The Holy Spirit is a real person. He has a personality, feelings and can be grieved.
"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4:30).
He also has a great sense of humor, is entirely reliable and will never let us down or disappoint us. (Hebrews 13:5) He assures us that he will never leave us nor forsake us. He come in and brings the agape love (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) of God to support, strengthen, encourage and direct us.
Jesus commands us (His Church) seven times in Revelation 2-3: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” The Holy Spirit is available as God’s primary facilitator of communication through what we call prayer.
However most people never hear Him because 1) they have never received Him on their own “Day of Pentecost”. Too many have mistaken the experience of forgiveness and salvation for the baptism of the Holy Spirit; and 2) they have never learned how to recognize the Holy Spirit’s voice as He tries to communicate with them from the inside rather than on the outside.
According to the commandments of Jesus, we are supposed to be actively seeking the Holy Spirit’s advice every day – meaning hearing from him regularly.
Because we have not learned this lesson, and because of rampantly sinful, selfish feelings toward God, some church leaders regularly warn people not to be preoccupied with the Holy Spirit.
One writer said, “Unfortunately, too many become so infatuated with the Holy spirit and some of the tinglies that are associated with His presence that they marginalize Jesus Christ the redeemer.” The reality is that we are supposed to be infatuated with the Holy Spirit because He makes us infatuated with the Father and with Jesus Christ.
Another writer said, “Once we have put the three persons next to each other, almost like ‘three gods’, we are not far away from allowing people to select their ‘favorite god’ out of this pantheon.” What nonsense! Such wrong thinking betrays what I call “spiritually Gentile thinking” by which sinful people discover excuses for jealousy because they want honor which is not theirs. God is not in competition with Himself, He is cooperation with Himself - He complements Himself!
The trinity as explained as Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the only safe “pantheon” to choose from – it is the same One God.
Although God makes it very clear that He is a jealous god (Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 4:24) that jealousy does not extend to Himself or His self-revelation of Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is jealous only with regard to people worshipping and serving other gods in His place.
No! God is not in competition with Himself. To honor anyone of the trinitarian revealed persons of God is to honor them all.
When John the Baptist’s disciples complained that Jesus was attracting more people than he, he replied, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
As we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the self decreases as God increases within us that we can be rightfully preoccupied with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Excerpt from Rev. Gordon Williams', "SPIRIT-LED DAYS - DAY BY DAY WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.
SPIRIT-LED DAYS - DAY BY DAY WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
Rev. Gordon Williams has written one of the most inspirational, detailed and theologically sound studies on the Holy Spirit in years. Using a daily devotional format, the reader is led step-by-step, day-by-day, into a study of what the entire scriptures reveal about the "person" of the Holy Spirit. This book has also been written to help the reader grow in intimate knowledge and daily fellowship with God.
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