"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." -- Romans 5:5
When I was growing up, I remember two groups of people who talked about the Holy Spirit. One group didn’t wear any makeup and the other group wore too much. That was one of the reasons I resisted receiving the Holy Spirit years ago, and I think people tend to hesitate developing a relationship with Him because they think He’ll turn them into a weird person. I’m happy to tell you that simply isn’t true. The Holy Spirit is my best friend, and I know He isn’t weird. (In fact, a Spirit-filled person who does weird things was probably weird before they encountered the Holy Spirit.)
This preconceived notion that the Holy Spirit is weird has an effect on some people who haven’t yet received Him. It causes them to think they should only have the Holy Spirit in limited doses. This is a tragedy, and I think it’s been a work of the enemy throughout the body of Christ. Satan has worked to make being filled with the Holy Spirit seem weird and even controversial. The reason he does this is because of the four benefits that the Bible says being filled with the Holy Spirit brings to believers. These benefits help us live our lives in right standing with God, and they give us power. In fact, power is the first of the four benefits.
1. Power
Acts 1:8says, “‘You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.’” Many Christians spend their entire lives without the power available through the Holy Spirit. Have you ever felt defeated by a certain sin that you struggle with or by circumstances? The Holy Spirit gives us the power to live victoriously!
2. Love
One of the Holy Spirit’s roles in our lives is to fill us with God’s love (see today’s verse), and if we don’t open our hearts to Him, we have a difficult time walking in love. Imagine the impact the Church would have if we all walked in love.
3. Fruits
In Galatians 5:22, Paul talks about the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We can all agree that life would be better if we had more of these fruits.
4. Gifts
The last benefit is what we call the gifts of the Spirit, which are words of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, gifts of healings, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. I’ll talk more about these gifts later in the devotional, but I want to preface them by pointing out the many miracles that have taken place through these gifts.
With these benefits, it’s hard to understand why anyone wouldn’t want a close relationship with the Holy Spirit. There’s nothing weird about increased power, love, fruits, and gifts in our lives. The Holy Spirit is a wonderful, kind, and sensitive person. He’s my best friend, and He wants to be yours too.
PRAYER
Holy Spirit, please reveal to me any lies I’ve believed about You. Show me the truth of who You are. I want to know You better and operate in the power, love, and benefits You bring. Thank You for being my friend. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
- Luke 24:49; Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 2:4–5; Galatians 5:16–26
Taken from The God I Never Knew, a Gateway devotion.
