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Writer's pictureJana Cain

Holy Spirit, Are You Welcome Here?


I read recently where Scott Hubbard wrote, “Of all the blessings that are ours in Christ, is any greater than the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit?”

What a super powerful question.  


After reading that, I can confidently say I have not given the Spirit enough credit or enough recognition in my reflection of who He is and what He’s doing.


Why?


The honest answer is that the Holy Spirit is the member of the Trinity I know the least about.  And, that feels like an absurd thing to say since He has taken up residence in my heart.


So, who is the Spirit? What is His role? And how do you recognize the Spirit in yourself and in others?


The Holy Spirit is the very spirit of God living inside the hearts of those who belong to God.

The Holy Spirit is the very spirit of God living inside the hearts of those who belong to God. The Spirit comes to us from Christ (Acts 2:33), makes us like Christ (Romans 8:29), and glorifies Christ. He reveals Himself in many ways, the most recognizable is likely through miraculous giftings: visions, healings, prophesies and tongues. However, in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he charges them to “walk by the spirit” (Galatians 5:16) and shifts their focus from the miraculous gifts the Spirit has to offer to the fruits of the Spirit.

So, if we want to know whether we are walking by the Spirit, we would do well to consider how evident love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are through what is received in our hearts and flowing out of our mouths.  And what we say and who we are when we are around others, whether they are fellow believers or not, reveals how far along we are in bearing the Spirit’s fruit.


Do you know what I love most about the people who surround me and my family? It came to me one day when someone asked me why I loved my husband and what it was that I loved most about him. When I look at him, I see Jesus. I see one of the greatest people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing and doing life with.  And, that’s true of so many friends and family members that we live life alongside. My spirit recognizes their spirit. I see the Holy Spirit working in them, and, not often, through means of miraculous works, but by means of the fruits the Spirit has graciously gifted to them.


So much of the Holy Spirit remains a mystery to me. What I am certain of is that those led by the Spirit are consistently learning to hear God’s promises louder than their fleshly desires. “The Spirit plants heaven in our hearts. And just as no one can sit beneath a waterfall and stay dry, so no one can gaze on Jesus and stay fruitless.”


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