THE HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN US
The Holy Spirit lives IN us. In Him we live and move and have our being. The Holy Spirit is not for HIRE in the moment, or someone we call on when we are in a bind. He abides in us!
“And I will pray the Father and he will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him, nor knows Him, but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”
It's easy to see when something is said or done in the flesh because there are certain things The Holy Spirit just CAN'T do.
1 Corinthians 13 gives us a beautiful description of the Holy Spirit.
He cannot lie. He always speaks out of His nature, which is truth. He speaks out of His own nature, which is love. The Holy Spirit always brings glory to the Father. He speaks with love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, gentleness, patience, long suffering and self-control.
He does not boast or behave rudely! The Holy Spirit is not provoked and thinks no evil. He rather suffers long, does not envy, and is not prideful and puffed up. He does not seek His own, not rejoices in iniquity. He rejoices in the truth! The Holy Spirit bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things! HE IS LOVE!
The bottom line is this - if we speak with the tongue of men and angels, but do not have love, we have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
Without love you have lost all authority to change a situation because love makes a way where there is no way!
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Nor does it edify the body.
The word “nothing” in this context bothers me! Because without love, nothing will stand; your house will crumble. So love your God with all your heart, and with your entire mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. Everything else flows from this place of love.
I was born and raised on a farm in Norway. Here’s a story my Mom told me many years ago.
One day while milking the cow (yes you read that right) my Mother was complaining to the Lord about her mother-in-law. "She is so mean Lord, and treats me with such dishonor". My Mother told me that she listened to the Lord, and this is what He said to her. "Child, I love your Mother - in - law as much as I love you. Give this to me now, and let it rest!" When she heard this from the Lord she started laughing, and the burden to carry her mother-in-law’s misery was lifted from her. In that moment my Mother realized it was not her problem or burden to carry.
A great leader that I know has a daughter who struggled for a season with rebellion. When asked about her daughter and how she and her husband were handling it is as parents, her response was short and matter of fact. She simply stated: “She will land somewhere.” There wasn’t a fifteen-minute explanation with thousands of miserable details. There was no defensiveness or self-justification. This leader, and parent, trusted the Lord to “fly with her daughter” and give her a safe landing! Today, the daughter is doing great. She is married; the mother of two children, and loves the Lord!
We have an expression in Norwegian that says, “the more you stir in the dirt, the more it will smell”. It also attracts flies! Sometimes when I am in the middle of what I like to call “life situations” I go on a walk with the Lord. Typically, it’s a really long one! He will go with me everywhere I go, because He is within.
I air my feelings and emotions to the right person. Jesus is always the right person!
So, I walk and walk, and talk and talk. He always reassures me that He is there, listening to me. He is the best friend ever!
When they asked Forrest Gump why he started running he said that he just felt like it! The Lord will always run with you if you need to jog around for a while.
Bon Voyage!
Inger