The Holy Spirit is powerfully present in every born-again believer’s life!
I need to let that sink in!
Maybe you do too!
God’s Holy Spirit lives with me... in me! He never leaves! He never let’s go! That’s God’s power and presence living in me! ... and you!
Our church’s statement of faith reads: “We believe Christians receive the Holy Spirit at salvation, and He is their constant source of strength and power. The Holy Spirit possesses the attributes and deity of God, so He is God. We believe the Holy Spirit convicts and regenerates the sinner to salvation; He also abides within the believer as the means of assurance, power, and wisdom; He guides the believer in his life and anoints him for service. We believe the Holy Spirit possesses the characteristic of personality, so He is a person. The Bible refers to Him as a person and not merely an influence.”
The Holy Spirit of God is not an it! He is not just a power or an influence. He is a person who is called by many names!
In the eighth chapter of Romans He is called “the Spirit of life” (vs. 2), “the Spirit of God” (vs. 9), “the Spirit of Christ” (vs. 9), “the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead” (vs. 11), “the Spirit who dwells in you” (vs. 11), and “the Spirit of adoption” (vs. 15).
Jesus referred to Him as “the Helper” and “the Spirit of Truth” (John 14:16-17).
Elsewhere in the Bible He is called “the Spirit of holiness” (Romans 1:4), “the Spirit of glory” (I Peter 4:14), and “the eternal Spirit” (Hebrews 9:14).
Those names are beautifully descriptive. Indeed, He is all of those!
Because the Holy Spirit is a person, He speaks (Acts 13:1-3), He teaches (John 14:25-26), He guides (Romans 8:14-17), He convicts (John 16:5-15), and He intercedes (Romans 8:26-30).
Peter obeyed the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:17-21). Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-3). Stephen claimed that the religious scoundrels resisted the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51).
The Holy Spirit works in believer’s lives to produce holy spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:16-26) and He grants power to complete the great commission (Acts 1:8).
Paul commanded, “Do not get drunk with wine ... be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18, ESV).
I know a guy who got fallin’-down-drunk! He was controlled by the alcohol. (The guy was a dumb kid, and that was over forty years ago.) Paul says, don’t be controlled by the influences of the world, but be filled and controlled by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.
So, here’s the challenge for today. If you are a born-again Christ-follower, will you allow the “Spirit who raised Jesus from the grave” ... the Spirit who is alive in you, to produce his fruit in you and to empower, embolden, and enable you to be fully controlled by His powerful presence?
South Georgia Baptist Church
Amarillo, Texas
Mike Martin, Pastor
mike@southgeorgiabaptistchurch.org