The Holy Spirit: Power and Truth for Everyday Living

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, Who, among many things revealed in the Scriptures, is the promise of the Father given to Jesus on behalf of humanity. As a result of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God promised that He would send His Spirit to those who believe in Jesus Christ so that they would not be alone to live in this world. Jesus informs his disciples that he will not leave them comfortless but will send another comforter who will be present with them and within them to lead them according to the principles Christ taught and empower them to live holy lives. In a shabby room filled with 120 souls waiting and praying came the fulfillment of that promise. The Scriptures state that when the Day of Pentecost fully came, the Holy Spirit made His arrival into the patient, persevering hearts of believers who would later become effective witnesses for Jesus to the degree that they “turned the world upside down.” 

However, I appreciate that this precious Spirit of Promise isn’t only for the disciples, believers, and followers of Christ in the days of the early Church but for the people of God now. The Spirit of God didn’t use up His usefulness as Christianity began to spread worldwide to parts of Asia, Europe, and Africa. Moreover, many miracles by the Spirit throughout the early Church were performed, yet His power is just as fresh and available today as it was then. Neither has the Spirit of Truth lost His inspiration to lead and guide believers into all truth, but He is a present resource and guide now for Christians who learn to be led by Him.

What I am saying is that the Holy Spirit is for today. He is to abide with the saints for everyday living because, as the Spirit of God, He leads us into the fullness of what we can enjoy as believers. This is why the Apostle Peter would proclaim the promise didn’t stop at Pentecost but that “the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”(Acts 2:39) Peter was aware that the ministry of the Holy Spirit would be just as a necessity in the following generations as He was in his generation presently. I endeavor to demonstrate the utility of the Holy Spirit of power and truth for our daily lives, hoping that we draw closer to Him in sweet surrender. 

Don’t Leave HIM at Church!

Let us begin by admitting that the Holy Spirit is more than the Pentecostal experience some have the privilege of experiencing on a Sunday morning. It is lovely when a congregation can praise the Lord in a rapturous atmosphere at their local church. What’s regrettable is that many believers are convinced that that’s enough, and their encounter with the presence of the Holy Spirit stays at church. However, our experience with the Holy Spirit should go with us because the presence of the Spirit is more than the doodads and delight felt in the moment; it is to be an inward and indwelling presence that ensures our connection to God beyond our church attendance. As saints of God, we have the privilege of experiencing not only the Holy Spirit’s presence on us but also in us in our daily walk; therefore, we shouldn’t limit the presence of God to a church service but appreciate its reality every day. 

God always intended that the Holy Spirit be a constant presence in the lives of believers. Just as Jesus was a constant presence to his disciples, in like manner, the Holy Spirit is to be to believers today. As Jesus drew closer to the time of His crucifixion, He would often announce His physical departure from the disciples. He would follow up by informing them of the presence of a Comforter, just like Him, that will be in their lives.

He says in John 14:16-17, “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.” Jesus wanted the disciples to know definitively that they would not be alone as they were left to continue establishing the Kingdom of God in the hearts of men. For believers today, we can know that we are not alone as we live to be witnesses of Christ and fishers of men in difficult times. His nearness to us allows Him to comfort and assist us in our times of trial, alleviate our anxieties, and give us peace in situations of turmoil. This is the advantage of having the Holy Spirit; He helps us deal with life. 

More than a Companion

However, more than companionship, the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit assures our relationship to God. The Apostle Paul says in Galatians 4:6-7 “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son.” Being baptized and united with the Holy Spirit places me in the family of God. The Spirit of God, as promised by the Father, becomes the proof of my sonship! As children who bear the DNA of their father, being born again of the Spirit, we also share the divine nature of our heavenly Father. This is why the Apostle Paul calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of adoption who grants us the privilege of calling God our Father, as stated in Romans 8:16: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” This is why having the Spirit of God is necessary; we are transformed into the children of God to live out the character of God.

