The Gift Of The Holy Spirit

March 03, 2009
The Gift of the Holy Spirit
Acts 2:38

On Pentecost, Jesus' followers gathered in an upper room to pray and worship God. Most likely, many of them had observed Christ's gruesome death, and some had seen Him after He was raised back to life.

As incredible as it must have been to witness His resurrection first-hand, these followers were about to experience yet another miracle. The sound of a great wind captured their attention, and suddenly, they were filled with God's Holy Spirit. One result was that they began speaking in different languages (Acts 2:4).

Before that day, the Spirit of the almighty God came upon certain people temporarily to help them. But on the day of Pentecost, for the first time, our heavenly Father placed Himself inside people to dwell permanently.

How does this affect Christians today? Starting at the moment of salvation, the Spirit lives within each child of God, sealing that believer for the duration of his or her life on earth. (Eph. 1:13). There is nothing that can steal one's eternal security.

In our daily life, the Spirit is our helper--a built-in teacher who gives discernment to see things as they really are, not as they may appear. Furthermore, the third person of the Trinity convicts us of sin and reveals the truth (John 16:8). And when we don't know how to pray, He intercedes on our behalf (Rom. 8:26).

If you are a follower of Jesus, the Holy Spirit resides in you and is always at work. But sin, business, and distractions could prevent your ability to hear Him. Are you able to sense His direction and conviction of sin? If not, ask Him to reveal anything you need to confess and to show you how to listen.

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