Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Holy Spirit and his role in my life as a Christian.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They are in perfect unity, making them one. That means that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of God Himself. He has the same power and the same characteristics.
If I am a Christian, if I believe in Jesus and have repented of my sins, I have been promised that I have the Spirit of God living in me.
Acts 2:38: Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
If I have the Holy Spirit living in me, I have access to the same characteristics and same power as God through the work of the Holy Spirit. The more I seek God and let him rule in my life, the more these characteristics and his power will be evident in my life. Galatians 5 gives just a short list of these characteristics I should see in my life as a result of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The Bible talks about the Holy Spirit in the context of fire. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down on the disciples and appeared like tongues of fire.
Acts 2:1-4: 2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
This comparison of the Holy Spirit to fire continues throughout the New Testament.
2 Timothy 1:6-7: 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
1 Thessalonians 5:19: Do not quench the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is like a fire, but we control how brightly that fire burns in us.
We can quench the Spirit, like throwing water on a fire, by our apathy and sin.
OR
We can fan the Holy Spirit into flame, like adding oxygen to a fire, by obedience, prayer, steadfastness, and reading the Bible.
According to 2 Timothy 1:6-7, if we quench the Spirit, we will be timid in our faith. However, if we fan the Holy Spirit into flame, we will have power and love and self-discipline. Romans also promises that the Holy Spirit gives us hope, joy, and peace:
Romans 15:13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Honestly, I don’t think Christians put enough emphasis on the Holy Spirit and his work in our lives. For example, why do I not take advantage of the Holy Spirit’s power when I struggle with temptation and sin? The Bible promises that if we walk by the Spirit, we will want to resist temptation.
Galatians 5:16: So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
The more we fan the Spirit into flame, the more we walk by the Spirit, the easier it will be for us to fight temptation. God has promised that we will not be tempted above what we can bear:
1 Corinthians 10:13: No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
How does he know that we will be able to stand against temptation and sin? He has given us the Holy Spirit as part of the armor of God:
Ephesians 6:10-18: 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
God’s Spirit lives in me. If I truly believe this, I don’t have to depend on my own power and mindset to overcome sin. I only have to have faith in his power and holiness. I have to remain in him, fanning into flame the Holy Spirit in my life. Then he will do the work, through the Spirit, to transform my mind, to help me stand firm in my faith and resist the devil.
That is a good study on the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 6:17 cought my attention. The part of the verse that says the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. I knew the sword was the Word of God but some how I didn't see the Spirit in there. So is it saying the Word of God is the Holy Spirit? I agree that we don't receive much teaching on the Holy Spirit.