“[W]e are not filled with an influence; we are not filled with a sensation; we are not filled with a set of ideas and truth; we are not filled with a blessing, but we are filled with a Person … and its very essence is the indwelling life of Christ Himself”― A.W. Tozer
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:9-11 NLT
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT
But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. John 16:7 NLT
Sadly most Christians acknowledge that The Holy Spirit is there, but they do not allow Him to have a functional impact in their lives.
Who is this person The Holy Spirit?
1. The Holy Spirit is our Helper
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17 NLT
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’ John 16:13-15 NLT
How does the Holy Spirit help us?
He is our Advocate
“But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. John 15:26 NLT
But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 1 John 2:1 NLT
He speaks to us
There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. John 16:12-14 NLT
And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. John 16:8 NLT
He convicts us
He shows righteousness
2. The Holy Spirit is a Friend
You can truly determine whether someone is a true friend by what they are adding to your life.
What values does the Holy Spirit add to our lives?
“When we are at our wits’ end for an answer, then the Holy Spirit can give us an answer. But how can He give us an answer when we are still well-supplied with all sorts of answers of our own? -Karl Barth
Power
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere. Acts 1:8 NLT
Love
And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For 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 NLT
The Holy Spirit...seemed to go through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression, like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love for I could not express it in any other way. -Charles Finney
No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. 1 John 4:12 NLT
Fruit
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!... Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:22-23;25 NLT
Gifts
It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. 1 Corinthians 12:11 NLT
Two obstacles that hinder our relationship with the Holy Spirit
1. Comfort
2. Volume