Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be one of Jesus’ inner-circle disciples? How amazing it would be to follow Him around, enjoy His presence, watch Him perform miracles, and hear His profound, life-changing teachings? Well, you and I can and do experience these things first-hand through the presence of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives.
On the night that Jesus was betrayed, He spent considerable time talking with His disciples. He told them He was about to go away, but at the time they didn’t understand. But then He told them something quite astonishing: “Very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7) When Jesus was here on earth physically, He subjected Himself to the physical realm so that He could only be in one place at a time. Now that He has sent His Spirit to us, He is present in His followers all over the world all the time.
Here are some other things Jesus told His disciples (us too) about His Spirit:
- He is our Advocate and will be with us forever (John 14:16).
- He will teach us and remind us of what Jesus has said (John 14:26).
- He will convict the world of sin (John 16:8).
- He guides us into truth (John 16:13).
- He always glorifies Jesus (John 16:14).
- He gives us power to testify about Jesus (Acts 1:8).
- He distributes and bestows spiritual gifts for the good of Christ’s church (1 Corinthians 12:4-7).
- He helps us get rid of sins in our life (Romans 8:13).
- He testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children (Romans 8:16).
- He came into our lives when we believed as a seal that we belong to God (Ephesians 1:13)
We learn in 1 Corinthians 6:19 that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. He lives within us and we are to honor or glorify God with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20). The more we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us and lead us, the more we will be living as the Lord wants us to live.
Scripture Reading: Romans 8:1-17
Personal Application: What assurances do you have that the Spirit of God is living within you? Thank God for His Spirit living within you and tell Him you want to learn to hear His promptings and obey Him. (Know that God’s Spirit never contradicts His Word. He will never prompt you to do something contrary to the Word or God’s character.)
Jim Grassi, D. Min.
We cherish any verse in Scripture that reminds us to keep focused and intentional about evangelism and discipleship. “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5