What is the Holy Spirit & 10 Supernatural Ways He Empowers You by Brittany Rust and What Does it

What is the Holy Spirit & 10 Supernatural Ways He Empowers You

by Brittany Rust “The Holy Spirit illuminates the minds of people, makes us yearn for God, and takes spiritual truth and makes it understandable to us.” The Holy Spirit is a beautiful and powerful part of who God is. We need Him in our life as a conduit to become who God created us to be, and through His power we have aid in all situations. Without Him, we are powerless. Who is the Holy Spirit? Our first encounter with the Holy Spirit is when He convicts us of our sin, shows us that none of us can live up to the righteousness of Jesus, and reveals to us the judgment that is coming to those who die without a Savior (John 16:8-11). As we repent, confess our sins and receive the gift of Salvation the Holy Spirit regenerates our dead inner human spirit which now becomes sensitive to the spiritual things of God (John 3:1-16; Acts 2:38). There is a second work of the Holy Spirit when He baptizes a believer (Acts 2:1-4). It's available to all (Acts 2:39) and a gift of empowerment, helping the believer to live a holy life. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Helper, we become more like Jesus and are directed to do the Father's will. Furthermore, the gift is primarily for the empowerment to witness to others (Acts 1:8). We are encouraged to ask the Holy Spirit to fill us up on a regular basis. When you feel depleted or need strength, ask Him to replenish you (Ephesians 5:18). It's not enough to exist with the belief that The Father and the Son are first and the Holy Spirit is secondary. They are equal and work in harmony with each other. The uniqueness of the Holy Spirit is His presence within us. Jesus said before he ascended to heaven that the Holy Spirit would come and dwell within us as a believer. With that, He empowers us to live victoriously for the cause of Christ and glory of the Father. Here are just 10 of the supernatural ways the Holy Spirit wants to empower you today. 1. The Holy Spirit is your Helper. “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you,” John 16:7. When I think of the Holy Spirit, this is how I primarily think of Him: God with us, helping and empowering us to live a flourishing life that radiates the goodness of God. I don’t know about you but I’m constantly aware of my need for divine help. As my flesh fights for control, it’s the Spirit that steps in and helps me to be who God created me to be. When you are feeling powerless or tired or like your failing at life, you can have confidence as a believer that you're not alone. You can start each day knowing the Holy Spirit is there to help you. He is the power that sustains, energizes, and keeps you on a holy path. Do not hesitate to invite Him in. 2. The Holy Spirit sanctifies you. “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God,” 1 Corinthians 6:11. “Sanctified” means to be set apart as sacred. Essentially, it’s the purification of sin and spiritually maturing to become more Christlike. This is an important process for a believer--leaving behind the old and becoming a new person. But it’s a daily process, and it takes time. The Holy Spirit wants to help you in this process of sanctification: to die to your old self and be all that God created you to be; to be free from the entanglement of sin and live victoriously. 3. He makes you more like Christ. “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit,” 2 Corinthians 3:18. Moses experienced God’s glory on the mountaintop but we have communion with Him every day! Theologian Warren Wiersbe writes, “Moses reflected the glory of God, but you and I may radiate the glory of God. When we meditate on God’s Word and in it see God’s Son, then the Spirit transforms us! We become more like the Lord Jesus Christ as we grow ‘from glory to glory.” Our goal is Christlikeness and this takes place through the power of the Holy Spirit. While we focused on sanctification and the diminishment of sin in the previous point, this is rather a transformation into the image of Christ. 4. He helps you to do the Father’s will. “Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join this chariot,’" Acts 8:29. Throughout the New Testament we see the Holy Spirit direct people to do the will of God. He helps us tune into the voice of the Father and, in faith, do what we believe He is calling us to. Ask the Spirit to show you what the Father’s will would be for you today and ask Him to empower you to carry it out! 5. The Holy Spirit gifts you for ministry. “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have,” 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. The Holy Spirit imparts to believers gifts that are needed in the Church. Nobody receives all gifts but they are distributed among the Body of Christ, each person receiving different gifts. The gift(s) that you receive will empower you for the calling God has placed on your life. Embrace what God has put inside of you and be His instrument for Kingdom purpose! * Additional passages of the gifts of the Spirit can be found in Ephesians 4 and Romans 12. 6. He imparts love. “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us,” Romans 5:3-5. We find love in our suffering. As we endure trials, God’s love is poured out into us through the Spirit and it’s this empowerment that carries you and I through the hard seasons. When you are doubting this love in your difficulty, remember that the Spirit pours it into your heart. 7. The Holy Spirit gives hope. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope,” Romans 15:13. Hope as God hopes. This is only possible in abundance through the power of the Holy Spirit. And it’s hope that carries people through all trials and tribulations. Hope is fuel for the soul. Tap into this by His power and experience peace among your surroundings. 8. The Holy Spirit teaches and gives insight. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you,” John 14:26. The Holy Spirit will give you insight into what you are reading and furthermore, will help you recall what you’ve read in Scripture. He brings to your mind understanding and truth. Have you ever had one of those moments when you were in a situation and a Scripture verse you read or memorized years ago popped into your head, encouraging you in that moment? That was the Holy Spirit reminding you of what you had been taught. He empowers you with understanding and the ability to recall important verses that apply to your life. 9. The Holy Spirit guides your prayers. