The Difference The Holy Spirit Can Make
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It is one thing to study or read about the Holy Spirit, but it is another when He encounters you. It’s like the difference between studying the features of a lion in a book, vs a real lion staring you in the face. They are completely different things.
Many people spend time studying the Holy Spirit, but never develop a deeper relationship with Him because they don’t see Him as a person. They see Him as an aura, an atmosphere, or a mood. But He is a person that can be experienced, and every believer can develop a relationship with Him.
3 Truths About the Holy Spirit’s Work
Whatever The Holy Spirit Breaks, You Are Empowered To Remove
“When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.”
1 Samuel 5:1-4
In this story, it was clear that although the Philistines had placed the Ark of the presence of God within their quarters, they didn’t acknowledge its value. Regardless of its presence, they did not remove the other idols that remained in their possession. In the same way, when people get saved, although they invite the Holy Spirit into their hearts, they fail to surrender other “gods” still remaining in their hearts. “Gods” can symbolize anything that still remains unsurrendered and untouched by the Holy Spirit in our lives; often, it’ll be things like jealousy, witchcraft, or attitudes we are unwilling to change. The Bible says that the Ark broke Dagon, but it didn’t remove Dagon.
Many Christians don’t realize when they come to Christ, that God forgives them and breaks the power of sin over their lives, but that’s not the only thing He does. He also gives them the power to remove the presence of sin. That is, to change their habits, develop new relationships, and begin to fight back against every power that held them hostage.
God doesn’t just forgive your sins, He also gives you the power to remove sin from your life.
As humans, we have a desire to try and figure out God’s next steps for us, but God can’t be figured out; He should be trusted. Allow Him to lead you during your walk with Him. Trust God when He nudges you to get rid of something or to refrain from saying certain words.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
We see in another Biblical account, the difference in attitude and the willingness to surrender when encountered by the presence of God. Matthew 19 tells us of a man who had stolen money from others, and Jesus decides to head to his house of all places – not to condemn him but to have dinner. As Jesus entered the house, His presence alone began to bring conviction to the heart of Zacchaeus, and the “idols” he once held in his heart of money and greed, began to fall in Jesus’ presence. Jesus didn’t even have to say anything. Zacchaeus cried out as He felt the presence of God, His goodness, drawing him to repent.
You cannot defeat other “gods” in your life if you are not allowing time for the presence of God to meet you and convict you of things that may be hidden. You cannot defeat greed, jealousy, nightmares, or pornography without His presence. Take time in prayer to surrender your heart to God and allow Him to search you. Allow His presence to lead you to repentance.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalms 139:23-24
Many people say I will clean my temple first and then, come to God. Don’t you think it would be foolish to go to a barber after you have had a haircut?
Don’t try to fix your life before coming to God. Surrender your life to the Lord and He will address areas within you that need to be changed.
Change is stunted by our indifference to the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Changes Those Who Don’t Remain Indifferent to Him
All irreverence, grieving, and quenching of the Holy Spirit starts with indifference. I believe that this is the greatest insult to the Holy Spirit–to live your life as though the Spirit doesn’t exist, pray as though He doesn’t live in you, and walk every day as though He is not real.
The greatest insult to the Holy Spirit is not sin but indifference.
My desire is not to provoke you to guilt but to stir up an appetite so you become curious and fascinated by the Spirit of God who lives inside of you.
As you repent and address this area, God will begin to make a difference in your life, work, family, finances, speech, and attitude. You will lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. You will drive out demons and they shall go because the Holy Spirit makes all the difference.
Proximity to the Holy Spirit does not matter as much as your passion for Him. The Bible says that Uzzah was a Levite, a servant of priests in the temple, but that did not matter because he did not have passion for the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is after your passion which will result in purity. God said He had found a man after His own heart in David. That is a heart that is found constantly chasing after God. God took David from the sheepfold and put him on the throne because of the heart that he had, not because he was the most fit for the position. If God sees that you are truly after His heart, He will lead you and give you a new measure of grace and anointing to fulfill the calling He has for you.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33
Don’t be so familiar with God that you take Him for granted. Irreverence always leads to the death of intimacy. God has brought you to read this to resurrect your intimacy with the Holy Spirit.
When God created humanity He placed us within His presence, but when He saved us, He placed His presence within us through the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Will Transform Those Who Take Him In
“And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.”
2 Samuel 6:10-12
The Bible makes it clear here that Obed-Edom invited the presence of God into His home, and as a result, his life and household were blessed. I encourage you to invite the Holy Spirit into your home. Allow Him into your marriage and your friendships. It is God’s presence that brings joy, love, and peace into our lives that others see and desire.
As you develop a relationship with Him, never remain content with the moments you once experienced. Continue seeking Him every day for new experiences, and new moments, and learn to always be led by His Spirit.