The Holy Spirit in Our Lives

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"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:1-2).

To know the Holy Spirit is to understand the depth of God, the creator of the universe, and to recall the entire events that have occurred since the beginning. One of the greatest things in life is to understand God's care for us and to know His desire to be part of our lives.

In the Old Testament we hear how God created men with His own breath. He brought him to life but men became full of ego and self-reliant which resulted in him falling into temptations and destroying himself.

When God looked, He found an obedient servant named Noah. So God established a covenant with him, "'And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you; the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the Ark, every beast of the earth. Thus I establish My covenant with you never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.'" (Genesis 9:8-11). God had an amazing plan in mind that some day He will be part of our lives in order to defeat Satan and bring us back home safe again.

During the time before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit came upon specific people for a specific purpose to guide, encourage, or direct such as Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, the Judges, the kings, and some other prophets each for particular reasons.

"Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?' And the angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy one who is to be born will be called the Son of God.'" (Luke 1:34-35).

In the New Testament we hear about the Holy Spirit as conceived Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Then during the baptism of our Lord when the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him in (Luke 3:21-22).

"Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?' Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'" (John 3:4-5).

We were not born with the Holy Spirit but were taught how to attain It. Through the Crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were reconciled with God. Thus the Sacrament of Baptism cleansed us from the original sin and prepared us to receive the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of the Holy Myron.

"'But when the helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the father, He will testify of Me.'" (John 15:26).

After our Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, His disciples were faced with tremendous challenges. They were unable to do anything on their own until the day of Pentecost. It was on this blessed day that the Holy Spirit rushed like a mighty wind, filled the whole room where everyone gathered, and came on each one like a tongue of fire. Everyone was filled with the Spirit of God, gained strength and power, and began to speak with other tongues.

What is the purpose of acquiring the Holy Spirit within us?

Invite us to be in the presence of God at all times
To know God intimately
To guide us in many areas that we still struggle to achieve
To give us power and strength against sin
To help us understand the Holy Bible
To grant us many fruits of the spirit each according to God's grace
To help us acquire Agape love for God and each other
To counsel us about what God's plan is for us in order to give Him glory
To help us with our service to be fruitful

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there in no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).

Therefore the Holy Spirit desires to work in each one of us and gives us many blessings through the grace of God. When we are stubborn and resistant to the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we will be unable to enjoy all the benefits that the Holy Spirit offers to us and we may end up lacking and destroying ourselves. So take a minute each day to reflect on how well you have been doing in your spiritual life.