HIS GLORY IN YOUR SPIRIT;

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified (Romans 8:30).

The glory of God is much more than being enveloped by a cloud, even though this was their experience in the Old Testament. Ezekiel 10:4 says, “Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’S glory.” When Solomon had finished building the temple, “… the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God” (2 Chronicles 5:14).

That was awesome, but there’s a higher level of glory! When we talk about the glory of God, what many think of, and get inspired about, is some physical cloud above their heads, or in a building. Understand God’s real purpose: what God really wants is the “glory in you.” Don’t choose to remain with “the good” and leave out “the best.” “Glory in the building” was a shadow of things to come. The best isn’t the glory in the room, even though some will have more faith if they saw something physical. That’s remaining at the lower levels, or babyhood stage. In Christianity, what we have is the oneness of our spirit with the Spirit of God. You don’t have to look for the glory outside you; it’s in your spirit.

Read the Apostle Paul’s beautiful submission about this in Colossians 1:26-27 “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Did you know that the Kingdom of God is in your heart? The perfect glory of God can never be contained in a room, or found on the outside. The perfect glory of God isn’t something that your optical eyes can behold. The perfect glory of God is in your spirit.

Further Study:
John 17:22;
Colossians 1:26-27

NEVER ALONE

…for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)… (Hebrews 13:5 AMP).

As a child of God, you’re never alone; you’ve never been, and will never walk alone as long as you have the Holy Spirit in you. He lives in, and with you—not for a time, but for all time. Part of His ministry in your life is to stay in fellowship with you, strengthening your faith and stirring up courage in you to do the will of God, and fulfil your calling.

Encourage the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life through your conscious appreciation of His indwelling and abiding presence. Perhaps you’re out on evangelism, witnessing to others about Christ; know that you’re not alone. As you minister and share the Word, He’s there, confirming the Word in the hearts of those to whom you’re ministering; He’s ministering together with you.

Any time you feel you’re alone or feel as though you’re not making impact the way you ought to, remember and recognize that the Holy Spirit is in, and with you. Acknowledge His presence and work in you, as Jesus did. Jesus said, “…the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (John 14:10). He recognized the Holy Spirit as the Father that dwelt in Him, working in, and through Him.

Recognize that your Father (the Holy Spirit) lives in you; He’s much more than an influence, a prophecy or an inspiration; He’s your Father, your guide and your keeper. Trust Him with your life and you’ll always be a success. He’s the true Helper: the One you can rely on, and trust, to bring you out of any difficult situation.

If you’re experiencing some challenges right now, perhaps with your finances, health, academics, marriage, business, or career, don’t fret; you’re not alone. Don’t go seeking help from men; set your attention and affection on the Holy Spirit; He never fails. Read again, His reassuring and comforting words in the scriptures as elucidated in Hebrews 13:5.

Further Study:
John 14:26;
Matthew 28:19-20

IT’S OF THE SPIRIT NOT THE MIND

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” This is because Christianity is beyond the senses! The lack of understanding of this truth accounts for the frustrations many experience in their faith-walk. God contacts your spirit, not your mind. Faith emanates from your spirit and not your mind; it’s the response of the human spirit to the Word of God. It has nothing to do with the senses.

Our senses weren’t designed to perceive God; we walk with Him from our spirit; we serve Him with our spirit, and understand spiritual realities through the Spirit. Our minds weren’t fashioned for that; only our spirit can relate with God. And then, based on that relationship, we condition our minds from our spirit to go in the same direction, and control our senses to serve our purpose.

That means, the character that we express outwardly will always be dependent on the condition of our spirit—who we are inside. That’s why we need the Spirit of God to guide us from within. He alone can get deep into the human nature to effect the changes that God wants in us— changes in terms of growth and development—from one level of glory to another. He alone can guide our minds to think toward God, think like God, and to think from God.

Further Study:

Romans 12:2;
Ephesians 4:23-24

THE HOLY SPIRIT: THE VERY ESSENCE OF CHRIST

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: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:16-17).

In our lives as Christians, the most important thing for us is our fellowship with the Holy Spirit. If you saw Jesus right now, I’m sure you’d embrace Him, bow to Him or fall at His feet in worship; I mean you’d express your love for Him in the best way possible.

Well, you might as well do the same for the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is just like Jesus and He’s in you, and with you, every day. We don’t have anything less than what the disciples had when they were with Jesus in Bible days.

Not only do we have the presence of God with us, we have Him in us, in the Holy Spirit. Until and unless that becomes a present-hour consciousness in you, your Christianity would be no more than a religion.

Recognize the Holy Spirit, not only as a real Person, but also as the very essence of the Christ. Without the Holy Spirit, there’d have been no Christ; Jesus wouldn’t be all that He was; everything you love about Jesus wouldn’t be there. The revelation of God; the expression of His nature, love, character and grace that you find in Jesus is all revealed to you through the Holy Spirit. Everything you love or admire in Jesus is in the Holy Spirit.

Today, the Lord Jesus is in heaven, but the Holy Spirit is with us on earth. The beautiful thing about it is we can have Him (the Holy Spirit) with us anywhere, everywhere, all the time. The disciples didn’t have this privilege before the death of Jesus; they couldn’t “take Jesus home” in them. But when the Holy Spirit came, He took the place of the ascended Christ.

