By Brittany Ulman, Founder, The Jesus Connection
So far, we’ve looked at two persons of the Trinity: God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ. By no means have we covered everything about either (that’d be impossible), but hopefully you have a better understanding of both.
If you desire to know more about the Father or Jesus (which I pray you do), feel free to search the Scriptures (the Bible) for yourself. Once you do, you will be thankful you did. Nothing compares to learning about our great God through His very Word. As you do so, hopefully you will also learn about the third person of the Trinity, our focus this month: the Holy Spirit.
An often overlooked and misunderstood person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is just as much God as the Father and the Son. Just as they, He is living, active and eternal (Hebrews 9:14). He is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent (Luke 1:35-37, 1 Cor. 2:10-11). We may not be able to see Him on this side of Heaven, but there is nowhere we can go where He is not already there (Psalm 139:7-10).
Like the Father and Jesus, the Holy Spirit was present and part of Creation. Turn to Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The Hebrew word used for God in this verse, “Elohim,” is plural while the verb “created” is singular. This signifies more than one person existing as one being and that all were involved in creating the universe.
Now some of you may be thinking, “Okay, but this verse doesn’t name the Holy Spirit, how do we know He was there?” I understand your perspective, which is why I would like to draw your attention to verse 2: “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
In these two verses, the idea of the Trinity (three persons existing as one being) is introduced and then expanded. We’re introduced to God, “Elohim,” in the first verse and then told in the second that the very Spirit of God was present and initiated the creation of all things, and His Spirit hovered over it all. What an amazing thing to consider!
Contrary to what some may have you believe about God, He is not One who created the universe and then left it to its own devices. He is literally the One who brought everything which is seen into existence, and He is the One who oversees all things (John 1:1-3, Col. 1:16). And if this is true of God the Father, it is equally true of God the Spirit for both are equally God (John 15:26, 1 Cor. 2:10-11).
What is even more amazing though is the fact that this same Spirit dwells in the hearts of all who believe in Him (Romans 8:9-11). If you have wholeheartedly repented of your sins, asked God for forgiveness and live in a way which reflects the image of God, the Holy Spirit is in you, and He will continue to be with you for all eternity (John 3:3-8, 14:15-17; Acts 2:38).
This may seem intimidating and perhaps a bit unnerving, especially for those of you who are exploring or new to Jesus, but once you learn more about Him, the Father and the Holy Spirit, you will quickly see it is an awesome gift!
I mean, think about it. The Holy Spirit’s presence within you cannot be bought or earned. He is the gift of God (John 14:15-17, Titus 3:5). Jesus paid the price, what you need to do—what we all need to do—is recognize your sin, turn from it and seek God wholeheartedly. What happens after is a life lived joyfully and abundantly, not because everything will be perfect or easy, but solely because you have the Spirit of the Almighty God living within you (Luke 11:13, Romans 8:26, 2 Cor. 3:17).
When trials come your way, He will be there to remind you of God’s goodness and give you the strength you need to persevere (John 14:26). When you feel unsettled and as if you have nowhere to turn, He will provide His peace and show you your next step (Psalm 143:10). When you’re searching for answers, He will give you the wisdom you need and the faith to trust that anything He leaves unanswered is best (Romans 15:13).
When you are praying and don’t know what to say, He will speak for you and take your words directly to the Father (Romans 8:26-27). He will know and understand everything about you and will still love you. He will never leave you nor forsake you, and He will never stop making you into the person He created you to be—a person made in His image (2 Cor. 3:18, 2 Timothy 1:7).
You may not always understand His ways and sometimes you may resist Him, but your stubbornness will not prevail. God loves you too much for that (2 Peter 3:9). Not to mention, if you truly have the Spirit within you, anything you do contrary to Him will leave you feeling disjointed and unsettled.
Whatever you do may feel good in the moment (that’s why you do it), but time will reveal how the Holy Spirit has changed you. It doesn’t matter how long He’s been with you, His presence will begin to change you the moment He enters your heart (Ezekiel 36:26-27, Romans 8:9).
You may not sense a drastic change right away, but eventually you and those around you will notice (Galatians 5:16). There might be a habit you had before (such as excessive drinking, gambling, stealing, cheating on a spouse, swearing) that if you pick it up again after accepting the Spirit into your heart, will make you miserable (Romans 8:7).
Again, this may sound discouraging if you haven’t given your life to God, but that’s exactly how the enemy, Satan, wants you to feel. He wants you to hold on to these habits and the lies that come with them; lies such as this thing will cause the pain to go away, or this person will make you feel whole, or this goal will bring you happiness once achieved (Matt. 6:19, 1 Tim. 6:9, 1 John 2:15-17).
Satan wants you to think a life lived for God would be miserable and full of unreasonable rules (Gen. 3:1-5). Yes, Satan lives to convince you there are other ways to find joy, but guess what? Satan is a liar. No, he is the father of lies (John 8:44).
He doesn’t care whether you’re happy, he just wants you to worship him rather than God (Matt. 4:8-11, 2 Thess. 2:4). Satan doesn’t want you to have an abundant life, he wants your life to be empty and meaningless. He’s not watching over you to protect you but to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10, 1 Peter 5:8).
When you choose that habit, person or thing over God, Satan wins. His prize? Your soul living forever with him in Hell and eventually thrown into the Lake of Fire for eternity (Matt. 25:41, Rev. 20:11-15). Horrific? Yes. Unfair? We’d like to think so, but no, it’s what we all deserve (Romans 2:23, 6:23).
You see, God gives us a choice: Him or Satan (John 3:36).
God doesn’t force Himself on anyone, Satan does (Rev. 3:20). God wants your whole heart, Satan wants ultimate power—something he will never get. Only God has the ultimate power, only He is the All-Powerful God Almighty (Job 42:2, Ps. 147:5, Isaiah 40:28). And it is because of His power that you too can have power. Not the same power as God—not even close—but power in the sense that you can choose whether you give yourself to God or to Satan (Matt. 7:13-14).
Yes, Satan will tempt you, persecute you and do whatever he can to make your life miserable, but all of that pales in comparison to the glory which awaits you in Heaven. The Apostle Paul says so in Philippians 3:8, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (ESV). If you choose God over Satan. If you see your need for a Savior, repent of your sins and commit to live for God, then, all the blessings in this world will be like rubbish compared to the blessings that await you in Heaven. In fact, the word Paul uses in this verse is stronger than rubbish, it actually means excrement or feces.
Imagine that! Think of all the good things that have happened to you. When your life belongs to God, all of those blessings are insignificant, unsightly dung when compared to the abundant promises awaiting you in Heaven.
That, my friend, is good news!
Why would we choose anything differently? When put in perspective, does it still seem discouraging, unnerving or intimidating to choose God? To allow the Holy Spirit to live within you?
There’s a reason the Holy Spirit is referred to as a gift and the Helper (John 14:26). He is the powerful breath of God filling your lungs (Job 33:4, Romans 8:11). He is the unfading proof of God’s love for you (Romans 8:15-16). He is a constant reminder God is always there (Heb. 9:14). He is the key to the room Jesus is preparing for you in Heaven (2 Cor. 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14, 4:30).
He is your Friend, your Advocate and your Comforter. He is God.
Will you choose Him or the father of lies and death? I pray it is the former. Please choose life. You’ll never regret it if you do, but you’ll forever regret it if you do not. Not only forever here on earth, but forever in the eternal life thereafter. Eternity with God in Heaven is an immeasurable gift, eternity with Satan in Hell unending torture. Where will you be?
English Standard Version Bible. (2001). Crossway Bibles.