6 Ways the Holy Spirit is Active in Our Lives

We have two wonderful teenagers.

They aren’t perfect, but they are still pretty great in our eyes.

Last week, they were both away in Tennessee at Milligan College to attend the CIY Move youth conference with the high school youth group from our church.  I know it was a life changing experience for both of our kids, and I’m excited to hear more stories about their adventures during this week.

In the middle of this past week, I received a phone call at 8:15PM from our son.  I could sense from his voice he was tired and a little emotional.  I asked him how he was doing, and he quickly responded by apologizing for not always talking nicely to Leanne and me.  Initially, I was taken back.  After all, Isaac is a pretty good kid.  He can be moody sometimes, and he could be more prompt in obeying his parents, but he’s generally a good kid.

I told him I appreciated his apology.  I told him he was a good kid.  And I reminded him a few times how much he his loved by us.

We exchanged a few more words before he informed me he needed to get back into the evening program.

This conversation has haunted me (in a good way) ever since.

Isaac was speaking to me out of a spirit of conviction.  It was obvious the Holy Spirit had spoken to him.  His confession was prompted by the Holy Spirit in his life.  I am so thankful he his open to God’s voice.

We don’t talk about the Holy Spirit very often, yet this is the gift we have been left by Jesus Christ when He left the earth.  The Holy Spirit is quite active in our lives, and I think it’s important to see how the Holy Spirit takes action today.

6 Ways the Holy Spirit is Active in Our Lives

1. The Holy Spirit reminds us of God’s Word.  There are many times in my life when I have gone through challenges.  I am amazed when God’s Word comes to me during these times.  This isn’t by accident.  This is the Holy Spirit in my life.  Jesus tells us in John:  “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.“  John 14:2  I love the word advocate here.  We need an advocate for sure!
2. The Holy Spirit provides life.  Without the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are under the curse of the law.  Since we are all sinners, this means we are destined to punishment in hell.  But there is good news for those who make Christ the head of their lives.  Paul tells us in Romans:  “Those who belong to Christ Jesus are no longer under God’s sentence. I am now controlled by the law of the Holy Spirit. That law gives me life because of what Christ Jesus has done. It has set me free from the law of sin that brings death.”  Romans 8:1-2
3. The Holy Spirit gives us gifts.  This isn’t a general gift.  These are specific gifts just for you and just for me.  When we decide to follow Christ, we are promised gifts.  Paul shares about these gifts in his first letter to the Corinthians:  “There are different kinds of gifts. But they are all given by the same Spirit.  There are different ways to serve. But they all come from the same Lord.  There are different ways to work. But the same God makes it possible for all of us to have all those different things.  The Holy Spirit is given to each of us in a special way. That is for the good of all. To some people the Spirit gives the message of wisdom. To others the same Spirit gives the message of knowledge.  To others the same Spirit gives faith. To others that one Spirit gives gifts of healing.  To others he gives the power to do miracles. To others he gives the ability to prophesy. To others he gives the ability to tell the spirits apart. To others he gives the ability to speak in different kinds of languages they had not known before. And to still others he gives the ability to explain what was said in those languages.  All of the gifts are produced by one and the same Spirit.  He gives them to each person, just as he decides.”  I Corinthians 12:4-11  If you don’t know your gifts, talk to your pastor who can help you in discerning your gifts.  Then go find ways to use them.
4. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us.  We don’t always know how to pray or how to respond.  God knew our ability to articulate our thoughts, feelings, and response to life would be impossible without the help of someone in our lives.  This is part of the reason He gave us the Holy Spirit.  Paul reminds us in Romans:  “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.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”  Romans 8:26-27
5. The Holy Spirit comforts us.  This doesn’t mean we won’t endure trials and tribulations.  We will.  In fact, these things will still cause us great sorrow and pain.  But God promises to be close to those who are brokenhearted.  This should be a comfort for us.  “The Lord is close to the brokenheartedand saves those who are crushed in spirit.”  Psalm 34:18
6. The Holy Spirit convicts us and ultimately convicts the world.  I think this is what my son was dealing with last week.  We need the Holy Spirit in our lives to help us see the areas of our life that need attention.  Jesus explains in John:  “When he [The Holy Spirit] comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.”  John 16:8

Does any of this resonate with you?  How have you seen the Holy Spirit in you life?  What else would you add to the list above?

This Is Holy Ground

Yesterday, we visited with some college friends who we haven’t seen since college.  Like us, this couple met at Grove City College and married after graduation.  The wife of this couple comes from an Asian family.  When we entered our house, she asked us to remove our shoes.  It is Asian custom to remove your shoes when you enter the house.

This didn’t really phase us at first.  It felt very welcoming to know that we could remove our shoes and relax in their home.  But later I was thinking about it some more.  There is a fairly famous story from Exodus 3 in the Bible that talks about removing ones’ shoes.  The story is about Moses and the burning bush.  Here’s the beginning of the story:

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.  Exodus 3:1-6

I’m not completely sure about the reasons for this Asian custom, but I know that in our culture we often overlook God’s holiness.  God is holy.  In my mind, this means perfect and set apart.  Holiness means completely clean and pure.  I think there might be something powerful about realizing the holiness of God’s presence.

When Moses approached God’s presence, he could have no barrier between himself and God’s holiness.  He also needed to come with humility.  I’m not a Biblical scholar (and I don’t play one on TV), but it seems that Moses’ response was the only response that made sense when he realized that God was right there.  It would also make sense that we need to approach God with this same humility and transparency.

Wherever God is we are walking on holy ground.

After enjoying the afternoon with these friends, I had a sense that God was there in our conversation and in our time together.  These friends who we hadn’t seen in nearly 20 years were certainly instruments of God as they confirmed the importance of taking leaps of faith.  Again, I’m not sure about the Asian custom, but I’m convinced that we were stepping onto holy ground when we entered their house.  God was there!

Have you ever been on holy ground?  What was it like?  What was your response?