The indwelling Holy Spirit is our Comforter, our Encourager, our Counselor, and our Friend. Ever the gentleman, that still small voice can be drowned out very quickly in the noise of the world…but the Holy Spirit is also very persistent, and will continue to warn when we’re headed down that wrong path.
Tag: holy spirit
Mark 4:31 ” It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the garden.”
There is vivid contrast between the tiny mustard seed and the huge nine foot plant it becomes. As brand new Christians, we’re like that tiny mustard seed…the Holy Spirit is planted in our hearts and our new life starts to grow. And just like that mustard seed, everything needed for us to mature is contained inside, for the Holy Spirit is that kernel of Truth that takes hold – teaching, encouraging, and admonishing us to develop. By listening to that still small voice, we grow in our Christian walk, maturing into strong, confident Believers.
Ephesians 1:17 ” I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.”
Oh, to have that divine knowledge and insight to discern good from bad…right from wrong…wise from foolish. But if you think about it…we do have access to that kind of wisdom – it’s through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit – that still small voice giving direction and guidance, helping us make the right choices every day. All we have to do is be willing to listen and obey.
Luke 3:16 ” John answered them all, ‘ I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.’ “
When we’re baptized by the Holy Spirit, it’s not only a Spiritual renewal, but we are endued by God’s wonderful presence…His mighty power…and His all-consuming purification. God’s magnificent fire…ever changing us into His likeness.
I Corinthians 3:16 ” Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? “
Within that place we call our body dwells the Holy Spirit. What a wonderful realization that God actually resides inside us…that still small voice offering direction, comfort, and at times conviction. It is God in us…the indwelling Holy Spirit ever at work in our lives.
Romans 8:26-27 ” In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”
When the situation is so dire that you don’t have any idea how to pray…allow the Holy Spirit to intercede for you. When no words can come through the tears and pain, the Holy Spirit knows what to say. His prayers on our behalf are always timely, always on target, always perfect…for He only prays according to God’s will.
I Corinthians 7:7 “…But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.”
As it says elsewhere in I Corinthians,” The Holy Spirit bestows certain gifts to certain people, not the same to all.” The gifts that the Lord gives us are meant to mesh and complement our individual personalities and bents. God uses what we have…not what we wish we had. You might wish that you could sing God’s praise before thousands…but if you don’t have much of a singing voice, I doubt whether the Lord will place you on stage. Our gifts from Him are as individualized as we are.
Acts 13:2 “…the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me, Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ “
In the case of Barnabas and Saul, God’s calling was to preach the gospel…in your case it may be something entirely different…but the correlation is the same in that the calling comes first, then the setting apart. And depending on a myriad of things, the timing between one and the other can be short or long. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will place a calling on our heart and immediately will spring us into action…while other times, there is a long period of equipping and preparation on our part before He says, “Yes, the time is now.” It’s during that long wait that we tend to question our calling…but regardless of how long it has been, know that the Lord has not forgotten…He’s still at work, perfecting you, until the time when He will separate you for the work He’s called you to.
Ezekiel 11:19 ” I will give them an undivided heart and put a new Spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”
In this verse the Lord is saying that He will give us a heart that is united with His, and place within us the Holy Spirit, who will work on our behalf. The Lord will transplant our unrepentant, unyielding, hard as flint heart, and instead replace it with one that is undivided for Him. And the result will be us changed…a likeness of Jesus, His words not written on tablets of stone, but on tablets of our hearts.
I Corinthians 2: 4-5 ” My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on man’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”
God doesn’t need our eloquent speeches or superior thinking wisdom when talking to someone about Jesus. He simply needs us to allow the Holy Spirit to direct the conversation. This chat can be simple and heartfelt without pretentiousness or force. Because,if you think about it, it’s not about you at all…it’s about them trusting in the saving power of Jesus.
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