Opening the Gift of the Holy Spirit - Beyond Pentecost

Isn’t it exciting to receive a wrapped gift? We get filled with excited anticipation about what might be inside. We open the package and hopefully it is something that we really needed or would like to have.
God has given us a wrapped gift too. The Holy Spirit. We received it with excitement. We marveled at the newness, the guidance or the empowerment we felt.

But have we looked inside the box lately? Have we looked at the pamphlet describing all its features and benefits that the Holy Spirit possesses lately? How often do we, like children do, use the new gift frequently at the beginning, but then its newness wears off and it gets set aside and often forgotten? Let us review all that the Holy Spirit offers and how we can experience this powerful gift daily.

The Spirit continually supports us and intercedes for us.

Before Jesus was arrested and crucified, He told His disciples that he would not leave them as orphans, but would give them a helper as we see in John 14:16,

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth.”

The Spirit guarantees our inheritance as we read in Ephesians 1:13-14,

“When you believed, you were marked in (Jesus Christ) with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession.” The Holy Spirit is like being given the title to a brand new car that we can’t have yet. By holding this title, we have the full guarantee of our future possession. No one else can claim it or take it from us.

Apostle John tells us in I John 4:4 that the Spirit in us is greater than the one who is in the world and thus, we are overcomers! With the Holy Spirit we are guaranteed to be victorious! No matter what happens to us in this physical life, the Holy Spirit will win and guide us to the finish line.

Isaiah 11:2 tells us that we have “the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD”. We also read in John 14:26 that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and remind us of everything Jesus has taught. Wow, these are powerful features of the Holy Spirit. We have a built-in life coach and teacher guiding us throughout our journey.

Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:17 that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God. The Spirit has given us a weapon to use as a part of the armor of God. When we are in a spiritual battle, the Spirit uses the scriptures to speak truth to us and to use in order to bring down strongholds and slash darkness.

Do you ever have difficulty finding the right words to express in prayer? The Holy Spirit has us covered as we see in Romans 8:26, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

Not only does the Holy Spirit help us when we don’t know what to pray for, but the Spirit also guides us with the right words to say to others. Mark tells us in 13:11, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever wondered what God is thinking? With the Holy Spirit, we do!! Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:10‭-‬12 that the Spirit reveals the thoughts of God to us so we may understand what He has freely given us.

Now that we have briefly reviewed the marvelous features and benefits of the Holy Spirit, how do we ensure we are living daily in the fullness of the Spirit?

First, we must not grieve the Holy Spirit as Apostle Paul teaches in Ephesians 4:30‭-‬32,

“do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Secondly, we must set our minds on things above so we can be in step with the Spirit. We can do this through reading scripture and praying.

We can pray like David in Psalms 143:10, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”

And Paul tells us in Romans 8:5, “those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

What does the Spirit desire? The Holy Spirit desires that we set our hearts and minds on things above, where Christ is, and not on earthly things as we find in Colossians 3.

Lastly, when we are living in the fullness of the Spirit, it will be evidenced in the fruit we produce through our daily actions and words. When reading the “fruits of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22‭-‬23‭, we can ask ourselves if those fruits are being produced. Are we exuding love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? If we are deficient in an area, then it is a signal that we need to connect more deeply with the Holy Spirit.

We are, by no means, going to be perfect in this physical life, but we must always strive and fight the good fight of faith. With the Holy Spirit, we can do this and we can overcome and we can be victorious. But we have to use this precious Gift given to us and not set it aside and not forget it.

The Holy Spirit is the PERFECT GIFT: it will never wear out, it will never go out of style and it will never become outdated. So each morning, let us rush to open this gift, marvel at it and treasure it always.