The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is not only an essential part of our walk with Christ but what also sets us (Christians) apart from everyone else.
Why We Need The Holy Spirit:
First and foremost, Jesus Himself tells us in John 3:3 "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3
When we are born again we are baptized in the Holy Spirit and it is the moment of our salvation. We receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit where the Spirit of God brings us into union with Christ and into union with other believers.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Just as Christ died and rose again, when we are born again and baptized with the Holy Spirit (and subsequent water baptism), the "sinful" man/woman in us is "buried with Him in baptism" and raised, in Faith, that we might walk in newness of life!
How Do We Know We Have Received The "Indwelling" of the Holy Spirit?:
John 14:16-18
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."
Jesus promised us "another", the Spirit, to comfort us, to teach us, to guide us and to seal our salvation. Whether we realize it or not, it is the Spirit who calls us and leads us to Christ. We not only receive comfort from the Holy Spirit but we receive POWER...the power of God, which we need, as believers, in order to have the strength and knowledge and discernment and wisdom in this dark world, to carry out our mission....which is to spread the Good News....the Gospel!
Acts 1:8
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
Just reading the passage from Isaiah in the above "image" (Isaiah 11:1-3), we are told that the Spirit is a Spirit of Wisdom, and of Understanding, and of Counsel and of Strength. A Spirit of Knowledge and of fear of the Lord.
It took me a little while to fully understand WHY Jesus said that we Need to be born again. Then it suddenly made sense (really I had finally received the knowledge and wisdom from the Spirit to fully understand).....I attempted to read the Bible years ago but gave up quickly because I could not understand what I was reading....it seemed "too complicated" (which it's not).......we NEED the Holy Spirit in order to be able to understand "things of the spirit". He will reveal things to us (believers) that we did not previously see. I find myself amazed by this regularly. In my humble opinion, this is one of the greatest gifts of the Spirit.....I am now able to read the Word and see the deeper message.....and there IS a deeper message (or layers to the Word).
When you receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit...you will know! Your whole life will change. Your desires will change. You will understand what it means to "be on fire for God". You will (at a minimum, desire to learn more about God and about Jesus and what He had to say and will WANT to read His Word (or, if you're like me, and many others....you won't be able to get enough of it). You'll notice that you want to spend more time around those you may not have "liked" before. You will soon realize that you have found a peace that you did not know existed (and wonder how you lived so long without it!).
I have tried to describe this feeling with a family member and the closest I could get to a comparison, in human terms, is the feeling of when we first fall in love. If you've ever been in love with someone you know what I'm talking about. That person is ALL you can think about and you want to tell everyone about that person. They are on your mind 24/7. Well, I would say that being filled with the Holy Spirit (being born again, of the Spirit)...is like falling in love times a million!!
Don't wait another day if you are not sure or if you have never received Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. I promise you...you will not be disappointed! You will receive a peace, an internal peace that you never thought was possible!
I have tried to describe this feeling with a family member and the closest I could get to a comparison, in human terms, is the feeling of when we first fall in love. If you've ever been in love with someone you know what I'm talking about. That person is ALL you can think about and you want to tell everyone about that person. They are on your mind 24/7. Well, I would say that being filled with the Holy Spirit (being born again, of the Spirit)...is like falling in love times a million!!
Don't wait another day if you are not sure or if you have never received Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. I promise you...you will not be disappointed! You will receive a peace, an internal peace that you never thought was possible!
