It all started in the book of Genesis where we first see the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in Gen. 1:2 “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
The word ‘hovering’ gives us some insight into the power of the Holy Spirit. The definition of hovering is to remain suspended over a place or object. Therefore, the Spirit of God was central in the creation process of the universe, planet earth and mankind (Psa. 104:30).
Jesus was born of Jewish lineage and the Old Testament was written in Hebrew. As a result of this, we need to go back to the Hebrew roots to get a better understanding of the Holy Spirit.
The words Holy Spirit translated in Hebrew means Ruach HaKodesh. The word Ruach means spirit which means ‘breath’ or ‘wind’. Kodesh means Holy in the Hebrew which is ‘sanctuary’ or ‘hallowed’.
God designed human beings with a spirit, which makes us unique in creation. Our human spirit makes us who we are. It consists of our character and personality. When God created Adam, he wasn’t a living being until God ‘breathed’ His Spirit into him (Gen. 2:7). It’s not until we receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), that we become who God intended us to be.
Rom. 8:26 explains that the Holy Spirit is our intercessor. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
The Holy Spirit purifies us and makes us clean. Titus 3:5 “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
When I was going through my marriage breakdown, it felt like there was nobody to talk to that understood what I was going through. It was during this painful situation, beneath the sorrow and brokenness, that I felt the peace of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13).
The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, Counsellor and Strengthener. He will use difficult circumstances to grab your attention because this is the only way we can mature spiritually and grow. This is one way the power of the Holy Spirit operates.
Jesus told the disciples that they would receive a Helper who would take His place. That Helper would be the Holy Spirit who would remind them of everything Jesus taught them (John 14:26). Jesus also reassured the disciples they would be clothed in power from above (Luke 24:49).
The Holy Spirit is a power (Acts 1:8) and not a person. A person can’t be in multiple places at once like the Holy Spirit can. The Spirit indwells in Christians that have received Him, a person does not have the supernatural ability to do this.
When you receive the Holy Spirit, you also receive the power of the Holy Spirit which apostle Paul describes in Eph 3:16 “that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”
Paul explains again in Eph. 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.”
The Holy Spirit is a power that trains us, heals us, guides us and strengthens us. How else could Jesus be resurrected from the dead? He was resurrected through the power of the Holy Spirit which is the Spirit of God (Eph. 1:19-20).
The Holy Spirit is a ministering Spirit. He will use scripture to encourage you and boost your morale. This gives us the confidence to keep pressing on and moving forward.
John 4:24 states “God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality).” This Scripture doesn’t say God is a person. Instead, God is a supernatural being, not being made of flesh and bones like we are.
Gal. 5:16 says we should be walking in the Spirit to not carry out the desires of the flesh. The more we permit ourselves to be led by the Spirit (Gal. 5:18), the less likely our carnal nature will dominate us. This doesn’t mean we won’t be tempted. It means the new nature that we receive from the power of the Holy Spirit, helps us resist temptation.
The Spirit bears fruit to those that walk in Him. These fruits are born out of keeping the commandments of God. The more we are walking and being led by the Holy Spirit, the more fruitful we become. The fruits of the Spirit allow us to become Christ-like.
Gal. 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
In the Gospel of John, the Holy Spirit is depicted as a dove. After Jesus was baptised with water, the Spirit descended as a dove from heaven onto Jesus and remained with Him. The Lord said to John that Jesus will not baptise with water, He has come to baptise with the Holy Spirit. When John witnessed this amazing event, He was convinced that he was in the presence of the Son of God (John 1:30-35).
The Holy Spirit should be a part of all Christian’s lives. Without the Holy Spirit, we would not know the wisdom and truth of God. The gift of the Spirit is available to all who repent and trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour (Acts 2:38).
Faith Truth and Wisdom Ministries 