Finale: Holy Spirit-being filled with the Spirit of God

As we come to the end of this series, it is important that we step into a path where we realise: that the Holy Spirit is not some wind blowing, it is not wind so we need to be careful of reducing its importance and value to as mere a thing as wind. The Holy Spirit deserves as much appreciation, value, honour and respect given to God the father and God the Son. Why?

Well because the Holy Spirit is God Himself, the Holy Spirit is the very presence of God. The Holy Spirit was present in creation and nothing was made without the Holy spirit, so who are you to want to exclude the Holy Spirit? Most people wonder how it is possible that they can detect whether they have the presence of God, whether they are in the presence of God or guided by the Holy Spirit. Well to try and simplify this, I will explain it to you this way: you know you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, you hate the wrong things you used to do, you hate the things you used to love and all that matters is serving God. 

Where there is the Spirit of God, there is freedom and rest for your soul. To end of this very important series, I need to share one thing I have noticed and probably something I have mentioned before rather differently than now.

We have a tendency of concentrating on Jesus only, ignoring the very Holy Spirit He left us with or simply forget about Him completely. What we fail to realise is that the reason so many times Christians fall into sin is because they don’t have any sort of relationship with the Holy Spirit, that they never acknowledged Him as God, they do not listen to His voice, allow Him to guide and counsel them. 

If you think you can ignore the Holy Spirit and still be able to maintain the kind of a relationship I’m talking to you about, the relationship that you know you’re supposed to have with God on your own, then you walking straight into the trap of the devil, you’re setting yourself up for failure. If we were able to do perfect on our own, do right so easily then Christ would not have died for our sins, He would not have given us the gift of Salvation and most importantly left us with the very presence of God, there would be absolutely no need, but hence there was He did.

“The most important person in the world is the Holy Spirit, what is most important is not education but the Holy Spirit. The most dangerous thing you can ever have or do is not have the Holy Spirit in your life” (Dr Myles Munroe). 

Ephesians 5:18-19: “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”

This means we as children of God, need to be continually filled with and under the Holy Spirit. As I have mentioned before, to be filled with the Holy Spirit is a daily thing. To be walking in the spirit, guided by God’s spirit means you honour God and have decided to not be led by your carnal mind. This means you are allowing God to be in control and participate in all that you do. I want to end off this series by clearly stating that if you do not have Jesus as your personal saviour and believe that God the father gave up Jesus, His one and only son who died for us so that we might be forgiven and have everlasting life, then you cannot experience the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

Part 3: Holy Spirit -being Filled with the Spirit of God!

As we carry on from our previous post on the significance of the Holy Spirit in our lives and relationship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I must emphasize that this post is not just about filling in our knowledge banks with facts and giving us a sense of superiority or giving us the impression that we are experts. As a matter of fact, it is realizing that God's love and desire for our best interests are predicated on His constantly revealing things to us for our transformation and a genuine encounter with the King of Glory. Therefore, my sincere prayer is that these blog posts about being filled with the Holy Spirit may inspire a desire to be filled with the Spirit of God rather than just excitement and curiosity about new information.

The Spirit of the Lord resting upon us is important because: 

4. He is a spirit of knowledge/wisdom 

John 14:26: “But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you.”

Just like a teacher in a school setting in a class, its role and purpose is to make sure that the students/learners learn mainly because the teacher knows and appreciates that knowledge is power and does all that is in her/ his power to ensure that growth take place through that learning. It is the same with God the Holy Spirit, one of His roles is to make sure that we learn and that happens through the teaching that takes place. Hence it is of great importance that we allow the Holy Spirit dwell in us so as to teach us. Just like students need assistance from their teacher to pass or succeed, we also as Children of God need the Holy Spirit to teach us and prepare us for anything in our daily lives so as to pass or succeed in all that we do. 

We cannot just expect to succeed without acknowledging the very presence of God, without respecting the Holy Spirit. We need to be at a point in our lives where we accept the good judgement of the Holy Spirit, because it is truly the greatest judgement you can get and freely trust that you can never go wrong with His judgement. Let’s not rely on the judgment or our friend’s or family’s judgment but rather the Holy Spirit’s judgement. We cannot run away from the fact that people, and especially our loved ones, will always think they know better, even when they don’t. 

We need not completely rely on the information that we get through education but rather trust in and rely on the Knowledge of God. Know this it is only the Holy Spirit that can give you revelation.

5. He is the spirit of fear of God

At times we take the greatest gift we have for granted, having the Holy Ghost by our side is no joke, but somehow we mock His very existence in our live. What do I mean by that? Well what I’m about to share with you is nothing new, what we do is his presence is truly despicable. It shows how much we value Him. What I have learned in life is that it’s so easy to sin or allow yourself to be tempted into doing something that goes against all that you believe, and worse we even succumb to that temptation. 

