In October, we enjoy getting a little scared! As it gets colder, I enjoy lighting up a campfire, roasting some s’mores, and telling a few “Ghost Stories.” Ghost stories can be fun, but there is one Ghost that’s talked about from the beginning of the Bible in the second verse of Genesis all the way to the book of Revelation. He’s called the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit, and He’s not someone to be afraid of! He is God!
It seems like when it comes to the Holy Spirit, there are these extreme responses where people either embrace Him or reject Him.
We want to have all the Holy Spirit we can and we want the Holy Spirit to have all of us that He can. When it comes to the Holy Spirit, we don’t want to be balanced, we want to be biblical!
Who is the Holy Spirit?
Jesus said, “But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you. John 14:26 (AMP)
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity who is co-equal and co-eternal with the God the Father and God the Son. There is only one God who exists in three persons. We relate to Him as God the Father, God the Son, Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a Person, which means we can relate with Him. How do we relate to the Spirit?
Who is the Holy Spirit to Me?
1) He is my Constant Companion, so I can live friended.
The name Jesus gives for the Spirit in John 14:26 is the Greek word “Paraclete” which literally means, “to come alongside.” Jesus is saying the Spirit is going to be with you if you are a Jesus-follower, and He will never leave you. He lives inside the lives of every single true believer. But not every Believer realizes or recognizes the reality of the Holy Spirit.
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? 1 Corinthians 6:19
Here’s the difference that makes today: you are never really alone. Isn’t it awesome to know that you’ve been “Friended” by God? You might feel alone, but you’re not.
2) He is my Comforter, so I can live fearlessly.
Jesus also called the Spirit our Comforter who wants to comfort you when you’re hurting. Did you know the Holy Spirit actually prays for you?
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. Romans 8:26
Because He is our comforter, you and I can risk getting uncomfortable. When I know the Spirit is there for me, I can follow Him into some of the uncomfortable places that He wants me to go. If things don’t go like I think they are going to go, guess what, He says He will comfort me. So I can risk living fearlessly. I can step out and make a difference with my life.
3) He is my Controller, so I can live free.
The Spirit wants to have control of our lives. How can I ever get my life under control? I need to give control of my life to the Spirit.
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. Romans 8:9
We can either be self-controlled, or we can choose to be Spirit-controlled. The more I try to control my life, the less control I have.
4) He is my Convicter, so I can live forever.
One of the roles of the Spirit is to convict us when we do the wrong things.
Jesus said, “But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me.” John 16:7-9
We have two choices when we’ve done something wrong: we can either experience conviction or condemnation. When I’m condemned, I feel guilty. I feel bad about myself and what I did. But followers of Jesus are not condemned. But the Spirit convicts us when we sin. As a follower of Jesus, you should never be satisfied if there is sin in your life that you haven’t dealt with. Confess it to God and get a fresh start heading in the right direction.
What Should I Fear when it comes to the Holy Spirit?
We definitely don’t need to be afraid of the Spirit. But there are some things I should have a little healthy fear about when it comes to the Spirit. I don’t need to literally be afraid, but there are some things I want to avoid when it comes to the Spirit of God.
Don’t cause Him to regret.
The Holy Spirit has emotions. One of the emotions that He can have is grief.
And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, He has identified you as His own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30
I don’t want to made the Holy Spirit grieve. But I make Him sad by the way I live when I decide to do what I want to do instead of what He wants me to do.
Once you are truly saved, it’s 100% guaranteed! Which is the best guarantee on the planet!
Don’t resist Him.
The Holy Spirit can be resisted. He doesn’t force Himself on you. When we resist Him long enough, our heart gets hard and we can’t even hear His prompting in our life anymore.
Stephen said, “You stiff-necked heathen! Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? But your fathers did, and so do you!” Acts 7:51
Don’t reject Him.
What is the unforgiveable sin? It’s found in Matthew 12:31 where Jesus said,
So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. Matthew 12:31
Every sin can be forgiven, except rejecting the Holy Spirit when He draws you to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If you reject His free offer of salvation through Jesus, you will not be saved.
The reason the Holy Spirit is reaching out to you is because He loves you so much that He wants you to know Him so much that He sent His Son Jesus to live a perfect life, die on a cross, and come back to life. He wants you to trust in Him so He can fill you with His Spirit!