Why We Must Not Neglect The Power Of The Holy Spirit

“You are completely empty; you need the power of the Holy Spirit to be able to overcome your present predicament”, the Pastor said, as Jonathan remained mute and stared into space. He looked puzzled and continued to stare from one face to the other.

Jonathan was a new convert in one of the Pentecostal churches; he had become enthusiastic about joining the church’s evangelism team. Though he had not been baptized in the Holy Spirit; he felt his enthusiasm and academic knowledge would be enough to make him succeed.

Some members of the team had advised him to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit, since he could never use human wisdom and academic prowess to convert souls for Christ. He argued that as a young man with a Bachelor’s degree in English Language, he knew the right tenses to apply in preaching the gospel. He felt his oratory would be enough to win the hardest of souls to Christ.

Besides, Jonathan did not even believe in demons and their manipulative powers. He concluded that demons existed in some people’s imagination, and that it was more of illusion than reality.

But on that particular morning, he had gone out for open-air preaching, in company of three other members of the evangelism team. They got to the bus stop where he was to preach; and as soon as he stepped forward and shouted ‘praise the lord’, a young man appeared from nowhere and pointed his finger at him. He lost his voice and became disorientated to persons and time. The members of the team managed to rush him to the church, where the pastor prayed for him before he regained his voice and senses.

So many believers today try to import their intellectualism into the church and feel they could do without the Holy Spirit: they end up committing spiritual blunders, because spiritual assignments are not done by academic knowledge. They require spiritual knowledge and the backing of the Holy Spirit to do them successfully.

Having given your life to Jesus Christ, you need to ask him to fill you with the baptism of the Holy Spirit as he promised (Acts2:38-39). Believe that the gift would be given to you. Give thanks to God because of the assurance that the Holy Spirit’s baptism would be given to you. If you believe and maintain your faith, Jesus will fill you with this power. He has always given to those who believe in him; so he will also give to you because he keeps his word. He knows the challenges that you would face as you go about doing his work; he’s interested to empower you so you would succeed in doing the work he has called you to do.

7 Reasons Why You Need The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the single most important source of help that every child of God needs in order to lead a good Christian life. Without him in our lives, we can never live lives that would satisfactorily please God. Every believer must therefore seek to have him in their lives.

When the Holy Spirit dwells in our lives, there are several things he would help us to do as Christians.

1.He makes us holy: We are told that we must be holy if we are to be relevant in God’s kingdom. We can only get the power to live holy lives through the Holy Spirit. Every believer should therefore submit to him and ask him to make them holy. (Rom.15:16; Thess.2:13; 1st Pet.1:15-16)

2.He links us to God: It is the Holy Spirit that establishes the link between us and God; because it is impossible for us to see God with our canal eyes. Every believer should seek his help, so as to be able to enjoy a better relationship with God. (John 15:26)

3.He gives us new life: We cannot see God with our sin-infested, corrupt, old bodies. When we are born again, the Holy Spirit renews us and gives us the spirit that is acceptable unto God (John 3:5-6; Titus 3:5)
4.He reveals God secrets: There are things God has kept away from the canal man; which would only be revealed to those who have his spirit. When the Holy Spirit dwells in you, he reveals those special secrets to you. (1Cor.14:16-18)

5.He brings us into fellowship: He brings us into fellowship with himself and with God. There are lots of benefits we derive from enjoying a fellowship with him. He shows us things to come; he reveals the truth about Jesus Christ and helps us to live a good Christian life. (2Cor.13:14; Phili.2:1)

6.He will raise us from the dead: The hope of any Christian is that he should be raised from the dead, into the kingdom prepared by Christ; where he would live for eternity. This hope could only be realized by the power of the Holy Spirit. You are sure of your resurrection on the last day, if you have him in your life (Rom.8:11)

7.He gives us talents: All the talents we need to succeed in our Christian lives, and to earn a living, come from him. He gives to us as he wishes. (Ex.31:2-3)

You need to surrender to Jesus Christ as your lord and personal saviour, and then you can ask him to fill you with the promised Holy Spirit. If you want to give your life to him, you may say this simple prayer: Lord Jesus, I surrender my life to you today. I accept you as my lord and saviour, because I know you died to set me free from sin and death. Fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit, that I might be able to live a successful Christian life. Thank you for granting my request. Amen.

