The Holy Spirit

Scripture: "Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." ... (One day) the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?"" (Acts 19:13, 15)

We each have within us a compass, a weapon, the power to heal and the ability to gain great spiritual wisdom. Do you know Who I am referring to? Believe me, it isn't any one of us, but the Holy Spirit promised to anyone who accepts Christ as Savior. "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 3:11)

The Holy Spirit is a powerful source that took residence in us the moment we accepted Christ into our hearts. It is only through Him, that third prong of the Holy Trinity, that we can know right from wrong, cast out evil spirits,the sick can be healed, or we can touch others through His prompting, if we are attentive enough to listen to Him.

As a child of God, the Holy Spirit guides us into a deeper relationship with the One who created us, knows the number of hairs on our head, knows us better than any family member or best friend ever could, who loves us deeper than any human possibly can.

As with any relationship, the closer you draw to Him, the more about Himself He will reveal to you. As you become more familiar with His voice, you learn the rewards of obeying that voice as it becomes more familiar to you. You also learn what pleases and displeases the Lord, not only through reading the Bible, but also through an inner "nudging" that was previously missing in your life. Often you will begin to feel spiritual "nudges" to stop listening to what you are listening to, or in inaudible, inner "feeling" that tells you to pray for someone in particular. Sometimes you begin to pray for a child you pass in the store, often you aren't told why, but you just do it. These are examples of the prompting of the Holy Spirit. We do not control the Holy Spirit. We are mere vessels by which He chooses to reside. But God gets His work done through us if we are faithful to listen and act when His instructions come through the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 19, it is very clear that non believers cannot simply call on God to do anything, just because they use His holy name. We do not command God to do anything. Rather, we ask and believe He will answer in His good time. Our requests come out of faith and relationship. As believers, we do not use the Holy Spirit as a rabbits' foot; something not held in high esteem and only called upon to fulfill worldly desires. His name is holy, and He is to be revered and held in a place of awe in our hearts.

It is always disheartening to me to hear people, non believers as well as the occasional believer, exclaim in exasperation, "Jesus!!" in the same way we all say, "Rats!" "Darn it!" or "Shoot!" I find it interesting that you never hear people shout out, "Buddha!", "Mohammad!" or "Dalai Lama!". Why is that?

Always remember, even if a non believer tries to invoke the name of Jesus Christ for their own purposes, evil spirits know and recognize who Christ is. You never want to take the name of the Lord lightly. Nor do you want to attempt to drive out evil spirits without truly knowing Christ.

Prayer: Lord, we humbly ask you to continue to help each one of us grow in relationship with You, and give us wisdom to make right choices in our lives. Teach us to listen intently for your voice, and then to ACT upon whatever prompting you give us. Help us to fulfill YOUR will in our lives each and every day. Amen

Prayer request: Pray for all those who desire to know God more, that the Holy Spirit will continue to drive them into a closer relationship with him, and that He will faithfully increase their faith and wisdom of Who He is.