Message #2 (of 20) from the PrayerPower radio series
"Asking for the Spirit's Presence"

by Kaye Johns

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live within the hearts of believers [John 14:16]. We are taught to ask for the Spirit [Luke 11:13] and commanded to be filled with Him [Eph. 5:18]. We’re cautioned not to grieve [Eph. 4:30] or quench Him [1 Thes. 5:19]. But Who is He? How can we know what to expect when He lives within us?

Just as God our Father and His Son Jesus Christ have been revealed through hundreds of names, titles and descriptions throughout Scripture, the Holy Spirit Himself is revealed through more than a hundred different names, titles and descriptions. Each one of these names reveals Who He is and Who He wants to be in and through our lives.

The Holy Spirit is, of course, the third person of the Trinity, equal in His deity to the Father and the Son. He is described with the Greek masculine pronoun "He," [John 14:17; 16:8,13] as a person, not simply a spiritual power or force. He has the characteristics of a person, such as intellect [1 Cor. 2:11] and emotion [Rom. 15:30, Eph. 4:30]. He communicates clearly with us [Acts 8:29].

The Holy Spirit is identified in Acts 5 as God. Peter said to Ananias, "you have lied to the Holy Spirit... You have lied not to men, but to God." [Acts 5:3,4] He is the Spirit of the Living God [2 Cor. 3:3], the One Who fills us with the fullness of God [Eph. 3:19].

God is not some nebulous, distant being somewhere beyond the universe. He is real, He is personal, He is with us. Does knowing this change the way we pray?

Pray with me now -- Holy Spirit of the Living God, fill us with Your fullness, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

ã 1999 PrayerPower Ministries, P.O. Box 1368, Dallas, TX 75380-1368, 1-800-949-PRAY.
May be copied for personal or church use; please include PrayerPower name, address and phone on copies.