Where the Spirit of the Lord is…

The Holy Spirit is sometimes the most neglected Person in many churches. We have misunderstood Him in many ways and it is apparent by the misrepresentations that are evidenced today. The Holy Spirit is a person that makes His residence in the heart of the believer at the time of salvation. The Bible says that He never leaves us nor forsakes us.

He has the capacity to lead us into all truth and to so control us that we live beyond our human capabilities. He has the capacity to reveal Christ to our hearts. He is the comforter; He is the Teacher. Where He is, there is liberty, freedom, victory, and revelation. According to Scripture, there are four things that result from the work of the Holy Spirit in a Christian.

1. The Spirit of God gives us purity.

There is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Rom. 8:1

Purity will be exemplified in a believer's life through the righteousness that has been imputed to us by Christ and lived through us by the Spirit. Righteousness is simply 'right living' and is exemplified by purity of motive, heart and choice.

2. The Spirit of God gives us sufficiency.

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God. II Cor. 3:5

Do you know what the Spirit of God teaches us? He teaches us that we can do nothing apart from the Spirit of God. We can say that, but let us watch how we live...do we lie? Let us get in a bind and see who we run to first!

 Many Christians are still struggling with the same problems after years of defeat because they have never let go of their struggling long enough to surrender to God and to let Him work. Sometimes we don't want to relinquish our rights and admit that we're wrong. So we continue to tread water, still fighting the same old battles when we could have received spiritual victory earlier. He's all-sufficient in all things!

3. The Spirit of God gives us ministry.

Who hath also made us able ministers of the New Testament. How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious? II Cor. 3:6,8

When we are born again, every one of us receives a supernatural gift endowed by the Spirit of God to be used at His discretion in order to minister to people. We are placed into the body of Christ, filled and empowered by the Spirit of God. We are energized to want to minister through the Lord to people. We minister the gospel; we minister grace; we minister the Word. We minister in the various gifts through the Holy Spirit to other people. We are called to do it in Jesus' name and in His power. We do not have to get spiritually weary of serving when we do it in the Spirit! We see the perfect example in Christ who loved us and  gave Himself for us while we were yet sinners.

4. The Spirit of God gives Him glory.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. II Cor. 3:18

Glory is significant because it is 'the glory'. When you experience the glory of God, you will never be satisfied with anything less than the true sense of the presence and power of the living God. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we can experience and live in the glory of God as we yield to His voice. When the Spirit of God teaches us that, all the silly substitutes of the world will pale in the light of His glory!