The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of adoption, through whom all true Christians know that they belong to God, who is their Father. The Holy Spirit helps us to pray in the way most pleasing to God, because he knows the mind and will of God. It is the same Holy Spirit who helped and helps us to see a true picture of our lives, urging us to increase our commitment or commit our lives to God through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit lives inside all true Christians. If a Christian goes wrong through disobedience or ignorance, the same Holy Spirit would let him or her know it, by making deep impression on the person’s spirit and then his mind. The purpose is to make the person get back on track and in tune with God. Godly sorrow for any wrong done, leads to true repentance and a U-turn to God. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. Then he gives us peace and joy as a result. The Holy Spirit helps us to forgive those who wrong us, though not allowing them to mess up with us repeatedly. A truly forgiven person has great peace and joy; likewise a truly forgiving person! What a role for the Holy Spirit who is also known as the COMFORTER! Jesus during one of his teachings said concerning the Holy Spirit that God was very happy and willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him (Luke 11:11 – 13). Remember that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. On that special day of Pentecost, closely following the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven, the Holy Spirit started to live inside Christian believers. Now when a person comes to Christ, through faith, the Holy Spirit comes in to stay. As that believer grows in faith, the Holy Spirit helps him to know God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, better each day. In the course of this growth, the hunger and thirst for more of God increases in the believer until the Holy Spirit fills him up and becomes the director! At that stage, the person becomes as if immersed in the Spirit of God. He is said to be baptized in the Holy Spirit! The interval between this experience and the time of being born again varies with every believer. As our levels of hunger and thirst for food and drink respectively varies ; in the same way does our hunger and thirst for more of God ! How hungry and thirsty are you after God? When the Holy Spirit takes charge of your life, you increase in wisdom and understanding, you become bolder, you become more loving and accommodating, and you also become more selfless, loving people around you. The fruits of the Holy Spirit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and more begin to develop and increase in the person’s life (Galatians 5:22-23). Other manifestations of the Holy Spirit include the gifts, which he gives to the individual believer. Mark you, I am not referring to natural talents. There are nine gifts, just as there are nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. When Paul asked the disciples at Ephesus if they had received the Holy Spirit, he must have noticed something missing in their lives. Those twelve men had known about John the Baptist’s ministry, but not much about Jesus Christ. After explaining to them they believed and were baptized in water. Then Paul laid hands on them and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit as well, because the Holy Spirit came on them. These twelve men spoke in tongues and prophesied. Likewise, earlier at Caesarea, in the house of Cornelius the centurion, the Holy Spirit came upon the new believers, even before they were baptized in water; and this household manifested the same signs as on that special Pentecost in Jerusalem (Acts 10: 1-48)! The experience at Caesarea was the first time non-Jews were baptized in the Holy Ghost. My friend, what are you waiting for? The Holy Spirit is waiting. Jesus and God the Father are eager to bless you in the same way! May God keep us fine till next week . Ask, and you too shall receive. God bless you.
29 Oct
AgapeFocus 