Furthermore, knowing that I’m a child of God by the Spirit emboldens my prayer life because, through prayer, I enjoy communion with God as a father does with his son. This is a benefit that the patriarchs of the Old Testament didn’t experience. Abraham could be called the “Friend of God,” but only through the Holy Spirit, we have the pleasure of being the sons and daughters of God! 

He Leads Us Into Truth

Moving from being grateful for our identity by the Spirit, we also appreciate how He operates in our lives by leading us according to the principles instructed by Jesus Christ. The Spirit’s activity in our lives keeps us in the truth of Christ’s teachings and prevents us from falling into deception and delusion presented by Satan. Jesus said in John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.” As believers, we must understand that the teachings of Jesus weren’t simply good ideas, or an alternative frames of thought, or an opinion, but rather “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” As a part of our Commission as the Church, His teachings are to be used to instruct others on how to live pleasing to God.

At the time of Jesus, religious leaders had many ideas about what it took to please God; however, when Jesus came, He came teaching the principles of the Kingdom, which were the truth and not some newfangled philosophy. The truth, taught by Jesus, is the leading principle of our lives that keeps us on a path to pleasing God. Therefore, part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, as stated by Jesus, is “he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26. As a teacher, He helps us understand God’s commands and expectations and shows us how to live accordingly.

Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we learn what pleases God, and He renews our minds to conform to God’s will for our lives. As we learn to be led by the Spirit, it safeguards us or protects us from being led astray by the deception of Satan, who seeks to lead us back into sin and degradation. Because the Spirit of God is the Spirit of truth, He knows what’s of God and what isn’t, and even if we’re unaware, He can lead us according to the will of God. Through His discerning presence, we can avoid the pitfalls and erroneous teachings that pervade our world today and be used to lead others to the truth.

The Power of the Spirit

Some may ask, after becoming aware of the teachings and commands of Christ, how can we live accordingly? Many struggle in their Christian life trying to live holy because every day, they wrestle with another “law in their members,” commonly called the flesh. Without reliance upon the Holy Spirit, we leave ourselves open to the control of our flesh. The flesh is that old Adamic nature, the nature within us that seeks to please itself and feed its appetite. It is fulfilling the lusts of the flesh that lead to sin and bondage and places humanity in need of deliverance. However, after we’ve been delivered and born again, the Lord calls us to live a new life in the Spirit and not go back to living a life dictated by our flesh.

The Apostle Paul says, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16 We are called to walk in the Spirit because being led by the Spirit keeps us living holy, thus following the instructions of Jesus Christ. Again, this is why the power of the Holy Spirit has to be more than a “praise break”; it must be something that breaks the power of bondage to sin in our lives. Real power is available to us through the Person of the Holy Spirit. Through this power, we can follow the commands taught by Jesus and deny our flesh to live in obedience to the will of God.

I’m grateful that Jesus didn’t hoard this power for Himself, but He shares it with his disciples in the Scriptures. He tells them in Luke 10:19, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” As recipients of the Holy Spirit, we can resist the devil and live a life of victory, overcoming all his schemes and wiles. Furthermore, through our example of living holy and proclaiming the gospel, we can be apt witnesses of Jesus Christ and lead others into an experience of fullness through the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 says, “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.”

Receive the Fullness!

The Spirit of God is vital to us experiencing and receiving the fullness of what God has provided in Jesus Christ. He is the earnest or down payment of our heavenly inheritance that we can delight in on earth. The Holy Spirit is not an option that “take it or leave it.” He is critical to our lives as Christians and crucial to obeying our Commission as witnesses. Without Him, we wouldn’t be aware of identity, we wouldn’t be able to follow the instructions of Jesus to safeguard us from falsehood, and we wouldn’t be empowered to live a holy life pleasing unto God. I pray that, as believers, we will draw closer to the Holy Spirit in humility and allow Him to lead our lives.  As promised, through the Spirit’s activity in your life, you can enjoy a life of power and truth that extends beyond the four walls of the Church.