Being Transformed By the Holy Spirit

In the Old Testament, God placed Adam, the first human being and Eve into His presence called the Garden of Eden, but in the New Covenant God places His presence, the Holy Spirit, within us born-again believers.

One important thing to understand is that the Holy Spirit is not an aura. He’s not an attitude, a mood, or an atmosphere. He is a person you can experience. And the beauty is that He is available to every believer just like the air we breathe.

The Ark of God

The Bible shows us in 1 Samuel chapter 5 that the ark was a dwelling place designed by God and built by Moses. Unfortunately, the Israelites began to treat the ark as a good luck charm rather than the holy object it was. This led to its capture by the Philistines, who made the grave mistake of placing it next to their god, Dagon. Scripture tells us that God will not share His glory with another (Isaiah 42:8).

So, on the first day, their god Dagon falls. On the second day, God broke him to pieces. All of his body parts were broken, and the Philistines got the point–the God of Israel is not to be messed with. The Bible mentions that they quickly took the ark out, but they kept it in their land, so plagues and tumors broke out, and then they finally got rid of the ark of God and sent it back.

Keys to Transformation

1. Whatever the Holy Spirit Breaks, You Are Empowered to Remove

When the Holy Spirit is present in your life, you are empowered to remove whatever is not of God. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). The ark broke Dagon but did not remove it. It is our responsibility as Christians to act upon the victories God grants us, and remove whatever God highlights in our lives.

2. The Holy Spirit Will Make No Difference in Someone Who is Indifferent to Him

When they tried to return the ark to the Israelites, the Philistines transported the ark improperly. They placed the ark on the back of cows, and when someone tried to keep it from falling, they got killed.

Then Abinadab, a Levite, takes the ark inside of his house.

Josephus, a Jewish historian, says that Abinadab was a Levite known for his righteousness and deemed the ark’s appropriate keeper (1 Samuel 7:1-2). But nothing happened in his home while the ark was with him for 20 years. Everyone had become indifferent to it. 

A lot of Christians have the Holy Spirit within but don’t have intimacy or reverence. As a result, indifference is developed.

3. The Holy Spirit Will Transform Those Who Take Him In

Later, we see that Obed-Edom welcomed the ark into his home and was blessed abundantly within just three months. Unfortunately, there was only one ark but today the Holy Spirit that lives inside of me can live inside of you. Every person can benefit from the Holy Spirit.

The Bible says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). If you begin to invite the Holy Spirit into your daily life and choose not to be indifferent to Him, you will see His blessing in your life.

God is ready to bless you, your family, and every aspect of your life. The key is to maintain an attitude of gratitude and honor toward the Holy Spirit, just as Obed-Edom did.

Read: Talk to the Holy Spirit