Thursday, February 7, 2013

The Holy Spirit Is Like…

The third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is inside every Christian.  He wants to fill you more and more with His Spirit as more and more of your flesh, sin, and desires of this world are repented of and given over to Him.  In other words, as He becomes Lord of all of your life, you will experience more filling of His Spirit in your life.  The power of the Holy Spirit at work in the life of a Christian brings comfort, boldness, and power to do His will and build His church.    

The Holy Spirit never talks about Himself but about Jesus.  He wants us to understand Jesus better and respond to Jesus in love and commitment.  The symbols of the Spirit help us understand what He’s like. As I was studying about the Holy Spirit in Scripture I noticed a few symbols used to represent the Holy Spirit.  In all, there are over 120 names, titles or emblems for the Holy Spirit in the Bible.  I want to highlight five.  In all five, the Holy Spirit manifests Himself so you and I may experience God and His glory will flood us and spill into the lives of others.

Rain.  Joel 2:23-29 tells us God wants to pour out His Spirit on us like rain.  Rain refreshes.  Rain restores.  Rain brings fruit for harvest.  Without rain, we are all barren, dry and fruitless.  Without the rain of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives we will waste away and dry up.  Lord, bring forth the rain of your Spirit in my life.  Psalm 72:6 says His Spirit showers the earth.  What refreshing!

Wind.  The Holy Spirit breathes life.  Acts 2 tells us the sound of a rushing wind, the Holy Spirit, came in and began to empower the people.  Wind is powerful.  The Spirit is referred to as the Breath of the Lord in Isaiah 40:7 and the Breath of Your (God’s) Nostrils in Psalm 18:15.  His Spirit breathes life into us and rushes in like a powerful yet calming wind. 

Fire.  The Holy Spirit is like a fire.  Acts 2:3 tells us the Holy Spirit came as fire and rested over the heads of men to work out something great in them and us today.  Fire burns off the dross and refines and makes us pure.  The Spirit also works as fire to strengthen or temper us.  Isaiah 4:4 says the Holy Spirit is a “spirit of judgment and burning” that washes away filth and purges.

Oil.  The Holy Spirit is like oil.  2 Corinthians 1:21-22 tells us God establishes us, anoints us, and seals us by the Holy Spirit.  Anointing with oil was a symbol of setting apart for God’s purposes.  The Holy Spirit sets us apart for His purposes. Psalm 45:7 and Hebrews 1:9 refer to God putting His Spirit on us as the “Oil of Gladness”.  The Holy Spirit in your life will give you “a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (Isaiah 61:3).

Water.  The Holy Spirit is like a river.  John 7:37-39 tells us how the Spirit is at work like a river of living water.  God wants to flow into your life and then the overflow of the Spirit in your life to flow into the lives of others. Isaiah 41:17-18 tells us of this refreshing water:  “When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongues fail for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.”

The Holy Spirit is referred to as a dove (Mark 1:10), a doorkeeper (John 10:3), a seal (Ephesians 1:13) and much, much more in Scripture.  How fulfilling and completing the Spirit is in our lives.  With Him in our lives we are never in need of anything!

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