Note this it’s not because we are unaware of the bad we are doing but rather we have allowed ourselves to be a yoyo of the devil, and we do this at the cost of disrespecting the Holy Spirit. We force our way into doing something that he warned us not to do. The sad part about this whole scenario is that at that point many of us don’t realise that we are driving the covering and presence of God is our lives, by disrespecting the Holy Spirit it’s sending Him out of your life. 

The Holy Spirit is very sensitive and takes what He does very seriously. Ask yourself this, how do you expect to fear God and honour Him without the presence of the Holy Spirit guiding you? We need the Holy Spirit; we need Him to ensure that our relationship with God is safeguarded. What I have shared with you is not to scare you but rather to alert you as my brothers and sisters in Christ, because what I have shared is what I have personally learned from my own mistakes in my walk with Christ.

 

6. He is a spirit of truth

John 16:12-13: “12 I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own, He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.”

The truth is something that is very rare nowadays, we have so many untruthful people and people have become addicted in being untruthful and telling lies just to get their way or get out of trouble. Some people don’t even see the need to be truthful as they believe that truth is now just a cliché that whether you’re truthful you will be the one scammed as that practice of being truthful no longer exist. Sadly, for many they can no longer trust anything or even the church or the word of God, due to so much destruction that has happened because of people being untruthful. 

Whether we want to believe it or not truth is important and many problems could have been avoided if people were truthful. Many people now prefer to be lied to than told the truth, all because of their insecurities and fears but that’s another topic for another day. The Holy Spirit is the power of God that can change any heart, mind, person and any situation.

The Holy Spirit allows you to be able to express yourself freely without any fear. Through the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God, any addiction or problem can be a thing of history, in Him all is possible. The huge mistake we tend to make is to forget this precious gift of God’s presence in our lives; we forget its mighty purpose in our lives and because of that we suffer, as we have literally put stumbling blocks in on our way of growth and maturity as children of God.

You see God truly knew that we needed the Holy Spirit as the spirit of truth because He knew that in the world there were other spirits, spirits of lies around the world, spirits that cause pain and destruction in people’s lives. These spirits refuse to accept that Jesus is Lord, that He is the only way and there is no other but Him, there are many of them and to be able to be truthful we need the Holy Spirit as on our own it is difficult. 

You need to reach a point in your relationship with God where you are guided by the Holy Spirit, because that’s being wise and wise people listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Start by being a living testimony that your Saviour is wise, He’s smart, by respecting and listening to the spirit that dwells within you as a child of God. 

The reality is the Holy Spirit speaks the mind of God and we need not ever separate the trinity as the whole it is of significance; none is greater than the other as they are one. We need all of them in our lives, remember this: God the father introduced to us God the son (Jesus) and Jesus introduced to us God the Holy Spirit, so who are we to think that all was a mistake, to change things the way God wants them to be.

To the third person of the trinity! 

                           SELAH!

 

Part 2: Holy Spirit-being Filled with the Spirit of God!

In our previous post, we discussed the identity of the Holy Spirit, made a contrast between Him and the other members of the Trinity, and—most importantly—exposed how they were all one even though they each played a unique role in our lives. After spending the time to read our previous article, I think it is crucial that we now delve deeply into the significance of the Holy Spirit. I'll talk about three attributes of God the Holy Spirit to illustrate His relevance in our lives.

Spirit of the Lord resting upon us is of significance because: 

1. He is a spirit of rest 

Having the Holy Spirit guide you is a perfect way to ensure that you are relaxed, whether we like to admit it or not it is a known fact that the lives we living nowadays are always busy and un-peaceful for many. It is not a rare case to hear that a young person or anyone for that matter has been diagnosed with depression. It’s a common thing nowadays, and mainly this is due to the unrest that many people have. They find it so hard to cope in this busy and demanding world, they always feel that they are not doing enough or should be doing more, but sadly there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all that needs to be done. 

As high as the rate of unemployment is in our country, in professions such as nursing, social workers, etc. is not unusual for someone to resign or simple quit; hear me carefully it’s not because these people are weak or don’t have the potential to withstand such pressure exhorted by their working industries. It’s mainly because whether we like it or not at some point in our lives as human beings we need that higher power and assistance from that higher being to help us just to get through. Believe me everyone in this world needs God, maybe it may not be in the aspect of a coping with the demanding job or studies, to some it might be their marriage, their families or children. 

We all have those problems that we can’t deal with on our own but need assistance from God. Without rest it is impossible to continue with anything and with some with life itself, hence we get incidences of suicide or suicide attempts. This truly portrays the significance of rest; by rest I don’t mean just physical but rather all spheres of our lives, whether mentally or emotionally. Hence it is of importance to realise the importance of the Holy Spirit, because sleep cannot always give us the rest needed for us to continue with life and to be able to handle everything. We need to be able to be at peace and relax even though life is so busy and demanding, remember god has created us with authority over everything on earth. We cannot allow ourselves to be defeated by our daily routines and work or our careers.

