Introducing the Holy Spirit

First, let's clarify who the Holy Spirit is. 

Here is my summary of this weeks study of the Holy Spirit:

The Holy Spirit is:

...God

Like water has three forms (frozen as ice, heated as steam and liquid in a glass), God has three forms (Father , Son, and Holy Spirit).  So by that example, even though the Holy Spirit is a different form, the Holy Spirit is still God.  Your homework this week will take you through scripture to demonstrate that the Holy Spirit does what only God can do, see Luke 1:35, Hebrews 9:14. (Day 1)

...Active

In creation, the birth of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and the life of every believer, the Holy Spirit is actively working all around us.  On Day 2 you will study "The Ministries of the Holy Spirit": to convict and reprove, regeneration, baptism, sealing, filling, and holding back.  The fact that the Holy Spirit is HOLDING BACK evil from being unleashed in the world confirms God's grace and mercy.  What do you think? (Day 2)

...Real

More than Jesus Christ or God the Father, the Holy Spirit evokes the intangible essence of God.  I think we are so quick to overly mystify the Holy Spirit, that we miss the tangible reality of His work in our lives.  As we study this week, I want you to dig in to Day 3 and challenge yourself to see the Holy Spirit as a tangible force in your life.  Beth Moore lists "6 ways the Holy Spirit reveals Himself to us in an ongoing fashion."  He is teacher, leader, giver of gifts, fruit bearer, witness and he prays.  All of this for YOU!  Please be mindful that hyperspirituality can rob you of a practical balanced Christian experience.  Not enough Holy Ghost and we miss the "deep things of God".   Not enough "meaty" Word and we miss God's truth.  (Day 3)

...Waiting

The Holy Spirit has been with you since the moment you accepted Christ as Lord and Savior.  Isn't that fabulous.  Why, then, have you experienced so little of His Power?  I'm glad you asked.  In a nut shell, the Holy Spirit is waiting for you to engage Him.  He will not force you to grow your relationship with Him.  He is waiting for you to Pour Out, Pour In and Pour Forth!  Accept that your flesh and your spirit are not "coworkers" and in fact are opposites.  Accept that the world system, Satan and your sin nature are your enemies and can only be overcome by the power of God.  Accept responsibility for making the CHOICE to be lead by the Spirit rather than seduced by the Enemy, failing to mature in Christ. (Day 4 & 5)

Experiencing Extraordinary Freedom!

From Week 1's Homework we understand that our Faith is the basis of our relationship with God. As we move into our conversation about the Holy Spirit, I want you to fully understand that God has called you into ONENESS with Him. Intimacy! Transparency! The reality of these ideas is so foreign to us. We live in a culture that moves too fast, seeks immediate gratification, demands perfection and is so completely selfish that ONENESS is a mystery few ever contemplate. The hard truth is that Oneness takes work. It takes intentionality. But from your effort you will learn to walk in the freedom of Christ, no longer bound by the slavery of sin or unbelief!

On page 30, Beth Moore tells us what we must intentionally do to create Oneness with God: Pouring Out, Pouring In and Pouring Fourth. I want to highlight the points made on Wednesday Night to keep them fresh on our minds.

Pouring Out = Emptying ME out of ME so that I can be filled with the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:16-26

• Confessions: Exposing your sin to God daily so that you are not trapped by cycles of sinful habits.
  
• Understand we all have longings and desires, but we must control our longings and desires and direct our toward God
  
• When we have an "unsatisfied soul" and our longings are directed away from God, we fall victim to our feelings and emotions which lead to impulses or urges that result in sin.
  
• Our habitual confession puts our heart and mind in check and clears the sin that blocks intimacy with God. Are you able to be honest with Him and confess both public and private sin?
  
• "Earnest confession" should be followed by "active repentance".
  
• Concerns: Do not bottle up your concerns. Give them to God. Recognize that He is more powerful than you are and ask Him to take control of every situation. Kinda puts us in our place doesn't it?
  

Pouring In = Being Filled with the Holy Spirit once you get yourself out of the way. Ephesians 5:18

• the objective of your Pouring Out is not to be empty. You are essentially getting your ego out of the way and coming under the submission of the Holy Spirit. Does God still want you to have an opinion? Yes! Does God want you to be an individual? Yes! Does God want you to be obedient to His Word? Yes! Being filled with the Spirit doesn't change the uniqueness of who you are. It does highlight the supremacy of God's will over your own.
  

Pouring Forth = Sharing God with others

2 Corinthians 3:5-6 (NIV)

⁵ Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. ⁶ He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

 

I speak life to myself and others. Sound familiar? How are we able to speak the Life of the New Covenant through Jesus Christ to all we share life with but through the working of the Holy Spirit in us. Therefore, as we deal with other humans, we understand that it is not our responsibility to exact the Law upon them and judge but rather show grace and compassion, leaving room for them to experience their own individual walk with God.

 

When we practice Pouring Out, Pouring In and Pouring Forth daily, we prepare ourselves for ONENESS with God. And yes, daily means daily. Let me stress again the importance of your quiet time with God. You cannot say that your relationship with God is a priority if you don't devote some portion of your day to intentionally sharing your heart with Him.

Practice Pouring Out, In and Forth through prayer for the first FIVE minutes of your quiet time. I guarantee it will put you in the right Position for Power!

 

Week 1: Homework Review

 

Ladies, it is my earnest prayer that you are so deep in the homework that you are having trouble coming up for air! But let's back up and review... In Week 1, we examined the realities of a walk with Christ.

From your WEEK 1 homework, you should understand that: 1) because you walk with Christ you will face many hardships and those hardships will develop Christ like character that can positively influence others toward God, 2) when our ultimate goal is God's approval rather than man's, we do not become distracted from being servants to Christ, 3) all ten of the characteristics of the crucified life (p. 19) begin with the understanding that "we must make certain choices to be crucified with Christ for victory in our daily battle with sin", 4) your "effort has no bearing on your acceptance," we have been clothed in Christ and like Abraham our faith in Christ is credited to us as righteousness, 5) we have been adopted, chosen, by God and He wants to have a familiar relationship with us not just as Father, an authority figure, but our "approachable" Daddy!

Without understanding Week 1, we cannot progress on to discuss the Holy Spirit. As I studied Week 1's homework I kept hearing our 5 statement Pledge of Faith ringing in my ears. Day 1 = I can do all things through Christ! Day 2 = God is who He says He is. Day 3 = God can do what He says He can do. Day 4 and 5 = I am who God says I am. I love when our lessons confirm and affirm what we have already studied. I very much feel like Week 1 should have just come out and asked us, "Do you believe God?" Because without FAITH, it is impossible to experience FREEDOM in Christ. And without FAITH, it will be impossible for you to intimately engage the Holy Spirit. Hello 5th Statement: God's Word is alive and active in me! How else did you think you would become FULL of the Holy Spirit, but through the WORD of God! I get supercharged to do my homework all over again Ladies! Each time we study the Word, we increase our capacity to be filled with His Spirit.

Remember, we can confess an area of unbelief and God will strengthen us in that area. If you have it, please refer back to Believing God pages 26-27. The father in Mark 9:14-25 asks Jesus to help his unbelief. We should be doing the same. Confessing our unbelief daily and asking Christ to empower us to overcome it.

When you look back over Week 1, what fact or idea was most transformative to you?