Question?? How well do you know and understand the Holy Spirit?
Did you know He is considered the least understood person of the Trinity? The Godhead?
I believe it’s because people only associate Him with what they hear, and not view Him as an individual of the Trinity….(Matthew 28:19)“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit . . .”
He’s literally viewed as a (non – factor) when in fact, He is the biggest factor for a believer’s walk today…..He’s a real presence that cannot be seen by the naked eye. Nevertheless, He is real!(John 14:17) The Spirit will show you what is true. The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit, because they don’t see or know him.
Did you know He has feelings? Yes, real feelings! He can become grieved….He gets sad, He gets upset, He can be insulted and also Blasphemed.
And, the Word of God told us not to do that! (Ephesians 4:30) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
If one can believe in God the Father, and Jesus the Son, why not the Holy Spirit as Helper?(John 14:26)But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.
On that day of Salvation when you confessed Jesus as Lord. The Holy Spirit came to dwell on the inside of you. But!! He wants to do more than just dwell, He wants to belong! He wants to have a relationship with you, and He can only do that, when there is total surrender..
Total surrender of oneself is seen as an act of faith to God.
To give of ( yourself) the person you’ve become….over to someone you’re getting to know…. in order to make a whole new way of living for yourself, keeps hope alive… By choosing life over death(2 Corinthians 5:17)This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
It’s the first act for anyone accepting salvation, and a continual choice for those walking with Christ. To totally surrender means to let go of all of your control and trust God.
Total surrender of oneself can feel like a massive blow. It’s considered death to your flesh, because out goes the old, and in comes the new..
But, just like (Galatians 2:20) says… “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
You may be asking, “well, isn’t that what Salvation’s all about,” surrender? And, the answer is No!…. No It’s not….
It’s true that the Holy Spirit does come to every believer at Salvation, but the filling of the Holy Spirit, not so much….that only occurs after surrendering to the Lord. It’s two separate things…
Salvation is confession (Romans 10:10)For with the heart one believes and is justified(made right), and with the mouth one confesses and is saved)
And Surrender is dying!! ( Matthew 16:24)Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].
To surrender means you have to die!! Die to that… old way of living, moving, and thinking….
With all of your messiness that you came to Jesus with on that day of confession…..that resided on the inside of you, when you made that confession, must be put down, laid down, killed off…..
And no, this is not something you can kill off on your own, this type of death can only come by One, and that is through the Holy Spirit.
This is where most ( new believers) get confused and lose their way, by thinking it ends there, after confession.
But, the truth is, it’s only the beginning! I would be lying to you, if I told you that following Christ means all of your problems will go away….
When the hard, true reality is this: most of your problems don’t even show up, until you are following Christ and are totally surrendered to His ways!! And walking(John 16:33)I have told you this so that you will have peace by being united to me. The world will make you suffer. But be brave! I have defeated the world!”
You’re going to have to make the choice to wake the Holy Spirit up on the inside of you, and show Him you are serious about your relationship with the Father, so He can teach you, lead you, prune you, and purge you of all, that is unlike Christ….( John 15:2)Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
He will give you a new mind to match that new Born Again Spirit. He will give you a new way of thinking, a new way of moving, a new way of living!! Isn’t that something to say Hallelujah!! about..(Ezekiel 36:26)I will give you a new heart and a new mind. I will take away your stubborn heart of stone and give you an obedient heart.
Your part to all of it, is to be obedient, trust, and have faith, that He knows what He’s doing, no matter how difficult you may think it is…
The Holy Spirit has been given to mentor us, strengthen us, keep us on the straight and narrow.
Remember, He wants us to succeed spiritually! He wants to enlighten our minds, and make them desire God.
He will take Spiritual – Biblical truth, and help us understand it…
God knew that while Jesus was here on earth, He would need Him too. He was right there alongside Jesus.
Just like He is with us today…right alongside us all day, every day!(Hebrews 13:5)-partially quoted-“I WILL NEVER [under any circumstances] DESERT YOU [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], NOR WILL I FORSAKE or LET YOU DOWN or RELAX MY HOLD ON YOU [assuredly not]!”
The Holy Spirit descended from heaven by God like a dove and rested on Jesus(Matthew 3:16).After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him.
Just know that It’s not a good thought to have in your mind, that The Father and the Son are first, and the Holy Spirit is secondary. They are equal and work in harmony with each other. It’s like a buy one get one…..LOL…..no literally it is!!(1 John 5:7)For there are three that testify:
He is who was sent to us, when Jesus returned to be sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand (John 16:7)Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. ( Mark 16:19)When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
Do you know what that means? To be sat down in the place of honor?
Surprisingly, most people don’t…But, check this out…
It’s just the (confirming, proclaiming, affirming) of equal status to the Father within the Godhead (John 10:30)The Father and I are one.
Let’s just put it like this….without the Holy Spirit, we are powerless and defeated!!
It’s Him, our helper, the Holy Spirit who makes us more like Jesus….yeah, sorry….. it’s not your doing or mine….. It’s all Him!( 2 Corinthians 3:18)So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord’s Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord.
He is our replenisher for sure(Eph. 5:18)Do not get drunk with wine, for that is wickedness (corruption, stupidity), but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit and constantly guided by Him.
Truth be told, the filling of the Holy Spirit is one of the greatest gifts given to man, it’s right up there with receiving the gift of salvation!
As believers today, how can we not admit that He isn’t, just the icing on the cake—He is the cake! sweet to our taste!!(Psalms 119:103)Your teachings are sweeter than honey.
Most people think that the Holy Spirit’s gift to us, is us being able to speak in tongues, or receiving power from on high, but His ultimate gift is the building of a personal relationship….
He wants to have an ongoing relationship with us. He wants to be acknowledged by us, and He wants to be put to use through us…
I truly believe that once people are able to get a clear understanding of who the Holy Spirit is, and that He is a person, and not an…. (it, dove, wind, fire, cloud, force, feeling or power) But a real existence, it can all start to make spiritual sense, to a carnal way of thinking! (1 Corinthians 2:14)Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged.
Be Blessed….
Host Of Angels 