Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit

Today I am going to talk  about  the Holy Spirit. I know it might  seem strange to some, but in the Bible the word spirit has been interrupted as he, and she.  In Latin it refers to he, in Greek neuter (either he or she), and in Hebrew, she and in Proverbs Lady a Wisdom.   I like to refer to the Holy Spirit as SHE-.
Of all the gifts given to mankind by God, there is none greater than the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit has many functions, roles, and activities.  She does a work in the hearts of all people everywhere.  Jesus told the disciples that He would send the Spirit into the world to “convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment”  (John 16:7-11).  Everyone has a “God consciousness,” whether or not  they admit it.  Spirit applies the truths of God to the minds of men. Once we are saved and belong to God, the Spirt takes up residence in our hearts forever.  Jesus gave the Spirit as a benefit to perform the functions toward us which He would have done if He had remained.

The Holy Spirit is not a vague, celestial shadow, nor an impersonal force.  She is a person equal in every way with God the Father and God the Son. She is considered to be the third member of the Godhead.  God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  All the divine attributes ascribed to the Father and the Son are equally ascribed to the Holy Spirit.  When a person becomes born again by believing and receiving Jesus Christ, God resides in that person through the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit has intellect, emotion, and will.

The primary role of the Spirit is that she bears witness of Jesus Christ, tells our hearts about the truth of Jesus, acts as a teacher, reveals God’s will and God’s truth to us. Jesus gave us His Spirit to produce God’s character in our life.  We cannot do it on our own.  She will build into our lives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  These are called the fruits of the spirit.  God knows it is impossible for us to produce these qualities on our own so we are told to walk in the Spirit and be filled with the Spirit.  She empowers us to grow spiritually.

The Holy Spirit also convicts Christians and none Christians concerning how sinful we are, that we need forgiveness, reminds us how righteous Jesus is, that He died in our place, for our sins, and that God will eventually judge the world and those who do not know Him. The Spirit tugs on our hearts and minds, urging us to repent and turn to God for forgiveness and a new life.

Too often people think the Holy Spirit runs on the conservative track or on the charismatic track.  Both of these miss the most important thing – the Spirit of God wants to have fellowship with us.

The deeper you go into understanding you have been justified by faith, the more alive you become in the Spirit.  We see the Spirit’s presence in many ways: Scripture, spiritual gifts, the work of the church, and life circumstances. We know the Holy Spirit is real because the Bible says so. We know She indwells in every believer, and alone can give us the power that we need.  Have you ever wondered how to receive this power for daily living?  Some people say they know about God the Father, that they know God the Son even better. But they hardly know the Spirit.

Jesus told Nicodemus, that wind by its very nature is invisible and unpredictable. It will blow from the north today and from the south tomorrow or from the east or not at all.  We can feel its effect and hear it whistling through the leaves, but the wind is totally free from man’s control. It exist everywhere on the earth and is continually in motion.  It can be a slight breeze or a mighty rushing wind to a destructive force of tornado. Just as the wind is everywhere so is the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit is universal, not limited to one country, region or race of humanity. Like the wind, no one can control the work of the Spirit.  As the wind blows from the heavens, so the Holy Spirit is sent from heaven.

I want to share with you my personal experience with the Holy Spirit.  When I was at MD Anderson with our son, we received bad news.  His cancer was very rare, there wasn't anything they could do. I called my husband, crying.  He was here in Texarkana.  He tried to console me but I felt so alone. I got on my knees cried out to the Holy Spirit.  As I asked her to help me, the phone rang.  It was Carolyn Bland.  She had lost her son 6 months earlier.  She said something kept telling her that I needed her.  After we brought our son back to Texarkana, one day I stopped at the store to pick up some Sprite for our son as I headed to the hospital.  Several people from church were at the store.  Of course they all ask about our son.  My eyes began to burn from fighting back my tears.  If I cried my face would show I had cried all day.  When I got to the car, I called on the Holy Spirit.  Please don't let me cry. If I cry my son will know it. I will count to 10. Please take these tears away before I reach 10.  I started counting.  When I reached 8 the most peaceful feeling came over me.  My need to cry was gone.  I made it through the whole day without crying.  I need the Holy Spirit to empower me each day.  When I kneel to pray I always say come Holy Spirit:  empower my prayer, see for me, hear for me, give me understanding, and put words in my mouth.  You may wonder why I ask the Spirit to come.  I must change and only God can change me.  MY Father draws sinners to His son by means of the Holy Spirit. And all those who are drawn will in fact come to Jesus and those who come will never be turned away. (John 6: 37)

Our Father anxiously awaits to give us gifts. Are you curious about these gifts?
Riches? No . . . .only very few have that.
Beauty? No . . . .It’s only skin deep and doesn’t last forever.
Talent? No . . . .God gives us all a perfect measure according to His plan.
Possessions? No. . . .material things eventually blow away like the sand through an hourglass.

The good gift that God desires to give all His children, more than anything else, is . . . .The Holy Spirit!  Not money, not talent, not skill, not ability, not success, not protection from hardship, not full-body armor against sin.  The one gift that is more precious than all of that is something that only He can give!  His very own Spirit! By having His Spirt: you are never alone, never need to be afraid, and empowered to do all things.

Can you think of a greater  gift?  To receive a fresh outpouring of the Spirit in your life, simply pray Come Holy Spirit, see for me, hear for me, understand for me.  Fill me with wisdom.