The Spirit in Me

I have been preparing a Sunday School lesson on the Holy Spirit, and I have learned so much...mostly things telling me how little I actually know! My weekly teacher challenged me to take on one class during the current series (What Really Matters - The Essential Beliefs of the Christian Faith). After looking at the agenda for the series I knew I wanted to learn more about the Holy Spirit, so I jumped right in and chose that one.

Foolish me! The totality of the Holy Spirit is so far beyond my comprehension, I have no idea how I can teach anyone anything. It seems that anyone who has ever written a Christian non-fiction book has written on on the Holy Spirit (there are 24 books on the subject at our public library alone...a search of Amazon.com books results in 53,919 hits).

Several books list facts, though, that have really helped me narrow the lesson down. They meant a lot to me and I thought I'd share them:
1. If I am a believer, I already have the Holy Spirit.
2. I are to be filled with the Holy Spirit (being filled with him is definitely different that 'having' him).
3. The Holy Spirit Gives me power for God's purposes.
4. Sin blocks the work of the Holy Spirit in my life.

The Holy Spirit is probably the least understood and the least utilized member of the Trinity. Most Christians woefully underutilize the power of the Holy Spirit, many ignore him completely. Is that because we don't understand?

Jesus had to leave this world so the Spirit could dwell within us -- and he said that was a good thing! Because I believe, I have access to the very heart of God. The Spirit will convict me, teach me, pray for me, equip me, and provide me power to complete the plan God has for my life -- if I let him.

I pray that I will actually incorporate what I learn into my life so that those around me will know that I am filled with the Spirit...not so that I can boast, but so that they can see his power and seek it for themselves.

I imagine that this study could last for the rest of my life.