Now, we don’t miss Jesus, because the Holy Spirit makes the presence of Jesus real to us. He’s the reason you can believe the Word of God. It’s so important that you recognize the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life. Knowing Him and walking with Him is the key to the successful and supernatural life in Christ.

Further Study:

John 16:13;
1 Corinthians 12:3;
Acts 10:38

YOU’RE EXTRAORDINARY

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:26).

Have you ever imagined the fact that the creator of the universe resides in you, in His totality? The Holy Spirit beautified the heavens. The Bible says, “By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens…” (Job 26:13). This awesome Third Person of the Godhead made everything in the universe; yet, He chose to live in you. Think about it.

1 Corinthians 3:16 states clearly that you’re the temple of God, and that the Holy Spirit lives in you. Have you ever considered why? It’s because you’re important to the Father. God made it so, for the Holy Spirit to live in you, because you’re important to Him and He wants you to be just like Him. He gave you His Spirit — the same Spirit He has — to live in you and make you fulfilled in life and full of joy, such that anything you get involved with will be full of glory; so you can be a success in anything and everything.

As a child of God, you’re the unveiling of the person of the Holy Spirit. He expresses Himself through you. He talks to you, and also talks through you. He leads and guides you; yet, He moves you; He propels you in the way that you should go: the way of righteousness. He’s such a unique and awesome personality. If you’re born again, be glad about the Holy Spirit; He’s the beauty of Christianity. He’s the glory of your life. Acknowledge this about Him always, and live with that consciousness.

Step out with confidence, every day, and reach out to your world with the Gospel of Christ, knowing that the One that’s been called to go along with you is the greatest of all. He’s made you invincible and extraordinary, a super being indeed!

Further Study:
John 14:16-17;
John 15:4-5

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND FIRE

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire (Matthew 3:11).

Many Christians have asked, “Having been baptized in the Holy Ghost, when does one get baptized with fire?” You have to understand the language of the Scriptures and the style of writing of the writers of the Gospels and of the Epistles. Matthew as John or Paul, often used two images to express a character of the one presented.

This is exactly what Matthew did in our opening verse when he said, “The Holy Ghost and fire”; he was referring to the same thing. He wasn’t saying you’ll first be baptized with the Holy Spirit, and then with fire; no! When you’re baptized with the Holy Spirit, you’re baptized with fire, because the Holy Spirit is the fire of God. One of the ways He manifests Himself is by fire.

On mount Carmel, when Elijah prayed and called upon God, He sent down fire that consumed the water in the trench dug around the altar, and burnt the sacrifice and wood on the altar (1 Kings 18:24-38).

When God revealed Himself to Moses, He used a burning bush to get his attention. You might say, “Well, that was in the Old Testament; how about today?” In the New Testament, when the Holy Spirit came on the disciples in Acts 2:1-4, the Bible says, “…Cloven tongues like as of fire appeared unto them and sat upon each of them.” When this happened, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

Having been born again, and having received the Holy Spirit, He’s in you with all of His “fire-power.” You don’t have to see Him with your physical eyes, but He goes with you and in you everywhere. Halleluiah! When you go out to preach the Gospel and bear witness to His resurrection power, be conscious that you’re not alone. As you speak under His authority, the words from your mouth will be as fire, and people’s hearts will burn within them as they listen, and they’ll be turned to the Lord.

Further Study:
Acts 2:3-4;
Luke 24:32

THE HOLY SPIRIT- OUR INDISPENSABLE HELPER

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever (John 14:16).

The Holy Spirit is an extraordinary gift to us God’s children (Acts 2:38). He, in the parlance of computer science, is like the “downloader.” It takes the Holy Spirit to “download” heavenly files, and bring heavenly materiality into the human system.

He alone, for example, can help you accept the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, His sacrificial death, triumphant resurrection, and His glorious ascension into heaven. Only the Holy Spirit can convince you that the blood of Jesus Christ was adequate for the salvation of humanity. So when you find that you can understand and accept these spiritual realities, it means the Holy Spirit has unveiled them to you; He’s working in your life.

When Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say I am?” only Peter spoke rightly, and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). The Master’s response to Peter was, “…Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). Peter wasn’t guessing; he certainly didn’t know this in his head; the knowledge of who Jesus is was imparted to him by the Holy Spirit.

There’re no human parameters that can help you spiritual realities. Even in preaching and ministering salvation to others, you must understand that the Gospel that we’ve been given and charged to take to the nations of the world, is a Gospel that can’t be humanly explained and accepted.

Consequently, we need the Holy Spirit to minister through us, and to help bring the understanding of the message to those to whom we minister. His help is inevitable in everything we do. Never find yourself doing anything or building anything by your own natural strength or human wisdom; it’ll fail. Psalm 127:1 says, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it….”

Perhaps you’re a minister of the Gospel, don’t try to build the Church by your own strength; don’t rely on your natural abilities, for that alone won’t work. Depend on the Holy Spirit. Take advantage of His glorious ministry in your life. He’s in you to help you live the triumphant Christian life and be successful in all that you do, to the glory of the Father. He’s your indispensable Helper!

Further Study:

Acts 1:8;
1 Corinthians 2:10-11;
John 14:16 AMP