Welcome back, my friend. Last month in our series, “The Next Step – Living Your Life through Jesus”, I discussed how God through His Son, Jesus Christ, placed the Holy Spirit inside of you when you were saved. He placed His wonderful master electrician inside of you to begin rewiring you to love.
My friend, you need to understand the importance of the Holy Spirit who now lives within you. God has revealed Himself to us in three distinct Persons — God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We refer to this as the Holy Trinity, God three in one (2 Corinthians 13:14). Each has played a distinct role in your salvation, yet each share equally in the work of creation, maintenance of the universe, redemption, and judgment.
Do not worry if you can’t understand this truth. We will fully understand this concept of three in one, along with everything else when we finally join them in heaven. So all we need to do right now is believe and trust God’s Holy Word about this truth.
You know God (God the Father) as the loving creator of everything, even you. You know Jesus Christ (God the Son) as your Lord and Savior who through His death, burial, and resurrection reunited us with our Heavenly Father for all eternity. The Holy Spirit (God the Holy Spirit) is the third person of the Holy Trinity.
At the very moment of your salvation, whether you realized it or not, the Holy Spirit took up residency inside of you. In reality you now have the presence of almighty God living inside of you, and this is all you will ever need to make the changes He has planned for you.
The Holy Spirit searches out and shows you all of God’s deepest secrets, and no one can know God’s thoughts except through God’s own Spirit. You now have your own personal Bible scholar living inside of you who is accessible 24/7, so you don’t need anyone else to teach you about God. Everything He teaches you will be the truth and not a lie so you can trust Him. 1 John 2:27
Your understanding of the Bible will now come alive to you. The Holy Spirit will guide you and teach you how to understand all the truths about God and to effectively use His Word of Truth. He will glorify the name of Jesus in us and reveal His desires for our life. He empowers us for witness and service for God (John 16:13-15). So now is the time for you to start reading His Word of Truth, the Bible, if you haven’t already. It only makes common sense now that you can understand it.
Let’s take a look at the three main foundational truths I mentioned in our last lesson that the Holy Spirit teaches you once He arrives. (John 16:8-11)
The Reality of Sin in Your Life
Did you ever really think about sin before you were saved, and the consequences that sin has on your life and eternity? Probably not, as you lived your life just like every other unsaved person. You lived in the false reality of Satan’s world much like those individuals in the movie, The Matrix, and as God’s Word tells us your thinking conformed to that world. (Romans 12:2)
Without the Holy Spirit convicting your spirit of your sin and separation from God you would not have understood the gravity of your situation. An unsaved person has no concept of the effect of sin on their life. Remember, God’s word tells us the unsaved don’t understand the Word of God or what sin really means, because they don’t have the Spirit inside of them to unlock its truths. 1 Corinthians 2:10-16. They are led away from the truth by their manmade religious rites, rituals, and the interpretation of the scriptures by unsaved religious leaders.
Listen to what Jesus said to a group of Pharisees (religious leaders) who invited Him to join them for a meal. 52 “Woe to you experts in religion! For you hide the truth from the people. You won’t accept it for yourselves, and you prevent others from having a chance to believe it.” Luke 11:52 (TLB)
The Truth about Pleasing the Will of God
The Christian walk for many of us is based on the Old Testament Covenant of “Everything from ME and nothing from GOD.” We feel in order for God to love me, in order for God to accept me, in order for God to approve of me, I’ve got to do something. I’ve got to perform. I’ve got to put on my spiritual best and work for God’s approval. We continue to believe that our Christian life and walk is based on what we do for God not what He does for us.
However, we now live under the New Testament Covenant that Jesus gave us, “Everything from GOD, and nothing from ME!” Jesus died for us in order that He may live inside of us. It is His life in us through the power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to live a true Christian life — a Grace-filled life.
Remember this, as a child of God, God loves you as much today as He ever will. There is nothing you can do to make God love you or accept you more.
The Truth about Your Adversary in this Life
This is the most exciting Biblical truth of all. Satan, the ruler of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and the one who has clouded the way you think and act through sin, no longer has any power over you. The reality is that he has been defeated by the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who conquered death once and for all.
The Apostle Paul tells us
“2 The power of the Holy Spirit has made me free from the power of sin and death. This power is mine because I belong to Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:2 (NLV)
So how important is the Holy Spirit in your life? Listen to what the Apostle Paul tells the believers in the church of Corinth.
“14 But the man who isn’t a Christian can’t understand and can’t accept these thoughts from God, which the Holy Spirit teaches us. They sound foolish to him because only those who have the Holy Spirit within them can understand what the Holy Spirit means. Others just can’t take it in. 15 But the spiritual man has insight into everything, and that bothers and baffles the man of the world, who can’t understand him at all. 16 How could he? For certainly he has never been one to know the Lord’s thoughts, or to discuss them with him, or to move the hands of God by prayer. But, strange as it seems, we Christians actually do have within us the very thoughts and mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 (TLB)
Just think about this marvelous truth. You now have the very thoughts and mind of our Lord, Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. What more could you possibly need to understand God’s will for your life, and how to please him?
The Apostle Paul goes on to tell us “16 So I tell you, live the way the Spirit leads you. Then you will not do the evil things your sinful self wants.” Galatians 5:16 (ERV)
Understanding the role of the Holy Spirit in your life and following His direction is a critical step in letting God transform you by a complete change of your mind. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that you will be able to know the will of God, and what is good and pleasing to him.
Join me next month in our series “The Next Step — Living Your Life through Jesus”, as we begin to look at Jesus your Savior and Jesus your Lord and what they truly mean to you.
Until next month, my friend, may His mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
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