The One who makes faith in Christ possible

It is possible to have devotions or a ‘quiet time’ with the Lord and yet not be there at all. It is possible to read and write about the Holy Spirit and never sense His presence. It is possible to pray without thinking deeply of the One who hears and answers prayer. Why is this so and what must be done to overcome this lack of relationship with the One who opens our hearts to spiritual truth and to the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ?

In the beginning of the church, after Jesus died and rose again and after He ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit came with great power . . .

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1–4)

While Christians argue about who has the Spirit and whether we should or can speak in tongues, I’ve not (yet) heard anyone say that the Spirit came then went away. He is still here, still able to fill God’s people with Himself, and still give us the ability to do what we could never do without Him.

Tozer says, “Our insensibility to the presence of the Spirit is one of the greatest losses our unbelief and preoccupation have cost us. We have made Him a tenet in our creed, we have enclosed Him in a religious word, but we have known Him very little in personal experience.”

Christianity is hindered by conflicting opinions about the Spirit. We debate the ways in which He manifests Himself without thinking that the issue is not what He does but who He is. The Bible clearly speaks of Him as a person, as God subsisting in a form that can get inside ourselves and make the Father known to us through the reality of the Son.

The Spirit makes Himself known by action: producing miracles, healing, speaking in tongues, giving gifts such as words of wisdom and deepened faith. These can be craved and even imitated but are never powerful unless the power of the Holy Spirit is behind them. Our focus needs to be on the Giver, not the gifts. Without Him, I am not able to do anything for the Lord.

This power is also not about ‘feeling’ His presence. While that can be helpful, assuring, motivating, I can operate in the fullness of Him without being aware of Him. Living and walking in the Spirit is a faith thing, no longer flames of fire above heads or dramatic signs and wonders. While these can and do happen, the true test of the Holy Spirit is the fruit He produces:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22–23)

This fruit describes every day stuff. It affects how I treat my family, how I interact with others, how I treat those who serve me at the grocery store and in the doctor’s office. I may not have this wonderful sense of Holy Spirit power, but the fruit of the Spirit is not for me anyway but for bestowing God on others.

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Lord Jesus, I thank You for sending the Holy Spirit and for His grace and power for all things — astounding miracles or simple daily life. How blessed I am to know You.