What is the Holy Spirit? A more revealing question could be, who the Holy Spirit is.
Let’s start by identifying what or who the Spirit of God isn’t. The Spirit of God is not an impersonal, vague force resembled in common New Age rhetoric. Neither is the Spirit of the Christian God a minority person within the Holy Trinity occupying a position of lesser stature or inferior value.
From scripture we see who He is: His being encompasses an intelligible mind and a personal will. In Psalm one-thirty-nine we’re able to see His omnipresence. We see His emotions in Ephesians Chapter four, and His divinity is reflected in the gospels and the broader New Testament showcasing the aspect of divinity and personhood.
The Spirit of God leads, guides, directs, and comforts. He speaks and He also judges. In other words, He does and acts just like God. He is also inseparable from God, and is God. When we take a moment to ponder that the only person worthy of replacing the physical role of Jesus in the Earth after He ascended to Heaven was the all-encompassing Spirit of God able to undertake and embody the presence of Christ throughout the earth, all of the time, our appreciation of His person deepens.
A beginning point in understanding the Holy Spirit is important enough that we must show willingness to learn about Him through Scripture. It is worth encouraging that a full and utterly complete understanding of the Holy Spirit and His ways will sometimes feel unattainable, however, His Person and His ways are not beyond comprehension. For this reason, it will bid believers well to have their senses sharpened to know not to attempt to explain spiritually complex principles to minds who only show carnal or superficial interest.
It must be well understood that believers desiring to know more about the Holy Spirit ought to invest their time, more than anything, in submitting to God and His Word. It is in the simplicity of obedience to God that can yield the greatest harvest of wisdom and understanding in this area.
In a world that has fast become obsessed on information and rational thinking, we should take careful warning not to believe that knowledge through exclusively logical thought can yield spiritual answers.
A best perspective on which to build understanding of the Holy Spirit is to train our flesh to be submitted to spiritual things, and it both starts and ends with studying the Word of God and making it the lens through which we filter the world’s opinions and ideas.
Great understanding of God’s Spirit awaits those who are willing to submit to God in faith first, and as a reward, become entrusted with secret and great understanding of God’s Spirit.
Just like Jesus encouraged us not to cast pearls of wisdom before pigs, God, too, wants to cast pearls of understanding before humble and committed believers expressing sincere teachability in their pursuit of understanding.
Firstly, to begin this set-apart journey, prepare your mind for a committed and studious journey. You will simply not be able to flourish in your understanding without learning.
Establish a specific time for prayer, reading and meditation of God’s Word every morning. Under the guidance of Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo of KICC in the UK, I learned about the Power-Hour each morning before getting your day started. It consisted of 45 minutes prayer and 15 minutes reading. While this does not make up the entire time of reading and scriptural study, it does form a solid foundation for spiritual growth.
Lastly, find a connect-group or church who understands and actively engages in prayer and Bible study. Build and grow there. And be used of God to fulfill your purpose.
With love.
R. Alexander