“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will
not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 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. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.”
-Galatians 5: 16-18
The Father. The Son. The Holy Spirit. As I soak in the
Trinity and what that means for believers, I can’t help but wonder if we are
missing out a little and how often in our walk we lean heavier to God and
Jesus, but discount the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It makes me think
of when you take a picture using a tri pod. If you aren’t using each of the
three legs equally, what happens to your picture? It’s off center, crooked, not
nearly as effective and you might miss the focus of your picture. Each leg is
just as crucial as the other and they all have to work together on the same
level to have the biggest impact. God tells us in His Word how valuable and
important His Holy Spirit is. The Holy Spirit speaks through us (Matthew
10:19-20), He changes our hearts (Matthew 12:34-36), helps us understand the
Bible (Luke 12:10), convicts us, shows God’s righteousness, guides and gives
insight for the future (John 14:15-31), sets us free from sin and death (Romans
8:2), gives us the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), and helps us pray
(Romans 8:26-27). Many times through scripture it even says that Jesus was
filled with the Spirit. Jesus promised to pour out His Spirit on us in John 7:37-38, “On the last and greatest day
of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let
him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said,
streams of living water will flow from within him.” I don’t know about you,
but that makes me want to shout, “Fill me Lord, fill me!” The presence of the
Holy Spirit in our lives should demonstrate the genuineness of our faith, it
proves that we are God’s children, it transforms us, and it secures our eternal
life. We must not forget that God is very unyielding about the Holy Spirit in
our lives. In Luke 12:10, Jesus says,
“And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but
anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” And
also in Ephesians 4:30, “And do not
grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption.” This happens when we have a deliberate and ongoing rejection
of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. It’s when our hearts are so hardened
that we shut ourselves off from God and don’t acknowledge the sin in our lives.
I read a quote from Francis Chan’s book, Unforgotten God, which says, “If I
were Satan and my ultimate goal was to thwart God’s kingdom and purposes, one
of my main strategies would be to get churchgoers to ignore the Holy Spirit.”
How does that apply to your life? Even though the Holy Spirit lives in us, we
will still be tempted and sin, but we should be known by the fruit He produces
in us. “But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23. So over the next few weeks we will be
focusing on these fruits and how our lives can be full of them…
Heavenly Father, I welcome your Holy Spirit
into my life. Please guide my steps, speak my words, and convict my heart. Fill
me Lord, fill me!!! Bring to light any sin that has grieved your Spirit, speak
your Truth into me and transform my life. In Your Name, Amen.
