I wish to encourage you to walk in sync with the Holy Spirit. One of the most staggering and humbling privileges enjoyed by Christians is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit introduces His ministry to the unbelieving world by convicting them of sin, righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8), making them aware that “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Therefore, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all” (John 6:63). The instant an unbeliever repentantly believes in Christ for salvation, they are permanently sealed by the Holy Spirit as children of God, eternally secure in Christ (Acts 2:38; Ephesians 1:13-14). At that very moment, the Holy Spirit enters, baptising them into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). He then transitions His ministry to glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ and growing them into greater Christ likeness (Acts 1:5; 2:4; Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 2:22).
As Christians, self-ownership has been relinquished, “for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Therefore, we “walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4). We’ve been purchased by God through Christ’s substitutional death for God’s purpose of glorification; “or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The Holy Spirit regenerates a whole new life with God given, Christ centred qualities. Consequently, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5) bringing “the fruit of the Spirit (which is) is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23; Acts 9:31; Romans 15:13; 1 Thessalonians 1:6).
The apostle Paul, wanting believers to know the essentials of how they could live under the Holy Spirit’s control, reminded the Galatians that the sinful “desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other” (Galatians 5:16-18). The indwelling Holy Spirit is not compatible with sin! He does not approve of sin, nor does He actively accommodate sin. Instead of sin controlling us, we are to “be filled (controlled) with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). In living “by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25), this begins with salvations repentant attitude leading away from sin. We do this through reading and thinking upon God’s Word, which the Holy Spirit authored (2 Peter 1:20-21). He transforms our thinking, our beliefs, and our behaviour, directly from His biblical truth.
We are also to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests,” employing our minds with intelligible words, our heart’s affections, and our creativity (Ephesians 6:18 NIV; Romans 8:26). Even though the Holy Spirit is fully God (2 Corinthians 3:18b), He never seeks to promote, elevate, or bring glory to Himself. Rather, He always seeks to glorify Jesus Christ (John 16:14). Just as He points to Christ in everything, so we, by His enabling power, are to duplicate that same attitude. We manifest the Holy Spirit’s control by being Christ centred, having a Christ exalting attitude in everything we do, by praying in the name of Jesus Christ as if on His behalf for the best expressions of Christ’s character and glory.
Today, let’s exalt the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s speak well of the Saviour, and let’s love Christ with our obedience. In doing so, we shall evidence the filling, the leading, and the synchronised purpose of the Holy Spirit.