The Spirit of Living (Part 1)

I have dedicated the month of July to learning more about the man I call my Lord. I will be sharing my journey with you as the Lord reveals Himself to me (through the Holy Spirit).

As Christians, we are to surrender our lives to the Lord. Jesus says, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me." (Luke 9:23) That means giving our job, money, relationships, body, mind, etc to Him. He wants us to choose Him before anything else. God says, “You must not have any other god but me. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.” (Exodus 20:3,5) 

If we proclaim to be a Christian, then we are to be an example of this man named Jesus that we follow.  How can I best be an example and teach others about Him? I have to learn to connect with Him in a real way.

 Scripture tells is that our connection to our Father is Jesus. Jesus says,“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6-7)

Because of sin, we are disconnected from God, but through Jesus’ death on the cross, we are reunited with our Father and creator of the world. God’s love for us is revealed through Jesus’ death on the cross. Our faith in Jesus connects us to God and his love for us. 

Now, how do we connect with Jesus in a real way? 

Scripture goes on to tell us that our connection to Jesus is through the Holy Spirit: “If you love me, obey my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.......  When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.  Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them..... What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.  I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 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.”  (John 14: 15-17, 20-21, 24-26)

If we are true followers of Jesus, then that means we die to our own selfish agendas and seek after God’s agenda. I have found that dying to self is a process.  As we seek after Jesus’ heart, His promise is to reveal himself to us. Today, that revealing comes from the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ words tell us that the Holy Spirit (His Advocate and Representative) will teach us and reveal Jesus to us in a real way. Our love for Jesus leads us to following His commandments.  Our love and willingness to obey Jesus leads to the Holy Spirit being revealed in our lives, which allows us to have a real connection with Jesus.

Over the next month, I want share with you my journey of learning about the Holy Spirit. I will share a personal encounter I had with Him, and I will share insights into the purpose that I sense the Holy Spirit has in my life, and I believe the lives of all Christians.

To be continued.....