The first born-again Christian I met who spoke about being filled with the Holy Spirit was a woman I had known most of my life. I was 14, and she was a mother of seven with an abusive husband who treated them all terribly. They were poor, and she was often ill, likely due to the many beatings she had endured. She told me, “I go to the Holiness church in town. That’s where I got saved and filled with the Holy Ghost!” Her words were both nuanced and shocking to me. Raised in the Baptist church, I had been taught and mentored by wonderful Christian men and women, but what she said stopped me dead in my tracks. My perception of ‘dignified good Christian people’ expanded to include her. For the first time, I saw hope in someone who had seemed hopeless, and it made a profound impact on my life.
As a young believer still in high school, the concept of living with Holy Spirit power was completely foreign to me. I had never heard about him from anyone. When I finally did learn about the power of the Holy Spirit and asked questions, I was told that this was not for me. It was reserved for those who danced and cast out demons, but not for me. That simply wasn’t the truth. The Holy Spirit is for every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is not an abstract essence or an empty cloud. The Holy Spirit is a person—more of a person than you or I could ever be.
The Holy Spirit is a gift from God to every born-again believer that will accept him. In Acts 2:38(ESV), the Apostle Peter proclaimed, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The endowment of the Holy Spirit is power from on High. He’s the difference maker in our lives. Jesus Christ tells us in John 16:13 that he sent the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth and to tell us what he, the Spirit, hears from Christ.
It’s not our own power we’re using; neither you nor I have any power of our own. Our power comes from God through His Holy Spirit that dwells within us. God warns us in Hosea 4:6 that His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. They don’t know what’s right and true, and they have turned their backs on knowledge. This was true in Old Testament times, and it remains true for many of us today. Some of us let religion imprison us from the truth, denying the gift of the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth.
Jesus Christ said in John 14:26 (NLT), “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” Many of us have studied God’s Word extensively. We might understand God’s love intellectually, but without spiritual depth, we can’t fully grasp it because we deny the Teacher. The Word may make sense to us, but if our minds and hearts are not spiritually guided, it cannot penetrate deeply. We need to understand the Word of God in a way that its truth resonates deeply within us. Only the Holy Spirit can achieve that for us.
Jesus Christ said in John 10:10(NKJV), “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” The thief is the devil, our adversary, and Jesus Christ has schooled us on what the thief is up to, however, he doesn’t want us to focus on that, because he has overcome the devil through his sacrifice and resurrection. Our precious Lord and Savior wants us to focus on what he has done for us, because he has made it available for every person to live with his victory, and therefore live a more than abundant life.
It’s no secret that life on earth comes with challenges and setbacks. Although we’re not to focus on the negative, our blessed Redeemer didn’t hide the reality of trials and tribulations. He told the disciples in John 16:33(NLT), “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” Many believers have not understood the awesome Good News of this scripture. Jesus Christ was tempted by satan, faced unparallel opposition, endured being called names and lied about, and walked with power, love, and strength throughout his ministry in the midst of murderous attempts on his life. He was fearless because he understood who he was. He knew that God was backing him through the power of the Holy Spirit, and you and I are called to walk with this same authority and power.
Romans 8:10(NLT) says, “And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.” The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. It is this same Spirit that was in Christ, working in him to complete God’s mission of saving the world. There is no equal to God’s power and that power is in us through the Holy Spirit!
We underestimate our ability to soar like eagles, to conquer obstacles victoriously, and to overcome any situation because we have not allowed God’s Holy Spirit to be at work in our lives to the extent he can. When we don’t know God’s Word, and we’re ignorant about the Helper, we can be stolen from, killed, and destroyed. Many of our beautiful brothers and sisters have fallen because they didn’t realize that God has given us the Gift of Holy Spirit to protect and keep us, and to help us live powerfully. Not every person will accept what Jesus Christ has made available. Some will continue to live beneath their privilege, but don’t let that be you. God has commanded us to live by the Spirit, because the Spirit will preserve and help us to be strengthened with God’s love and power so that we can be like Christ and live a successful Christian life.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The Spirit of Truth”, written by Reverend Fran Mack. Edits by Kim Times and K. Stephens for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.