January 12 - Who Is The Holy Spirit?
Jesus - “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. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)
Devotional Thought: This week we’re continuing our 21 Days Of Prayer and Fasting emphasis. We’re learning how to let the Holy Spirit guide us so we can make right choices and live vibrant, victorious lives.
So who is the Holy Spirit? The Bible tells us the Holy Spirit is a part of the Triune God. When we describe God as a “Triune God,” we mean that He is one God who manifests Himself in three different persons - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Most people throughout history have worshiped many “gods” in their lives. The Greeks and the Romans had many gods that they worshiped and paid homage to. But long before the times of the Greeks and the Romans, people worshipped many different types of gods. They worshiped the Sun god, the Harvest god, the Rain god, the Forest gods, and the gods of Sex, Possessions and Pleasure. And people are still worshiping some of those gods today. But what set the Israelites apart from the rest of the people in their day is that they worshiped only one God, Jehovah God. And Christians have maintained that same fidelity to the One True God, Jehovah God. But, while Christians worship one God - we can worship Him as Father, Son or Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is GOD, and that fact is evidenced by the attributes given to Him in the Scriptures. We’re told in the Bible that the Holy Spirit is: 1) Eternal (Hebrews 9:14), 2) All-powerful (Luke 1:35), 3) Everywhere at all times (Psalm 139:7), 4) All-knowing (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), 5) Called God (Acts 5:3-4, 2 Corinthians 3:18), 6) and The Creator (Genesis 1:2). Who is the Holy Spirit? He is God – He is an equal part of the Triune God.
Also, the Holy Spirit perpetuates the ministry of Jesus. Jesus said, “the Father will give you another Advocate.” That tells us that the Holy Spirit came to do everything that Jesus did when He lived and ministered on Planet Earth. Jesus had an incredible ministry here on Planet Earth. He taught God’s Word. healed the sick, set people free from demonic strongholds, gave sight to the blind and raised people from the dead. But while the ministry of Jesus was limited by what could be done in and through one being, the ministry of the Holy Spirit (which is the ministry of Jesus) is only limited by what can be done through all of the people of God who now comprise the Body of Christ.
Thirdly, the Holy Spirit is a transformer of Christians. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would be a: 1) Helper to Christians (John 14:16), 2) Teacher of Christians (John 14:26), 3) Revealer of truth (John 15:26), 4) Convincer of sin (John 16:8-11), 5) Explainer of the future (John 16:13-14), 6) Giver of direction (John 16:13) and 7) “Empowerer” of Christians (Luke 24:49). Lots of people have learned a lot from the Holy Spirit and been helped by His presence and power. This week we’re going to learn how the Holy Spirit can bring guidance and help to our lives.
Prayer Focus: Lord, help me learn this week the truths I need to learn about the Holy Spirit, and help me to surrender to Him so that He can guide me to make the best decisions which will then lead me to experience Your intended destiny for my life.
Follow-Up Activity: Read the Scriptures mentioned above about who the Holy Spirit is and what the Holy Spirit does so that you can become very familiar with Him.
