“The Spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for His people.”
− A. W. Tozer
Imagine . . .
Imagine your life as a boat on the ocean. God is your anchor, and the Holy Spirit is the cable attaching the two of you. When you have a close personal relationship with Jesus, your Holy Spirit cable is short. It guides you and keeps you from drifting very far from the truth and protection of Jesus.
If you are a new believer, a carnal Christian, or have not grown in your faith, your Holy Spirit cable will be long. You are unaware of your vulnerability to the enemy because you have not committed your mind, heart, and spirit to learn, grow, and obey the commands and ways of Jesus. You are blinded by the circumstances and challenges of your life. The cable of the Holy Spirit gets longer with each of your life’s storms.
It becomes hard to distinguish between the tug of the Holy Spirit or the worldly influences concealed in the desires of your flesh. You begin to get swept away by your emotions swirling around you. You start to believe the storms of your life are bigger than God, who holds the universe in His hand. You start to take charge of your own life, and you may even begin to doubt God or your own salvation.
Do not be deceived. The devil’s entire mission is to make you believe you are too bad or you have drifted too far away from God for Him to hear, love, or forgive you. These are all lies from the devil. The devil knows if he can get you to doubt God’s promises or who you are in Christ, he can alienate you and attack you with all he has. However, as a child of God, you have the power to stop him through the Holy Spirit.
So, Who Is the Holy Spirit?
Just as God wasn’t done loving us when He let Jesus die as our Redeemer, Jesus was not going to leave us on our own. Jesus asked God to send us a Helper, the Holy Spirit, to empower us until he returns.
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you." John 14:16-17 ESV
The Holy Spirit is the third person of God given to us through Jesus Christ. He is not an it or a spirit or a ghost you can command or control. The Holy Spirit bears witness that you are a child of God, and therefore, He reassures you of your salvation.
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Romans 8:15-16 NIV
Every person who chooses to be born again in Christ Jesus is implanted with the Holy Spirit. Peter replied,
"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 NIV
The Holy Spirit will ignite a spiritual hunger for you to know God intimately and a desire to learn and grow in Christ as you grow in the word of God and through a personal, intimate relationship with Him.
"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you." John 16:12-15, NIV
The Holy Spirit will empower you to grow your spiritual fruits and gifts to produce a great bounty for God.
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NIV
The Holy Spirit is also our intercessor. He is the link between God and us in the heavenly realms. He goes to God on our behalf when we do not know what to say to God.
"The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26 NIV
These groanings refer to the gift of speaking in tongues and the interpretation of tongues. The gift of speaking in tongues is your unique personal prayer language with God. There is also a power you can receive when the power of the Holy Spirit comes on you.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 NIV
Understanding the Holy Spirit’s gift of speaking in tongues, interpreting tongues, and the infilling power or baptism of the Holy Spirit will require you to seek God’s wisdom in a separate study. This blog is meant to give you an overall picture of all the wondrous gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The Guidance of the Holy Spirit is Vital for Believers
The Holy Spirit was entrusted with the power to create a feeling of conviction, a sense of knowing, or a nudge deep within your heart and spirit, warning you when you are about to say or do something in direct opposition to honoring God. This uneasiness is your opportunity to seek the help of Jesus and resist the devil’s temptations. If you sin, repent and realign your heart, thoughts, words, and actions with God’s. The Holy Spirit will guide and teach you, not condemn you. In fact, whenever you feel condemned, guilt, or shame, these are the direct weapons of the devil. Tell the devil to leave you alone in the name of Jesus Christ and recite this scripture.
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," Romans 8:1 NIV
Live in the Power of the Holy Spirit
Always remember you are a child of God and a new creation in Christ. NO one or nothing can take God away from you! Jesus gave all his believers the opportunity to live a victorious life on this broken Earth in our imperfect bodies through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Let the Holy Spirit guide you and teach you how to live in all of God’s goodness and love!
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26