 2. He is a spirit of counsel

One thing I have learned in my relationship with Christ is that you can never rely on yourself, that no matter how much you know or think you have learned you can still find yourself out of position. What do I mean? Well in life it’s easy to be side-tracked and at times you’re never even aware that it has actually happened to you. This is especially popular in matters of spirituality, one of the reasons being we become blinded by the simple fact that at times our routines or habits have not actual changed even though new habits have developed. Most of the time it is these new habits that make others realise that a shift has taken place in their lives, and sadly for others they never realise it or simply ignore that things are no longer the same. I have learned through the help of God to understand that my relationship’s success with Christ relies on me acknowledging the very existence and importance of God the Holy Spirit. I have truly understood that for me to be focused, to be in the right position that God wants me to be I need God the Holy Spirit to guide me. 

I can never expect to go through life without His counsel, I need it and my life depends on it. It is important that we realise that the trinity as a whole is important in our lives as Christians. We need the Holy Spirit as our counsellor. It is only Him that can ensure that we not side-tracked and we are in the position that we need to be. Each and everything that God does and has put in place, it has all been for a perfect reason. When Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and informed His disciples that He had not left them alone but with the Holy Spirit, He meant it and believe me the whole trinity knew the significance of the presence of God remaining on planet earth. Even though the disciples felt the loss and some of them didn’t understand all that was happening, God’s will was prevailing in front of their very eyes and soon they would realise the importance of God’s very presence being in their midst.

I am sure some would have preferred the previous option of God the son being in their presence in His physical appearance and in a way that is understandable as people prefer what they can see with their physical eye. What we fail to understand is the greater advantage in what we cannot see with our physical eyes, that there is greater power in what is unseen than what is seen. Having the Holy Spirit is the greatest experience ever, an experience that each and every person should have. It is sad to be in a relationship with Christ and never get to the moment in your life to experience Him. Believe me when I say there is no greater support than a support from God the Holy Spirit. He is the only one that can give you exactly what you need at the moment you need it. 

Remember He is God and He knows you better than you know yourself, so who else can be there for you the way you want than God Himself. He is the greatest advisor, when it comes to any problem you have in your life, just consult Him. He is always free and willing to help you with anything, there is no problem or issue that he has no advice for, believe me He never runs out of advice. We all need the Holy Spirit as our counsellor, we need Him to warn us of things we should not do, deals we should not accept. He is that voice that will inform you and warns you when you are about to make the biggest mistake of your life. He will guide you through any business transaction and warn you of what is ahead of you before you even sign the deal or agree to anything. What I am telling you is not some magic trick. No, it’s the reality of having the presence of God guide you and direct you in everything you do. His counsel does not end in just business transactions; it goes as far as you can think and beyond what your mind cannot even think of. Even when you think you have met that one person for you, your soul mate, if God’s presence guides you, you will know if that’s the person for you. 

The Holy Spirit will warn you if that man or woman is the wrong one for you, He will never let you go through something that He knows will destroy you in the long run. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you can recognise and understand truth and make right choices and inspired decisions. Remember His aim is not to see us hurt or distracted from Him. He is the same God that will guide you towards the perfect or right career choice you need to be in, the same God who will guide your steps towards the right job you need to be in. One important thing we need to know is that, God the Holy Spirit won’t force you; He will guide you if you allow Him to do so. It is important that we never underestimate the power in the presence of God, the importance of it being part of us always; we don’t need His presence occasionally but rather always. One of the most important things we need to understand is that the Holy Spirit is important in our lives, we need Him everywhere we are and everywhere we go. 

The Holy Spirit is our guide when we get lost in life, when we are filled with all confusion to a point that we are totally lost. He is always there to guide us and we can truly rely on Him more than we rely our motor navigators. It is time we stop relying too much on our Tom-tom navigator and rely on God more. It is no lie or an exaggeration than people turn to rely more on things that they can see; people rely on their friends, their families, their partners and even their careers/money/assets and less on God the Holy Spirit to guide them and direct their everyday lives, their plans and future dreams. Sadly, they even forget the greatest gift that they received from God through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ when He went up into Heaven.

3. He is a spirit of power 

With the Holy Spirit by your side, the very presence of God you can be sure of great influence wherever you are. He can take you to the greatest heights, heights you never even began to imagine in your life. When you talk to people they will want to stop and listen to what you have to say, because what you will be speaking will be guided by God Himself and through what you will be speaking an impact will be made. We need the Holy Spirit in order to have the kind of influence needed in our policies in South Africa, our  schools, hospitals and anywhere that great influence is needed. We cannot expect things to change without having the great influence in the world that we are living in without God the Spirit by our side. This is not even a fact but the truth; without the presence of God, we lack power. The presence of God is stronger and greater than any problem, enemy, struggle, stronghold or anything considered great for that matter. 

