shift your focus to His Word and promises instead?
In what areas of your life do you need to rely more on the Holy Spirit’s guidance rather than your emotions?
How can you remind yourself that the Spirit is always present, even when you don’t sense Him?

engage

How can we encourage one another to trust the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives rather than our fluctuating feelings?
In what practical ways can we cultivate obedience and the fruit of the Spirit even when we don’t feel “spiritual”?
How does understanding that the Holy Spirit is always present change how we view spiritual dryness?