The Spirit in You

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. — John 14:16-17

Jesus told His disciples that God would send His Holy Spirit to be with them. I’m sure they couldn’t even comprehend what that meant at the time, but the Holy Spirit is how God equips us. He pours out His Spirit on us, and our lives are never the same. The Holy Spirit releases all the power of Heaven into our hearts and our lives. All we have to do is ask.

The Holy Spirit is what truly transforms us into all that God has created us to be.

We may not always understand and those around us may be thrown off by the decisions we make and the changes in our life once we accept Christ. And Satan wants nothing more than to let our fear of who we were keep us from becoming who God wants us to be.

I usually know it’s the Holy Spirit when I do or say something much smarter or better or wiser than I actually am. A few months ago, I was at the grocery store and saw this young, frazzled mama pushing two toddlers in one of those horrendous racecar carts that are awesome in terms of kid likability but less than ideal in terms of actual maneuverability. Her kids were melting down, and I could tell she was at the end of herself when an older lady decided to chastise her for her lack of mothering skills. The older lady walked off, leaving this young mother in tears, and I felt the Spirit inside me telling me I needed to encourage her. It always feels a little awkward to approach a crying stranger in the frozen foods section of the grocery store, but I did it because I knew I was supposed to tell her that it was going to be okay, that she was going to make it through this. And when I ended up in the checkout line behind her, I felt God tell me I needed to give her a gift card to take care of her next grocery trip. I quickly purchased a gift card, handed it to her, and told her that God sees her and loves her. And I felt a million kinds of awkward because what if she thought I was some weird grocery store stalker?

But that’s the thing about allowing the Spirit to be poured out in our lives: we have to be willing to die to our flesh. My husband always says that even with Jesus, we just aren’t that good because our flesh is so weak. I feel like I prove that a thousand times a day. If there is anything good in me, it’s because of the Holy Spirit.

And God specifically created each of us in ways that He will use if we allow His Spirit to empower and equip us.

On my own, so many times I have failed, but it makes all the difference when I remember that the Spirit lives within me and that Jesus promised we’ll never be alone. He has given us a Helper, an internal Guide that lives within us, and we can count on that strength when our own has left us feeling weak and alone.

Excerpted with permission from Everyday Holy by Melanie Shankle, copyright Melanie Shankle.

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Your Turn

Do you remember a recent circumstance when you knew that the Holy Spirit was speaking to you and inspiring you to say or do something you wouldn’t otherwise say or do? Did you follow what He said? What happened? We would love to know! Come share with us on our blog! ~ Devotionals Daily