Spirit…

Spirit…

When Jesus conversed with the woman at the well (John 4), He declared to her: “God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in Truth.” (Verse 24) His statement is quite profound; and yet, it should be understandable. For God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27) As His image bearers … as humans with indwelling spirits … it should be quite natural to us to worship God our Creator … our Father … with the inner being He gave us. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)

Yet, it appears that too often we allow our spirits to be subjected to the weakness of the flesh that envelopes them. As Jesus reminded His disciples: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38) And so, I think it is apparent that we need a supernatural power to invigorate us … to energize and strengthen us for worship and service that will please our Heavenly Father.

Jesus affirmed: “Very truly I tell you, no one can center the Kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” (John 3:5) Indeed, the Apostle John testified: “The one who keeps His commands lives in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit He gave us.” (1 John 3:24) And Paul reminds us that the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)

The Good News is that His divine power IS available through baptism in the Holy Spirit. Yes, when you come to Jesus through the grace of faith, believe in Him, and place your entire trust in Him, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33) All the Gospels attest to this truth! Through Christ Jesus, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit!

Friends, I want to encourage you to look deeper into the role of the Holy Spirit in your journey of faith. There is a baptism in water … and there is a baptism in the Holy Spirit. His role is to guide you into all truth. His role is to indwell you so that you may remain in the Lord Jesus. His role is to endue you with power, love, and self-discipline. In Him, you will bear much fruit … Kingdom fruit … that will last and bring glory to God. (John 15:8)

Have a Blessed Day!

So, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ~ Galatians 16-18