How the Holy Spirit Moves
By James
W. Goll
PRIMARY
VERSE:
Genesis 1:2 - And
the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep;
and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
NEGATIVE
RESPONSES TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
We
are not just to be open to the Holy Spirit, but we are to passionately pursue
Him. But there are several warnings given to us in scriptures of attitudes
and actions to avoid in our relationship with and to the Holy Spirit.
A. Do Not Neglect or Ignorant
Paul
uses the word ignorant thirteen times in the epistles.
I
Cor.12:1 - Now about spiritual gifts,
brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
NIV
B. Do Not Grieve
Eph.
4:29-31 - Do not let any unwholesome talk
come out of your mouths,
but only what is helpful for building others up according to their
needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the
Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander,
along with every form of malice.
C. Do Not Quench
I
Thess. 5:19 - Do not put out the Spirit's
fire;
D. Do Not Blaspheme
Mt.
12:31-33 - And so I tell you, every sin
and blasphemy will be forgiven
men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone
who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but
anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either
in this age or in the age to come. "Make a tree good and its fruit will
be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized
by its fruit.
E. Do Not Insult
Heb.
10:29 - How much more severely do you
think a man deserve to
be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated
as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him,
and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? When you insult someone,
they remove their presence from you.
F. Do Not Tempt
Acts
5:9 - Peter said to her, "How could
you agree to test the Spirit of the
Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the
door, and they will carry you out also."
POSITIVE
RESPONSES TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
Not
only are there warnings listed in scripture, but there are positive responses
specifically listed for us to obey.
A. Be Born of the Spirit
Jn. 3:3-8 -
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom
of God unless he is born again. " "How can a man be born when he is
old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his
mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no
one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should
not be surprised at my saying, `You must be born again.' The wind blows
wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes
from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." NIV
B. Receive and Be Baptized in the Spirit
Acts
1:8 - But you will receive power when the
Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth."
Mt. 3:11 - "I
baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more
powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with
the Holy Spirit and with fire.
C. Be
Continuously Filled
Eph.
5:18 - Do not get drunk on wine, which
leads to debauchery. Instead,
be filled with the Spirit.
D. Know
and See the Spirit
Jn. 14:16-18 - And
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to 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. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
E. Be Led By the Spirit
Rom. 8:14 - because
those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
F. Pray in the Spirit
I
Cor. 14:14- For if I pray in a tongue, my
spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
Jude
20- But you, dear friends, build
yourselves up in your most holy faith
and pray in the Holy Spirit.
G. Walk in the Spirit
Gal. 5:16 - So
I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful
nature.
H. Hear the Spirit
Heb. 3:15 - As
has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your
hearts as you did in the rebellion."
A great definition of moving in the Holy Spirit is
to so flow with the Lord as to not cast two shadows.
THREE
THINGS TO DO WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
A. Honor Him as a Guest
Welcome
Him on a first-name basis without over familiarity. Acknowledge
Him as the third person of the Godhead, with His own distinct
personality (Jn. 16:13). Honor Him
and desire His presence.
B. Seek Him
Ask
for Him and seek to be equipped by Him (Lk. 7:7-11). He is more than
“special guest”. He is our equipper. Ask the Father in Jesus name
to be equipped by the Holy Spirit to do the ministry work.
C. Give Him Freedom and Liberty
Yield
to Him (2 Cor. 3:17). When the Holy Spirit is Lord, there will be freedom
for the people. Let the Holy Spirit be in control.
FIVE
PRINCIPLES OF HOW THE HOLY SPIRIT ALWAYS MOVES
Read
John 14:16-21 and John 16:5-15 before proceeding into the following
points.
A. In and Through (by means of) the Written
Scriptures
He
never moves contrary to the Word of God. He compliments and does
not compete with the Word of God.
B. In Agreement With the Father and the Son
There
are never three wills in the Godhead. The Holy Spirit reveals the
council of the Father and the Son.
C. Brings Jesus into a Greater Reality
The
Holy Spirit reveals Jesus as a living reality, and brings us into a deeper
relationship with Him.
D. A Life-Giving Source
He brings us into the life of the Lord Jesus. He is interested in maturing our
character, not just bringing us personal comfort. He is interested in bringing us truth, not false assurance
or consolation. He woos, convicts,
shepherds, and leads us to the life-source of God.
E. Moving the Believer to Be a Witness
He
helps us overcome our fears and He stretches us outside of ourselves,
bringing both maturity and fruit. He motivates us to testify
of
the love and power of God.
PREPARATIONS
TO FLOW IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
A. Avoid
Hurrying or Rushing
Quiet
yourself before the Lord, Avoid being like a stirred-up fish bowl and
rest before His presence.
Ps. 130:5-6 -
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul
waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen
wait for the morning. NIV
Ps.
131:2 - But I have stilled and quieted my
soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul
within me.
B. Pray in the Spirit
Build
yourself up, in your faith by praying in the gift of tongues. This will
edify your faith and turn you into the Fathers heart. I Cor. 14:4.
C. Get Involved
Seek
God for something to take when you attend a gathering. Purpose
in your heart to get involved and don’t go just to receive.
D. God Wants to Use You!
Yes! God wants to use little ole me! Believe that
the Lord wants to use me
to impart to others.
E. It’s Only by GRACE!
As God for a revelation of Grace. That way all the
glory goes to God to whom
it all belongs.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
A. The Kingdom of God is in the Holy Spirit
Rom.
14:17- For the kingdom of God is not a
matter of eating and drinking,
but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
B. Rivers of Living Water Shall Flow
Out
of your innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. Pray for this
to occur in your life. Jn. 7:38 - Whoever
believes in me, as the Scripture
has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."
Father, I ask that out of my inner most being that
streams of revelation, power and life would flow out of me. I stir up the gift of God within me. River of God flow out of me onto
dry ground! In Jesus Name!
