Faith Like A Fountain

Who is the Holy Spirit?

We have often heard the story of Jesus Christ, the son of God, and as we have grown, we have become increasingly cognisant of His love, grace and power. However, understanding the Holy Spirit may prove a little more complex – even for those who are more advanced in age.

When Jesus was to return to Heaven, He told his disciples that He would send a Helper; John 14:16 says “And I will pray The Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever–”

In John 14:17, Jesus further refers to the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

Through these verses we are able to see both who the Holy Spirit is, and His function in our lives.

So, exactly who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is a palpable form of God’s presence that is made available for us to have, as Jesus promised, within us. Pay careful attention to the diction used; palpable is an extremely important word because the Holy Spirit can be and actually should be felt. If He is a presence, why would you not be able to feel Him?

In Romans 8:14, Paul says: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.”

Therefore, we know that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God in a palpable form. He is living and thus we refer to Him using the appropriate pronoun because He is a divine being.

Of course, He is with us for a purpose, and has many functions in our lives as children of God.

What is the role of the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit has a number of important roles in our lives and neglecting Him can be quite detrimental.

Just as Jesus aided His disciples in understanding the truth and spreading the Gospel, so too, does the Holy Spirit function in that role today. This is one of the roles of the Holy Spirit as Jesus has made clear. It is of significance to have the Holy Spirit in our lives as we cannot obtain the truth without Him. He gives us discernment and revelation that can only be attained as a result of having a close relationship with Him.

Secondly, the Holy Spirit is able to help us fulfil the will of God in our lives through our spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 tells us of the different gifts that all have, which ought to be used for the edification of the church.

The Holy Spirit is also an intercessor. In Romans 8:27 Paul asserts: “Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

To understand just about every role that the Holy Spirit has takes scrupulous Bible Study, but highlighted here are just a few. Through such roles, it is clear that the Holy Spirit’s presence is absolutely necessary in our lives. This brings us to a very consequential question: Does He exist within everyone?

Does everybody have the Holy Spirit?

Quite simply, no. Not at all. As Jesus told His disciples, not all have the Holy Spirit as not all see Him. This is who ‘the world’ is, as Jesus speaks (refer John 14:17). As Christians, in the Bible, we are often separated from ‘the world’, and therefore, as Christians we are different and called to walk separately. Therefore, many people who are in and of ‘the world’ do not have the Holy Spirit.

Now, on the contrary, does that mean that ALL Christians automatically have the Holy Spirit? No, and unfortunately, this is where many Christians are erroneous in their understanding of the Holy Spirit. There is both a baptism of water in which the Holy Spirit is invited into your life, and also a baptism of ‘fire’ which is the manifestation of the Spirit through the spiritual gifts. Now this may be a bit more complex to understand, but the former is the baptism which most Christian churches conduct. With this being said, the Holy Spirit may become present as a result of the water baptism, but it does not mean that He is in control of the practicalities of your life (refer to the early life of the Apostles contrasted with the day of Pentecost Acts 2). While this statement may be shocking, if this is the case, it is entirely because of you. As the Holy Spirit is a being, you ought to nurture your relationship with Him. He may be present in the vehicle, however, as a mere passenger, but dear brother or sister, why not let Him drive?

On the other hand, the baptism of ‘fire’ of course is not literal, but it is the physical manifestation of the Holy Spirit coming upon you. This is where you will not only feel the Holy Spirit, but you will walk in your spiritual gift(s). There will be physical signs following those who believe and walk in the Spirit.

There are many verses in the Bible that aid us in understanding who the Holy Spirit is and why we should have Him in our lives, and it is possible that an entire book can get written about Him. The contributions that He makes to our lives are very important, and if you ponder on it, how awesome is it that God has given us a palpable form of His Spirit? Why would you neglect a relationship with Him?

Are you walking in the power that God has given you?

Our Heavenly Father has granted us unlimited access to His power.

Let that sink in for a minute.

God – the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent creator of the universe!

There is nothing quite like taking a moment to realise that we are not as mediocre as we may sometimes feel. The truth is, we’re the complete opposite. The King of Kings that we serve makes us far from mediocre; we’re royalty and possess power far beyond our finite comprehension.

When Jesus left the Earth, he left behind the Holy Spirit. John 14: 26 reads: “But the Advocate, 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.”

Not only does the Holy Spirit help us stay in-tune with the teachings of Jesus Christ, but He also grants us access to God’s power! Through God’s power, the chosen are able to prophecy, and healing the sick and teaching the children of God are all possible! Each gift, that ought to be used for the edification of the church, is proof of the power of God – the power that He has bestowed upon us. We cannot possess such gifts in our own inherent capability, it is God and God alone!

Each and every one of us has a God-given purpose. We are all powerful beyond our own beliefs because the Holy Spirit is kind and loving enough to grant us this perfect power.

You can take on demons and all the forces of darkness, you can win souls for the Kingdom of Heaven and you can cause calamities to change into blessings ALL because of the power of God.

The memory verse of the day gives us insight as to just how much power we possess through the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:11 reads: “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

Are we actually cognisant of what this means? If Jesus can be raised from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit, imagine what the Holy Spirit can do for you!

We are children of God and we ought to know who we are in Christ Jesus. We are more than conquerors because of God who is backing us. No matter what trial you face, you will win because God is all-powerful and due to the fact that he loves you, you can tap into that energy source whenever you need it.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us not waste the power that the Holy Spirit has generously bestowed upon us. Let us give thanks and walk in the true authority that we have in our great God.

God is never too far away

Sometimes we feel as though God is distant from us, as though we are so far from Him that the thought of attempting to communicate with Him seems like a ludicrous idea.

However, it does not have to.

God is as close as ever before, especially since Jesus left behind the Holy Spirit to be a guide unto us, to speak to us, and to let God’s will for our lives be known. All we have to do is tap into that resource to find an infinite amount of unprecedented blessings.

There are times when our trials seem all too great, when we feel that God is not there. We feel as though God doesn’t hear our desperate cries, we feel as though he cannot be concerned with our burdens. There are times when we go through tribulations that are so earth-shattering that we question God, asking Him why as He allowed such occurrences.

Through every bitter moment, in every moment of sombre solitude and grief, God is there.

He is waiting on us to develop a true relationship with Him. He wants us to seek him, and acknowledge Him in all our ways. The perfect love that God has for us cannot and will not allow us to ever be separate from Him.

In Romans 8: 38-39 Paul says: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, [39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

No matter how dirty, insignificant or useless you feel, God loves you; God treasures you and nothing will ever separate you from His wonderful love. There is no sin too great, or evil too overpowering, that you cannot seek God and be renewed by the strength of the Holy Spirit, and enveloped in His arms of love.

Our God is merciful, our God is omnipotent and our God wants you to be saved. He wants to take you home with Him, the question is, will you seek Him first?