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words,” Romans 8:26. Sometimes I have no words. Or I have so much to say that I’m not sure where to start. Ever experience that? Sometimes we don’t have to have the right words--the Holy Spirit knows just what to say. Lean into Him and allow Him to express to the Father what needs to be said. 10. He uses you for teaching. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth,” Acts 1:8. Telling others about Jesus and making disciples is our most important role on this earth. It’s literally the last thing Jesus said before he ascended into heaven! Having the Holy Spirit with us means having power to be a witness. To tell people about what Jesus did for them on the cross and how he conquered death and reigns victoriously! Don’t shy away from being an advocate for Christ; it’s what you are called to do. Allow the Spirit to empower you for the Kingdom purpose of making disciples! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What Does it Mean to Pray in Jesus' Name? Dr. Roger Barrier Dr. Barrier puts nearly 40 years of experience in the pastorate to work answering questions of doctrine or practice for laypeople, or giving advice on church leadership issues. Email him your questions at roger@preachitteachit.org. John 14:13-14: “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Some misapply this verse, thinking that “in Jesus’ name” is much like a magic formula. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Praying in Jesus’ name means praying with His authority and asking God the Father to act upon our prayers because we come in the name of His Son, Jesus. Praying in Jesus’ name means praying in line with the will of God (1 John 5:14-15). Praying and meditating through the names of Jesus enhance worship, promote spiritual growth, and deepen our intimacy with Jesus. There are some 200 names and titles of Christ found in the Bible. I selected some of the more prominent ones as examples of how we may deepen our understanding and relationship with Jesus. When you are reading the Bible and come across one of Jesus’ names, pause for a moment and draw a mental image of Jesus enhancing that particular name. Then, personally interact with that name and be blessed. Jesus: (Matthew 1:21; Luke 2:11; John 6:35; 6:48) Picture yourself carrying a huge bag of sins. You’re stumbling, falling, thirsting, and growing weaker by the moment. Sin is mercilessly driving you down into the dirt. Then, Jesus approaches out of nowhere. Imagine him putting his arms around you and loving you. “If you’d like,” he says, “I’ll carry that big bag for you.” The relief is incredible. Sins are gone and a new life begins. Thank you, Jesus, for forgiving my sins and sacrificing your life on the cross for me. Bread: (Luke 4:8; John 6:35, 48) “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never grow hungry.”’ He’s preached all day. It’s getting late. Imagine 5,000 hungry people with nothing to eat. Jesus says to his disciples, “Feed them.” Peter says, “But, there’s no grocery store in sight!” Andrew brings him five small pieces of bread and two small fish. Now watch carefully. Jesus rubs his hands together and a piece of bread appears. He rubs his hands again and more bread appears. Who planted the seeds? No one. Who watered the crops? Who harvested the grain? Who pounded out the flour? Who heated the oven? No one. How about the fish? Who caught the fish? No one. They were never caught. Who brought charcoal? No one. Jesus was creating a Galilean delicacy. These fish were about 5 inches long with a pickle-type relish for moisture. He’s not just creating fish. He’s making pickles! As bread sustains life in the flesh, Jesus is the Bread that sustains life in the spirit. Jesus, I’m hungry. Feed me. Ask Savior bread of life. Amen. King of kings and Lord of lords: (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16) Imagine Jesus sitting on a throne surrounded by a host of people from all around the world. All are kneeling in submission to Jesus Christ. You kneel and declare with them: “Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father.” Then, suddenly, Jesus is standing right with you. You exclaim: “I’ll never turn back, wherever you lead I’ll go.” Lord, make me a spiritual father or mother; I don’t care what it costs. Light of the World: (John 8:12) You enter Carlsbad caverns with your tour guide. Floodlights reveal multicolored stalactites and stalagmites hanging from the ceiling and growing from the ground. Drip, drip goes the water. “Do you want to see dark like you’ve never seen it before?” He turns off his flashlight. It’s so dark you can taste it.” He turns on his flashlight. Instinctively, you turn toward the light. It’s a dark world out there. Think about how he brought you into the light. Did it happen in a moment of decisive commitment? Or was your salvation a process that occurred over time? Some are still in darkness. Paul says that Satan has blinded the eyes of unbelievers so that they cannot see the glorious light. Think of a friend or two who need Jesus. Pray that the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of your friends so they can see the light. Thanks for bringing my friends and me into the Light. The Word of God: (John 1:1-4; 1 John 5:7-8) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through him all things were made; and without him nothing was made that has been made.” The Greek word, “logos,” is translated in English as, “word.” The “logos” is a Greek philosophical term referring to the “unrevealed wisdom of God.” Jesus is the word of God. John tells us that at a point in time, the unrevealed wisdom of God put on a body so he could dwell with us.” John also tells us that at a point before time Jesus created the universe. Pictured Jesus standing on the edge of nothingness and tossing 100 billion stars into existence. In addition, 1,000 billion planets now populate the universe. Lord, I praise you because with all the things you have going on today in the universe, you have time for me. Good Shepherd: (John 10:11,14) In Bible times, a good shepherd was willing to risk his own life to protect his sheep from predators. Jesus laid down His life for His sheep, and He cares for and nurtures and feeds us. “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.” David imagined himself to be a sheep looking up at his shepherd. Think of yourself as a little lamb looking up at your shepherd. He’s looking down at you with such love and compassion. Sheep need to be led, not driven. Think of Jesus the last time he took you through the valley of the shadow of death and all was well. Imagine yourself being secure in the arms of Jesus. But there’s more to your shepherd. Revelation shows us Jesus as a bleeding lamb slain on the altar for our sin. The Lord is my shepherd he’s all I want.