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Walking in the Spirit
“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead
Is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will
Also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit
Who lives in you.” Romans 8:11
I used to think that my maturing as a Christian was up to me alone. I thought it was only through my effort that I would learn the Scriptures. I remember singing about the Trinity when I was young: God in three persons -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit -- but nobody explained the Holy Spirit to me. It was when I joined my first Bible study that I began to understand. I didn't have to learn the Scriptures all by myself! The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us to reveal the love and truth of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus wants us to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 11:16) When we trust and believe in Jesus Christ as Son of God and Savior, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (This baptism is different than the Sacrament of Baptism in the church.)
For most of us, faith begins with a kind of trusting, an opening of our hearts to God. We begin to believe in the Scriptures and are willing to make them a part of our lives. When we are moved to receive Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us. (Acts 2:38) He helps us to live our lives and to grow more and more like Jesus. What our heavenly Father planned for us, His Son accomplished on the cross, and the benefits of His Son's work are brought to us by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said, "It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7) The Lord Jesus Christ sends the Holy Spirit into the heart of every believer.
The experience of the indwelling Holy Spirit may come differently to one individual than to another. The Holy Spirit may come through an emotional or ecstatic experience. Or He may come at a time of personal consecration or self‑denial. To many, He makes Himself known through the gradual recognition of the Spirit of Christ within them. Whenever or however He comes, we cannot say to others that they must have the same experience we have had to be a "Spirit‑filled" Christian. The key is not the way or the time in which we receive the Holy Spirit, but that we do receive Him and live our lives depending on His inspiration and guidance. The evidence of the Holy Spirit is not so much in spectacular signs and abilities as it is in the development of Christ-like character within us. (Galatians 5:22‑23)
There is a difference between being baptized by the Holy Spirit and being filled by the Holy Spirit. Baptism is the initial experience of receiving the Holy Spirit. The continued infilling of the Holy Spirit comes as we ask for His inspiration and help. Christians are intended to live Spirit‑filled lives. This requires willingness, knowledge and discipline on our part. If we ask to be filled and enabled by the Holy Spirit, we go beyond being simply a member of the body of believers. The Holy Spirit fills us with God’s love and inspires us to do His will. He is our Comforter, Counselor, Strength and Guide. (John 14:26, 15:26, 16:13-15)
I have learned to ask the Holy Spirit to help me pray. He knows my needs perfectly and He knows the mind and will of God. He has been given to help me in my weakness and inspire me to pray according to God’s will. He knows my deepest desires and pleads for me according to the holy purposes of God. He helps to bring my yearnings into harmony with God's will. (Romans 8:26-27)
You may ask, "How will I know I have the Holy Spirit?" Neither the baptism of the Spirit nor the infilling of the Spirit are necessarily moments that we can point to and describe. It is when we are least conscious of the Spirit and ourselves, and most conscious of others and of Christ, that the Holy Spirit can work. The evidence of the Spirit's fullness is the gradual development of our character, deepening relationships of love and the ability to live a life that witnesses to Christ. This is called the fruit of the Spirit. It does not come by our human striving and effort, but is rather the result of the continual presence of Christ's indwelling Spirit bringing love, joy, peace, faith, patience, kindness, and self‑control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
The creative activity of the Holy Spirit was present in Christ's conception and when His ministry was to begin. (Matthew 1:18, 3:16) The Holy Spirit was then present to equip Him for His unique role as servant of God.
We are also gifted servants of God! We have special gifts of the Holy Spirit just waiting to be desired and identified. (I Corinthians 12:7-11) With our gift, God inspires and prepares us for service and gives opportunities to use our gift. A gift of the Holy Spirit is different from a talent in these ways: a talent is a natural ability present at birth and is given to help us to earn a living, to teach others, or it is given for creative expression. A spiritual gift is given by God at the time of spiritual birth to glorify Christ and build up the Church.
The Holy Spirit may use natural talent and heighten and intensify it with spiritual power. However, He often bestows a gift where there has been no natural talent at all. We may feel inadequate about something we feel God wants us to do, but we can rely upon the enabling of the Holy Spirit!
What a magnificent blessing God has given us! Our eyes have now been opened to the work of the Holy Spirit. The future is full of promise because the Holy Spirit will reveal deeper truths to us. He will continually act creatively within us, guiding us along life's path and enabling us beyond our dreams!
By faith (not by feelings), we know that Jesus is always present and is offering His inexhaustible love and enabling power through His Holy Spirit. We limit Him only by our unbelief.
Suggestion for Prayer-Listening
Heavenly Father, is there any way I need to change my thinking or my activities in order to be more available and open to receive the fullness of your Holy Spirit?
Suggestions for Meditation
Reflect on the following words of the Apostle Paul:
“We are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.” Romans 5:5LB
“So I pray that God who gives you hope will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. I pray that God will help you overflow with hope in him through the Holy Spirit’s power within you.” Romans 15:13 LB
With your hands open to receive, ask the Lord to fill you with His love and hope.
When I am struggling with a problem and I depend on the Holy Spirit to help me, I am able to define my difficulty more clearly -- to accept what is my responsibility and to see what belongs to another. The Holy Spirit gives me a sense of urgency to act, or a sense of caution to keep me from acting. He gives me a feeling of foreboding or warning when something false or evil is present, and a feeling of encouragement to guide me along the right path. I have an assurance, ‘This is right, this is true’. He enables me to see things from God's eternal viewpoint, which helps me to put my difficulties in their proper perspective.
Jesus is faithful to bring us victory over life’s challenges and to gift us to serve Him with abilities we never dreamed possible. He creates a life journey that is far better than we could bring about in our own strength and striving. This is the wondrous work of the Holy Spirit!
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