What guides you in your life when it comes to judging well? What helps you make decisions through discernment and keeps you in God’s purpose? When you find yourself in a situation where you can’t pray, who intercedes on your behalf? How did you discover Jesus? The Holy Spirit, as part of the Trinity, is fully God, not a force or energy, but a personal being who speaks, teaches, guides, and can be grieved. Ephesians 4:30, NKJV: "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
Jesus once asked Peter, “Who do you say I am?” Peter
answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” Matthew
16:15–16, NKJV. Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for
flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven”
Matthew 16:17, NKJV. This
revelation came through the Holy Spirit, showing that it is God who opens our
eyes to Christ’s identity. Yet, when Peter later rebuked Jesus for predicting
His death, Jesus said, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for
you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” Matthew
16:23, NKJV. This contrast highlights the Spirit’s role in aligning our
hearts with God’s will, as only the Holy Spirit reveals divine truth. John
16:13, NKJV “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He
will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but
whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”
When Jesus ascended, He promised a Helper: “And I will
pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with
you forever” John 14:16, NKJV. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit
descended, and the disciples “were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began
to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” Acts
2:4, NKJV. Empowered by the Spirit, they fearlessly spread the Gospel,
fulfilling Jesus’ command to make disciples. “Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit” Matthew 28:19, NKJV.
The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit equips believers with seven gifts to grow in
faith and live according to God’s will. Isaiah 11:2–3, NKJV:
- Wisdom:
Enables us to see life from God’s perspective, as James 1:5, NKJV
says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives
to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him”
- Understanding:
Helps us grasp spiritual truths, as 1 Corinthians 2:12, NKJV notes,
“ Now we have received, not the spirit of the
world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things
that have been freely given to us by God.”
- Counsel:
Guides moral decisions, reflecting Proverbs 3:5–6, NKJV “Trust
in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own
understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And
He shall direct your paths.”
- Fortitude:
Grants courage, as Paul writes, “For God has not given us a spirit
of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” 2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV.
- Knowledge:
Reveals God’s purpose, as Psalm 119:105, NKJV declares, “Your
word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
- Piety:
Inspires worship, as John 4:24, NKJV says, “God is Spirit, and
those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
- Fear
of the Lord: Fosters humility and reverence, as Proverbs 9:10, NKJV
states, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
These gifts strengthen our walk with God. “ Likewise
the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should
pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for
us with groanings which cannot be uttered” Romans 8:26, NKJV.
The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
Was the Holy Spirit present in the Old Testament? Yes,
though His presence was not as fully manifested as in the New Testament. The
Spirit empowered God’s chosen, despite their flaws. Noah, righteous yet flawed,
became drunk (Genesis 9:20–21, NKJV). Moses, a great leader, disobeyed God in
anger (Numbers 20:10–12, NKJV). Isaiah, aware of his sinfulness, said, “Woe is me,
for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I
dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King,
The Lord of hosts” Isaiah 6:5, NKJV , yet God used him
mightily. David, a man after God’s heart (1 Samuel 13:14, NKJV), sinned
grievously (2 Samuel 11, NKJV), but the Spirit inspired his repentance. Psalm
51:11, NKJV: “Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take
Your Holy Spirit from me”. These accounts show the Spirit’s work, even
before Pentecost, revealing God’s grace through imperfect vessels.
The Holy Spirit Today
The Holy Spirit continues His work, restraining the Antichrist
until God’s appointed time: “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at
work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way”
2 Thessalonians 2:7, NKJV. By holding back the Antichrist, the Spirit
protects the Church and enables the Gospel’s spread. Salvation itself is by
grace through faith, as Ephesians 2:8–9, NKJV affirms: “For by grace
you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the
gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” The
Spirit dwells in believers, guiding us to “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16,
NKJV) and live with pure hearts, as we “work out our own salvation with fear
and trembling” Philippians 2:12, NKJV
Our responsibility is to pray continually (1 Thessalonians
5:17, NKJV), live in obedience, and walk in the fear of the Lord. The Holy
Spirit, our Helper, guides us into all truth, intercedes for us, and empowers
us to fulfill God’s purpose, drawing us ever closer to Christ.
