During the month of July, I have been sharing my journey with you as the Lord reveals Himself to me (through the Holy Spirit). I have shared with you my insights on how Christians are connected to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Our faith in Jesus connects us to God and His love for us ...." If you really know me, you will know my Father as well." (John 14:7) .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. “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....... " (John 14: 15-17) The Holy Spirit is a person who is personally connected to those who follow Jesus. The Holy Spirit "acts" as Jesus. The Holy Spirit is today, for Christians, what Jesus was to his disciples - the ULTIMATE best friend – the one you can trust, learn, grow, and always depend on throughout life! "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.” (John14:26)
As the Holy Spirit reveals himself to me, I want to pause right here and add an important truth. My heart is burdened for those people who may feel like they have never had a best friend. Their experiences may be that of betrayal, rejection, and hatred; so finding a best friend through the Holy Spirit may be difficult to comprehend. Remember, the Holy Spirit "acts" as Jesus. Jesus was a man who was betrayed, rejected and hated. He understands what you have gone through because of His death on the cross. So, who better to come comfort you, then the one who is sent to take His place? Remember, the Holy Spirit is a gift from God. That means the Holy Spirit is, well, HOLY- beyond human reason and perspective. No matter what our experiences have been in the past, through the Holy Spirit, we can have a best friend beyond imaginable.
Now, as stated in my last post, Christians should recognize and respect the fact that God has a specific purpose for providing the Holy Spirit to those who follow Jesus. It is not a gift given to be selfishly used or hoarded for our own personal or selfish agendas. The gift of the Holy Spirit has a specific purpose. I am reading a book by Francis Chan, Forgotten God. In his book he poses the question, "Why do you want the Holy Spirit?" I think he posed an excellent question. I think many times, people "use" the power of the Holy Spirit and seek after personal desires. To be honest, I have been guilty. I have asked the Holy Spirit to guide me to a relationship I wanted, to help me get a certain job I wanted, to change others so that I could benefit in the way I wanted. Do you see a pattern here? Francis Chan states that "we often times don't receive answers to our prayers because we ask for the wrong reasons. Our desire to live should be for the sake and glory of God who put us on the earth in the first place."(Forgotten God, 2009).
Scripture tells us, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb" (Psalm 139:13). "The Lord called me before my birth. From within the womb he called me by my name...He said to me, `You are my servant'..." (Isaiah 49:1,3) God had a plan for us before we were born, but the Bible doesn't say the Lord called you by name so that you would get married, have a family, go to college, get a good job, have a nice house, go on vacations, wear all the designer clothes, be financially secure, and have everything you wanted. God did not create us to bless us with things of this world. The Bible clearly states He said to me, `You are my servant'. We were created to be of service to the Lord. Our eternal purpose is to serve the Lord. So over the years, my prayers should have been God put people in my life so that I can share who you are, what you have done, and what you will do. May everything I do and everywhere I go be to honor and serve your Name. Do you see a difference here?
How do you begin to move forward in serving the Lord? I think the answer is through deepening our knowledge about the Holy Spirit, so you might come to be in a right relationship with Him. Once you make a decision to become a life long follow of Christ, the Holy Spirit enters in and draws you closer to Jesus, the one you choose to follow. "I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong."(Ephesians 3:16-17)
As you learn to trust in Jesus and his love for you, you can begin to see life in a new way. Your focus changes and you begin to understand things more from a heavenly view, which comes by way of the Holy Spirit. "And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." (Ephesians 3:16-17)
It is through Jesus’ love, grace, and mercy that help us see how valued we are to him. God does not make mistakes! Each person has a divine purpose given to us by God. Our purpose, given to us by God, is revealed to us through the gift of the Holy Spirit. “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him - these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) The Holy Spirit guides us to where we need to go so that we can fulfill the plan and purpose for our lives. "Teach me to do what pleases you, because you are my God. Guide me by your good spirit into good land." (Psalms 143:10)
Three years ago, my family took a cruise in Hawaii. It was an amazing trip! Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places - When I think back - I am in awe of our God the creator of the Universe. On the last day of our trip, we went to Pearl Harbor. I was so honored to be able to learn and see first hand the aftermath of such a historical event. We went to the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center. My dad and I went on a tour. Our tour guide gave a lecture of the historical background of the event. Then, our guide took us by boat to view the USS Arizona Memorial. It was one of the most amazing sites I have ever seen! I was grateful for our tour guide. He taught me and revealed to me a part of our history that opened my eyes and gave me a new perspective of our country.
In a sense, this is what the Holy Spirit does for believers. The Holy Spirit teaches us the knowledge we need in order to move in the right path. The Holy Spirit is our personal tour guide in life that takes us to the places we need to go. I need to warn you, sometimes the place we need to go is our heart. Through the Holy Spirit, God will reveal things to us that we need to change in order to move with Him to do the work He has for us to do.
With our hearts in the right place, the Spirit will move us to places, people, jobs and ministries that will be to glorify God and His plan and purpose. In order to be able to do this, God equipped us with the tools we need to complete His purpose. Where do we find these tools? - Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
I am honored that you are with me on my journey. My next post will be in about a week because I am leaving on a family vacation. I promise to share a personal encounter of the Holy Spirit with you soon. May the Holy Spirit continue to work in all of our lives so that the One who died for us will be glorified!
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