Holy Spirit; Why We All Need Him

The Holy Spirit is needed by everyone who wants to succeed in his/her Christian life; he plays an important roll in our growth as believers. He is a part of the trinity (Three-in-one God); and was promised to al Christians by our lord Jesus Christ

The Holy Spirit is essential to all believers for the following reason:
1.He is our teacher: He teaches us all spiritual truths, and makes us remember all we have learnt. We therefore need him if we are to make it as student of the kingdom (John 14:26)

2.He encourages us: Heavenly race is such a challenging one, with trials, temptations and tribulations which could easily make us fall along the way. The Holly Spirit keeps encouraging us as we are faced by these challenges, and keeps us moving toward our goal. His presence in our lives makes the race an easier one to run (Act 9:31).

3.Helps us to pray: Sometimes we become confused as to how to pray and what to ask from God. Sometimes we are too tired to pray, and when we kneel down we just keep struggling. At times like these, he comes in to assist us: he then directs us on what to say and also gives us the strength to pray (Romans 8:26-27).

4.He convicts us of sin: Everyone was a sinner before accepting Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and personal saviour. Occasionally we still get caught in the web of sin; it takes only the presence of the Holy Spirit for one to agree he’s truly a sinner, because he convicts us of our sin, and brings us to genuine repentance (John 16:8).

5.He empowers us: we would be powerless as Christians, without his presence in our lives. It is he who gives us the power we need for evangelism, and to succeed in our tedious ministries. Our Christian success does not depend on physical strength; rather, it depends on the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. (Act 1:8; 6:6-10).

6.He counsels us: The Holy Spirit also advices us whenever we are making decisions, to ensure we do not make decisions that would lead us into danger and destruction. He helps us to take decisions that is best for whatever situations we find ourselves in (John 14:16)

7.Helps us overcome Satan: Without the Holy Spirit, Satan would destroy us in a twinkle of an eye; since we cannot withstand him with our natural strength. He provides us with the weapons needed to overcome Satan and stand to resist temptations that he brings on our ways (Eph 6:16-18).

8.He directs us: He also provides us the direction we need to take in our day to day work, and as we interact with others. We saw how he led Evangelist Philip to the way leading to Gaza, so as to preach the gospel to the Ethiopian Eunuch who needed salvation at that point in time (Ps 143:10; Act 8:29-39).

9.He controls us: We could be wild in our natural state; we could react negatively and aggressively when provoked. But he gives us self-control, and makes us see reason why we must not react in an unacceptable way (Rom 8:9). We need this great tool to be able to fit properly into society and touch people with our positive approach to life.

10. He admonishes us: He boldly tells us what our friend and families may not be able to tell us. He reproves when we do what is wrong: he does not pamper us. When he sees us doing what is against God’s standards, he immediately frond at it and point out to us, in other to save our soul from hell fire. (Neh.9:30).

Joy: Is It The Same As Happiness?

Joy and Happiness are two worlds that are interrelated, yet different from each other. People have mistakenly used one for the other, but a closer look at them shows that they are not exactly the same thing. One is based on external or environmental factor, the other comes from within.

Happiness comes from things visible in the external environment- a new car, wining a lottery, success is an examination, a new marriage, promotion, success in a sports competition, or on receiving good news. But joy does not come from the environment or from a piece of good news: it is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). It is given to you as a way of showing that you have matured in the Lord and are already bearing fruit.

Joy can be present even in the midst of suffering, but happiness cannot; because it is dependent on external environment, success or good news. We saw how the Apostles were filled with joy because they were flogged for preaching the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 5; 40-41). Believers are advised to be joyful wherever they experience any form of suffering or persecution for the sake of Jesus Christ (Matt 5:11-12; Rom 5:13; Col 1:42; James 1:2-3; 1Perter 4:13).

Christians are also encouraged to be filled with joy always; there should be no end to the joy experienced by believers - whether things are rosy or not (Phil4:4; 1Thess 5:16). Joy comes in knowing and obeying God; and enjoying a cordial relationship with him. (Psalm 32:11; Rom 5:11).

Its also comes from obeying the Son and remaining in his Love. The Son of God gives it to those who are obedient to his word and commands. Without obeying him and without remaining in his love, you cannot get this joy that comes from him (John 15:9-11). It does not come from outside, it comes from the inside of you for obeying the Son of God.

It is a product of contentment, hope and assurance that comes from the Holy Ghost. Except you have the Holy Spirit, it would be impossible for you to have the true joy in your heart; you may have occasional happiness. The Holy Spirit gives you a joyful and peaceful Spirit as his gift. Nobody else can give it to you, because it is beyond the power of man to give it to you. (Rom 14:17; Rom15:13).

Depending upon God, the Son and the Holy Spirit, makes you get a joyful Spirit that is beyond human understanding; and when you have that, you will never depend on external factors in order to experience joy in your life.