We need to realise that we are nothing without the presence of God in our lives, our knowledge, understanding or wisdom can only sustain us for a short period of time, greater power than human power is of necessity. In the world that we living in, there is so much confusion and chaos, and sadly this is even within groups of people who call themselves Christians, children of God and the body of Christ that is the church. You are wondering what is the problem? Well, this is simple, the problem is that there is no presence of God, people are leading themselves, guiding themselves and no longer the Holy Spirit, they have rejected the Holy Spirit, have stripped Him of His responsibilities concerning them. 

Sadly what they do not understand or have forgotten is that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman and that means He will not force you or force Himself when unwanted or feels that He is unneeded. What we fail to realise is that the chaos we have can only be sorted out by one person and that is the God of order, the Holy Spirit, the only one that has the power to clear all confusion. The truth is we cannot do it ourselves; we need some assistance from our Lord, the owner of all things, including our very being.

SELAH!

Part 1: Holy Spirit-being Filled with the Spirit of God!

John 14:26: “But the counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

Wow! The Holy Spirit, this is one of the most misunderstood parts of the trinity, one that has caused so much confusion to so many. We all have probably heard that God is the trinity – meaning He’s God in three if I can put it like that, yet one God. Within the trinity we have God the father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, but we can’t really separate the three as they are one. You’re probably saying to yourself: Wow! That’s very genius of God. Well you’re right, and we have a super brilliant God. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence; it is the warmth of God’s very presence. He’s called Holy as there are many spirits and not all are Holy or of God. It dwells within each and every believer – the Holy Spirit does more than that, He also guides and directs us as He is within us.

How great it is, to know that we have God in us, a God that guides our thoughts, inspires us to do good, and fills our hearts with the wonderful aura of God. He is God, thee connections to God. Being filled with the presence of God the Holy Spirit guides and directs you into the kind of a believer that daily says no to self and yes to the Holy Spirit, giving you a fuller understanding that it is not about you, that is living for yourself, but rather it is about living for God. It gives you the absolute peace and passion that it’s not your desire or your will but it’s about His will being done, His will prevailing in your life.

 You reach a point where instead of saying what do I want, you daily choose to ask God what He wants with your life, your attitude changes, it’s no longer about I but rather about Him. You stop trying to make your own life comfortable but rather you spend your life serving Him. You develop a passion and desire of wanting to do good, you make it your mission to help people, develop the courage and love to bear witness to neighbours. You realise that your community is not the only place that needs God, that needs deliverance and peace, you understand that more needs to be done. This could mean involving yourself in missionary work, visiting other communities, countries and sharing the gospel and to some writing books, sharing about Him on your Facebook or WhatsApp status or having a blog online in trying to send the gospel to people all over – even to those who speak other languages, and so on. 

The Holy Spirit is the powerful presence of God that gives you this absolute confidence and courage that you can do just about anything and that you can do all things through Christ that strengthen you. Being filled with the presence of God is an awesome experience, one which every born-again Christian/ believer should experience in their daily lives as daughters and sons of the living God. You cannot know the things of God if you are not connected to the spirit of God. Remember that He is the one that wrote the Bible – He drove, inspired the writers so if there is anyone that can help you understand the word of God and be able to understand it is God the Holy Spirit; hence it is of importance that you become friends with Him, He knows the things of God.  

So this means you should not be a Christian that is just satisfied serving God without connecting with the Holy Spirit, because if you do, you will never reap or see any fruits in your relationship with God. In fact, you will just be a religious Christian. You won’t have an intimate relationship with your Lord and Saviour. You need the presence of God in your life to be able to grow intimately with God. Tommy Tenney writes that if we want to live in God’s presence (that is our lives guided by the Holy Spirit) we must make repentance a part of our daily and moment-by-moment routine. We should breathe it in and pray it out, rub it deep into our being to remove impurities, soften our hardened attitudes, and ingest it to cleanse our inward parts.

Remember the Holy Spirit is Holy so it is of importance that day after day we to strive to be Holy. It is sad that most people are ignorant of the Holy Spirit; most people in church don’t know Him, His character. To some it’s like some wind, they do not give much attention to the Holy Spirit. What they do not understand is that at that point they have separated the trinity, that they cannot claim to believe in what God the son has said and done but still have issues with the Holy Spirit. Not believing in the Holy Spirit means you do not believe in what Jesus said or did, for all things were done and said through the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God. 

Once you believe in the character of the Holy Spirit, it means you also believe in what Jesus said and did. One important thing you need to know and understand is that having a positive attitude is not enough, you need the Holy Spirit in your life, and you need His power in order to deal with other spirits; remember we not fighting against the flesh.

 SELAH!