Seeking Jesus First - Aug. 9, 2023

How is your relationship with Holy Spirit? Are you baptized? Are you continually filled? Do you keep the communication lines open and flowing? Can you hear Him? Do you know when He is speaking to you? Can He use your breath to pray out loud the perfect will of God? Are you confident in your relationship with Holy Spirit?

“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 depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:7–15, NKJV)

Jesus said that it was better for us to have Holy Spirit as a partner here on earth than to have Him (Jesus in a physical body) walking around with us in person on the earth. If Jesus said it, it’s true. So let’s look at the ways Holy Spirit benefits us more than Jesus Himself:

• Holy Spirit in us us makes us one with the Father and manifests His divine nature in us allowing us to completely realize our true identity as sons of God.
• Holy Spirit in us gives us the same access to the power of God that Jesus had.
• Holy Spirit is “our” helper. He becomes a part of us.
• Holy Spirit dwells with us and in us.
• We experientially know Holy Spirit.
• Holy Spirit manifests The Father and The Son to us and in us and through us.
• Holy Spirit manifests the power and anointing of Christ Jesus to us and in us and through us.
• When we share the gospel, Holy Spirit convicts, convinces and judges. So, we don’t have to do those things.
• Holy Spirit teaches us everything that Jesus was not able to teach.
• Holy Spirit teaches us things as we are able to bear them.
• Holy Spirit guides us into all truth.
• Holy Spirit speaks with the authority of Christ Jesus which is all authority.
• Holy Spirit will tell us what He hears.
• Holy Spirit will tell us things to come.
• Holy Spirit will always glorify Jesus by giving us everything that was given to Jesus.
• Holy Spirit searches out the deep things of God and reveals them to us.
• Holy Spirit prays with our breath, out loud, the perfect will of God.
• And so much more.

It is time to prioritize our relationship with Holy Spirit, because it is only through Him that we can experientially know The Father and The Son. Jesus said that we will experientially know Him through our faith in Christ Jesus. Holy Spirit is the one who facilitates our faith by revealing the word of God to our hearts. Faith is important enough for God to give it to us with every loving word that He speaks. And Holy Spirit is the one who moves our hearts to believe and receive the loving words of The Father.

It is true for us and for those with whom we share the gospel. We don’t need to argue or debate or try to get our point across. All we have to do is to say what we hear Him say and let Him do the rest.

The most important voice to know is the voice of Holy Spirit and the most important leading to follow is the leading of Holy Spirit. To know Holy Spirit better, begin praying with the spirit and with the understanding. Pray in tongues and ask for the interpretation. Alternate praying in the spirit and the understanding. Alternate singing in the spirit and singing in the understanding. Practice hearing and obeying. Pray without ceasing means to pray and listen continually. Keep the lines of communication “humming”.

“Holy Spirit, I open my heart to you. Father, baptize and fill me continually with Your Holy Spirit. Lord Jesus, thank you for giving me Your precious Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit quicken me and teach me. Take everything that belongs to Jesus and declare it to me. I love Jesus and The Father and I want to know them more and more, Help me Holy Spirit. Be the fire of God in me and grow me up as a son of God. Help me to hear and obey. Thank You, Father. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Holy Spirit.”