The Freedom Series, Part 13: Freedom in the Holy Spirit (Pastor Ron Termale) July 18, 2021
The Holy Spirit empowers us to change. He activates the grace that God has given to us.
We need both grace and the Holy Spirit. If you are constantly under a spirit of shame, you are not living under God’s grace or understanding that you have been saved by it (Eph 2:8-9). If you are controlled by the desires of the flesh, you are not tapping into the power of the Holy Spirit.
Four ways to develop a closer relationship with the Holy Spirit:
See the Holy Spirit for who He is – a person who wants to help you.
You must see the Holy Spirit as a person (1 John 5:7 says that He is with the Father and Son in heaven (see KJV)). Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “the Helper,” who will teach us all things and remind us of everything that Jesus has said (John 14:26, ESV). The Spirit has been a Helper since the beginning when He helped to create the earth (Gen 1:1-2). The Holy Spirit’s help is so important that David asks God to never take His Holy Spirit from him (Ps 51:11), and Jesus says that we need to be “born of the Spirit,” or have a regenerated life through the Holy Spirit, in order to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5, NIV). The apostle Paul also says that we need the Spirit to understand the things of God (1 Cor 2:14-15).
2. Listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice and turn to Him with your questions.
Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of truth,” who will guide us into all truth (John 16:13, NIV). The Holy Spirit filters out lies with His soft voice and keeps you from being deceived (the Spirit Himself warns about deceiving spirits according to 1 Tim 4:1-2). He will speak through sermons, when you read your Bible, when you pray and meditate, and even through your spouse or kids. Remember that God is a Wonderful Counselor (Isa 9:6).
3. Seek the presence of the Holy Spirit and ask for what you need.
When you get weary and irritable, you need the Holy Spirit. Worship God and ask for the Holy Spirit to come (see Luke 11:13). Paul tells us to be filled with the Spirit and to sing to the Lord from our hearts (Eph 5:18-20). The “fruit,” or evidence, that someone is living in fellowship with the Holy Spirit is that they have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-25, NIV).
4. Seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a transforming experience where God pours out His Spirit on His people and the supernatural is released in their lives. Supernatural gifts from the Holy Spirit include speaking in tongues, healing, deliverance, and prophecy. We need to call on God to continue to release His supernatural power through His Spirit, for God says that He will do it in these last days that we are living in (Acts 2:16-21; see also Acts 1:8).
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