The Holy Spirit is the Greatest Promise of Our Age

Many of us today believe that we can do the Christian life on our own. However, it is impossible to do God-sized things without the leading of the Holy Spirit. And what we must expect is for the unexpected when walking with God.

People often read about God’s great miracles in the Old Testament and wish that He would move in a similar way in their lives today. It’s funny how hearing about someone else’s great experience often makes us look at our own experiences differently. After reading about Jonah surviving in the belly of a whale, we may start to think that God hasn’t done anything close to that miraculous in our lives. It might be easier to believe that God has changed His ways than to believe He is doing something even greater in His children now.

We must look at things from a new perspective. The Israelites were desperate for God’s guidance and were completely lost without it.

They were quick to give in to their fleshly desires because they didn’t have access to a power greater than their own. They had a deep longing to be led by God, but while Moses was gone up the mountain, doubt crept into their minds. They gave into their desperation and created idols of their own to worship. Their hasty decision to create and worship a golden calf while Moses was gone only proves that we all were created for worship, but when we get our eyes off of God and rely on our own strength, we find other people, things, or ideas to fill the void of worship.

In the Old Testament, certain people experienced the Holy Spirit coming upon them for specific tasks or appointments, but He didn’t dwell permanently within them. In Exodus, God gave Moses specific instructions for building His Tabernacle with precision. God chose a man named Bezalel as the head craftsman, and He explained to Moses, “I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts” (Exodus 31:3). Before and after the construction of the Tabernacle, Bezalel did not have the Holy Spirit leading and guiding him in whatever he did. However, God’s plan for Bezalel’s life allowed him access to the power and presence of the Holy Spirit while completing the Tabernacle.

In Deuteronomy 34:9, Moses laid his hands on Joshua when he was selected as the one to lead the Israelites into the Promise Land. The Holy Spirit came upon him as the appointed leader. Saul and David received the Holy Spirit in 1 Samuel when they were appointed King. In Judges, the Holy Spirit came upon Othniel, Gideon, and others to serve as inspired leaders who rescued God’s people from their enemies many times over.

The Old Testament saints didn’t have the Holy Spirit’s presence and power at all times, and He would leave once the task or appointment was completed. Very few people experienced the Holy Spirit’s presence with them for the remainder of their lives. I can’t imagine how awful it must feel to experience the incredible presence of the Holy Spirit in your life but then feel Him leave. I’m so thankful that I never have to know what that’s like. If you have given your life to Christ, you don’t have to know that terrible feeling either.

The New Testament explains that the Holy Spirit doesn’t temporarily come upon people for tasks or appointments, but He dwells permanently within those who have accepted Jesus Christ. Jesus told his disciples that He would soon go to be with His Father while they would remain on earth to do greater works than He. Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you” (John 14:16-17). Jesus is clear that the Holy Spirit was only with them at that time but would soon live inside of them after He ascended to Heaven.

However, the Holy Spirit doesn’t want to come alongside us only when there is a big task or when something bad happens, He wants to remain with and inside us permanently to accomplish everything in life regardless of size or difficulty. We need Him in every aspect of our lives!

To find out more about Benny Tate’s ‘Unlimited,’ visit MyCharismaShop.com