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The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2:20(NLT), “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.” Explaining the unparalleled beauty of this verse to those who don’t know much about Jesus Christ is sometimes challenging. The reality that we were crucified with Christ on the cross, and died to our old self is something that only those with humility can begin to understand. A person must be able to look at themselves through the lens of brutal honesty to see how bad we were without Jesus Christ. Then, and only then, can we realize that there are some things within us that absolutely have to die before we can breakthrough to the next level of growth and blessings.
Jesus Christ said in John 3:6(KJV), “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” The mission and method of every Christian should be for the flesh to decrease and the Spirit to increase daily. In John 6:63, Jesus said that the Spirit quickens us. The Spirit makes us come alive in ways we couldn’t possibly dream of. He never stops working within us to will and do of God’s good pleasure. The Holy Spirit’s delight and passion is to help us in life, and to teach us about Jesus Christ. The more we know about Jesus Christ, the closer we become to the Father. This is truly the heart of Christ, to bring us closer to God. He wants us to know the Father the way he knows Him.
Some of the roadblocks that exists for many people when it comes to getting to know God more intimately is that they have their own ideas about who God is, and those ideas don’t jive with the truth. Scripturally, they are in error, and spiritually, those erroneous ideas are blockers. Jesus Christ told us in John 4:24 that we must worship God in Spirit and in truth. “In Spirit” means that we are acquainted with the person of the Holy Spirit, and we have invited him to come into our body temples for indwelling. We put out the welcome mat and tell him to come on in and make himself at home. He will not come without invitation. He will not lead without our willingness to follow, and he will not teach without our attentiveness to learn.
“In truth” means that we must squash our own vain philosophies, assumptions, and thoughts about our Heavenly Father’s nature and character. We must be humble enough to go to God’s Word and find out exactly who He is; because everything we need to know about Him is contained in His Word.
The Holy Spirit is not an ‘It’, he is a person, and he will abide within us if we ask him. Jesus Christ told us in John 16:13 that part of the Spirit’s occupation is to lead, guide, and direct us into all truth, but he will not force us to accept his help.
I have heard it said many times that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman. This statement is so exponentially, grossly understated. There is no word to define the depth of gentleness and caring of the Holy Spirit. He does not push or shove, and his power is incomprehensible. Jesus Christ told us all we need to know about the precious nature of Holy Spirit when he said in Mark 3:28-29(NLT), “I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.” The Psalmist, David, begged God in Psalm 51:11(NLT), “Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.” David understood how incredibly vital and exceedingly precious the Holy Spirit is to our lives.
All of us have probably heard stories of many people abandoning the faith these days, young and old. I am convinced it is because they don’t know or don’t have a personal relationship with Holy Spirit. People become disappointed about their conditions, and when things don’t get any better, they become disillusioned in the faith. It doesn’t cross their minds that they are missing something vital in their relationship with God, and it is the power of the Holy Spirit. We simply cannot know what we need to know about Christ without the Holy Spirit’s leadership and guidance. So, when we face certain situations and circumstances without the Spirit’s power, we are outfoxed and can become easily overwhelmed by the enemy. This is the problem with many that are no longer pursuing the heart of God.
Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that we are saved through faith. It had nothing to do with our good deeds or works, it’s a gift from God. Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross, we have new life. The Holy Spirit wants to help us prepare as the bride of Christ. This requires you and me to lay down anything that stands in the way of our newness in Christ. The flesh nature was crucified with him, and we are new creations. We have been given the magnificent privilege through Christ to walk in the Spirit, so that we can learn about him—to love as he loves, live as he lives, and give and he gives. It takes time, for there is so much to learn about our Lord and His Kingdom. But if we will become more acquainted with Holy Spirit, and allow him to take the lead in our lives, we will be fortified spiritually and experience his presence and power.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Better Acquainted with the Holy Spirit” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
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