THE
BOOK OF GOD'S PROMISES
Understanding
The Holy Spirit
By
J. Steven Lang
CBN.com
-- Recent
years have seen a renewed interest in the Spirit, and rightly so. For too long
the Spirit was a neglected part of our belief, something people tacked on to their
creed (". . . and I believe in the Holy Spirit"). Christians across the globe
have gone back to the Bible and concluded that whoever does not know the Spirit
does not know God at all. We have devoted a separate topic to gifts of the
Spirit, but as you will see from the Bible promises under this topic, the Spirit
himself is God's great gift to all believers. "I will pour out my Spirit
upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream
dreams. Your young men will see visions. "In those days, I will pour out my
Spirit even on servants, men and women alike." Joel 2:28 "I baptize with
water those who turn from their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon
who is far greater than I am -- so much greater that I am not even worthy to be
his slave. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Matthew 3:11
"Those who speak against the Son of Man may be forgiven, but anyone who speaks
blasphemies against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven." Luke 12:10 Jesus
replied, "The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born
of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit
gives new life from heaven." John 3:5-6 "I will ask the Father, and he will
give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who
leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn't
looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you
now and later will be in you. "But when the Father sends the Counselor as my
representative -- and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit -- he will teach
you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you." John
14:16-17, 26 "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.
He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard.
He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by revealing to you
whatever he receives from me. All that the Father has is mine; this is what I
mean when I say that the Spirit will reveal to you whatever he receives from me."
John 16:13-15 "When the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive
power and will tell people about me everywhere -- in Jerusalem, throughout Judea,
in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 Suddenly, there was
a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above
them, and it filled the house where they were meeting. Then, what looked like
flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present
was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other tongues, as the Holy
Spirit gave them this ability. Acts 2:2-4 We know how dearly God loves us,
because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans
5:5 The power of the life-giving Spirit -- and this power is mine through Christ
Jesus -- has freed me from the law of sin and death. Those who are dominated
by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by
the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. If your sinful nature
controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind,
there is life and peace. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead,
lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to
your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you. For all who are led
by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you should not be like cowering,
fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God's very own children, adopted
into his family -- calling him "Father, dear Father." For his Holy Spirit speaks
to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God's children. Romans 8:2,
5-6, 11, 14-16 He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because
of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy
Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us because of what Jesus Christ
our Savior did. Titus 3:5 Those who obey God's commandments live in fellowship
with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Holy Spirit
lives in us. 1 John 3:24 See Baptism of the Spirit.
The Book of God's Promises -- Copyright, 1999 by J.
Stephen Lang. All rights reserved, used with permission.
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