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The second way we can be certain
of our salvation when the Holy Spirit is working in our life.
WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WHAT
DOES HE DO?
For many people the Holy Spirit
is an ambiguous aspect of God, but most simply put, the Holy
Spirit is our guide and helper in life:
John 14.26– “But the Counselor, 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.”
Examples of the Holy Spirit leading in people’s lives: Luke
4.1, Acts 8.26-40, and many more!
THE HOLY SPIRIT INDICATES SPIRITUAL LIFE
Because Jesus is not here on earth, the Holy Spirit
shows us what is right, convicts us when we have sinned, empowers
us to do God’s will, and much more. The Holy Spirit cannot
work in someone who is spiritually dead, so if He is working in
our life, we can know we have spiritual life!
Romans 8.14 – …because those who are led by the Spirit
of God are sons of God.
Romans 8.16 – The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit
that we are God's children.
1 John 3.24 – Those who obey His commands live in Him, and
He in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know
it by the Spirit He gave us.
MORE ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT:
The Holy Spirit’s presence in our life is
a guarantee of the blessings God has for us in the future:
2 Corinthians 1.22 – [Jesus] set his seal of
ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit,
guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 5.5 – Now it is God who has made us for this
very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing
what is to come.
Ephesians 1.13 – And you also were included in Christ when
you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having
believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy
Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the
redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of His
glory.
The Holy Spirit’s work doesn’t always
have to be dramatic; we don’t have to be hearing God’s
audible voice, or having mystical experiences, or doing miracles
in order to be experiencing the Holy Spirit in our life. When God
shows us truths in His Word, when He helps us do what’s right
and resist doing what’s wrong, when we have confidence in God’s
directing in our life, when we are changed by God, when we have
peace in difficult situations…then we are experiencing the
Holy Spirit! He does a wide range of work in our life and sometimes
the most important things aren’t the dramatic things, but the
simple, everyday ones:
The Holy Spirit is our communication line –
how God speaks to us and how we speak to God:
John 16.15 – “All that belongs to the Father is mine.
That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make
it known to you.”
1 Corinthians 2.14 – The man without the Spirit does not accept
the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness
to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually
discerned.
Romans 8.27 – And He who searches our hearts knows the mind
of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance
with God's will.
Ephesians 2.18 – For through him we both have access to the
Father by one Spirit.
The Holy Spirit provides power, strength, joy,
and peace:
Acts 1.8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit
comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in
all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 9.31 – Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria
enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by
the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.
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.
Ephesians 3.16 – I pray that out of His glorious riches He
may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being.
The Holy Spirit directs us – for example,
what to say when we are witnessing or praying:
Mark 13.11 – “Whenever you are arrested and brought to
trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever
is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy
Spirit.”
Romans 8.26 – In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself
intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
The Holy Spirit sanctifies us, or makes us holy:
Romans 15.16 – [God made me] to be a minister of Christ Jesus
to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel
of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable
to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
2 Thessalonians 2.13 – But we ought always to thank God for
you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God
chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit
and through belief in the truth.
“Living in the spirit” is not just for
the super-spiritual. It is necessary for every believer to be
experiencing the Holy Spirit in their life, not only because it
validates their salvation, but also because it is how God intended
the Christian life to be led. We are either living in the sin nature
or living in the spirit, and as Christians, we want to be spending
our time living in the spirit!
Romans 8.5 – Those who live according to the sinful nature
have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who
live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what
the Spirit desires.
Romans 8.9 – You, however, are controlled not by the sinful
nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And
if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong
to Christ.
Galatians 5.17 – For the sinful nature desires what is contrary
to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.
They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what
you want.
Sometimes we can get frustrated because we feel that
we’re not able to live the Christian life. We can feel like
we are trying so hard and getting nowhere fast. This is when we
need to recognize the role of the Holy Spirit in our life –
He is the one that enables us to live as we should. If you feel
frustrated like this, make sure you really want the Holy Spirit’s
leading in your life and that sin isn’t keeping Him from being
able to direct and empower you. Then ask God to bless you with
His Holy Spirit and trust Him to do the rest!
Luke 11.13 – “If you then, though you are evil, know how
to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father
in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
NEXT: Our
Friend: Relating to God Personally
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