Wednesday, January 19, 2022
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Romans 8:14-16
All The Good Things
We already know that as soon as we become Christians, we also receive the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit. But what does that really mean for us? What role does the Holy Spirit play in the lives of believers? Here are a few key roles of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers - and they are ALL GOOD THINGS!
Helper - But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26 The word helper here is translated as “Parakletos” or helper in ESV, “Advocate” in NIV, and “Counselor” in the KJV. The Holy Spirit provides us with counsel to remind His followers of what Jesus said after He went away to be with His Father in heaven. Jesus could only be on earth with His followers for a short time, but the Holy Spirit is with us forever. He provides wisdom and reveals God’s truth. He uses many ways to help us – scripture, counsel of wise friends, as well as our conscience. He helps us pray, interceding for us when there are no words, when our souls are weeping, and we don’t even know what to pray for. He knows and He goes before our Heavenly Father on our behalf. Comforter – Part of His role as helper in our lives is as our comforter. He is always with us, by our side, in every trial and heartache as well as every victory. We can literally wrap ourselves in His presence and find the comfort and peace we need. He consoles us as well as strengthens us to be more than conquerors over what breaks our hearts.
He Convicts Us Of Sin – But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Galatians 5:16-17 The Holy Spirit is our conscience of sorts. It is the stirring of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that we feel when we know we are engaging in behavior, or thoughts that are not glorifying to God. He gently reminds us we are and leads us into righteousness if we let Him. We must be willing to yield to His guidance. If we walk in the Spirit – by having an intentional growing relationship with God – we will be less likely to give into the desires of our flesh.
He Fills Us – Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16 The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God in us.
He Seals Our Salvation – We have been chosen by God to be His sons and daughters. He paid the price of our sin debt we owed and adopted us as His own. That is forever, and the seal of the Holy Spirit on our hearts is a guarantee of our inheritance and the glory that is to come. This seal is irrevocable – once you are born again into God’s family, you are in forever. It is assurance from God that we are saved and will have eternal life with Christ. Signed. Sealed. Delivered. It is a done deal. Our name is written on the palm of God’s hand – signed. Our heart is sealed with the Holy Spirit and the promise of our inheritance – sealed. And we will be forever in glory with Him when or time on earth is done – delivered!
He Gives Us Spiritual Gifts and Fruit - The Holy Spirit indwells us and as a result our lives will change! There will be some good stuff coming out of our lives as a result of walking in the spirit. The Spirit in us equals good things coming out of us to those around us. All of us have different gifts but they all come from the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. - 1 Corinthians 12:4
· Some examples of Spiritual Gifts can be found in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 and include wisdom, discernment, knowledge, faith, etc.
· The Fruits Of The Spirit are more along the lines of character and are found in Galatians 5:22-23 and include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When we die to self and sinful desires, and we live by the Spirit, the fruit of the spirit will be evident in our lives.
The Holy Spirit comforts and guides us to live in the freedom and transformation of Christ. He never leads us astray but only in a way that glorifies God. God calls us to surrender and live Holy lives and the power of the Holy Spirit in us is the only way we can obey this call.
