Leading The Way - Week of March 19
Real Spirituality
Although all Christians have access to true spirituality through the Holy Spirit, many of them fail to understand who the Holy Spirit really is. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity of God. He is the very Spirit of the mighty God Himself. He leads us into faithfulness and reveals God's truth and will. He equips us to do the work of God's kingdom. He guides, leads, and empowers us to live holy and righteous lives.
We must not make the mistake of trivializing or undervaluing the power and role of the Holy Spirit. He is the breath of the living God. He is the hurricane force that created the universe. He is the mighty wind that blew on the dust that formed Adam. He is the mighty wind that parted the Red Sea.
The Bible reveals four tasks of the Holy Spirit in regard to our spirituality. The Holy Spirit gives us true spirituality by quickening our dead spirits, transforming our fallen nature, sealing us with God's ownership, and filling us with His presence.
Every one of us was born spiritually dead in sin. Before we became alive in Christ, the Holy Spirit was at work in our hearts, revealing to us our sinful condition. He showed us that we were in desperate need of Christ's salvation. He showed us that we were living in rebellion against a Holy God. He breathed on us and opened our blind spiritual eyes so that we could see God's Truth. Only through God will we find spiritual life; all other forms of spirituality are dead counterfeits.
The Holy Spirit also transforms our fallen nature. Shadow spirituality focuses our attention inward, encouraging us to dig deeper into our souls to find truth, self-empowerment, and self-actualization—elusive goals. But real spirituality is guided by the Holy Spirit and points us in the direction of God and His forgiveness, love, and acceptance. Shadow spirituality says that right and wrong are determined by our own standards. True spirituality involves conviction by the Holy Spirit to show us the path to righteousness.
A third purpose of the Holy Spirit is to seal us with God's ownership. The apostle Paul told the Ephesians, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4:30). Ephesus produced some of the finest lumber in the world. Yet there were many counterfeits being sold by unscrupulous merchants who would claim their inferior lumber as Ephesian lumber. The Ephesian merchants then created a seal and began marking their timber to prove it was genuine. Paul uses this imagery to describe how the Holy Spirit marks us as belonging to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit authenticates and testifies that we are followers of Jesus.
After we have been marked with God's seal, the Holy Spirit continues to fill us daily with His presence as long as we simply ask Him for this filling. Paul told the Ephesians to "be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). Not every Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit's presence every day; we must actively seek to be filled each day.
Do you feel that something is missing in your Christian walk? Are you going through the motions of attending church and worshiping God? If so, then what you are missing is the Holy Spirit. He is a gift and can breathe upon you to revive your soul and bring you active and genuine spirituality. Begin praying today, and continue every day, to invite the Holy Spirit to fill you with His presence and guide you in righteousness.
"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground."
Psalm 143:10
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As we speak, our nation is under assault from without—and from within. From without, radical Islamists seek to destroy our way of life and establish a global caliphate. From within, aggressive secularists attempt to erase our Judeo-Christian values. But there’s also another enemy—a hidden enemy—infiltrating our churches and homes today. How can we fight back against these forces and maintain our Christian faith? In The Hidden Enemy, Dr. Michael Youssef reveals a strategic battle plan for resisting the enemy—especially the hidden one—and winning the war. Understand and be prepared for the times in which we live. Pre-order your copy today for your gift of any amount and receive a FREE digital resource, The Case for Truth in a Post-Truth Age.
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