THE UNSUNG HERO...GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

It seems to me that the God the Holy Spirit takes somewhat of a backseat to God the Father and Creator, and Jesus Christ, the son of God, but don't take my word for it, look at this comparison:

1. God is mentioned 4,446 times in the KJV.
2. Jesus or Jesus Christ or Christ is mentioned 1,554 times in the KJV.
3. The Holy Spirit is mentioned 297 times in the KJV.

Of the 4,446 times God is mentioned, He is spread across every Book of the Bible. The 1554 times Jesus is mentioned puts two-thirds of the times in the NT. The Holy Spirit is only mentioned three times in the OT and 261 times in the NT. By these statistics alone you can see how each name is prioritized in the Bible. So why is there such a gigantic difference, between the three parts of the Holy Trinity that we believe in to this day? The facts are not in dispute, but when you compare the numbers above, you understand that truly, God the Holy Spirit's recognition in the Bible is minimal when compared the Father and the Son. 


The Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost has many names in Scripture, and here are the ones used most commonly:

1. Spirit of God
2. Spirit of Christ
3. Spirit of your Father
4. Spirit of Truth
5. Spirit of the Lord

Back in Genesis 1:2, you remember that the "Spirit of God walked upon the waters." Almost immediately we are introduced to this person, as being on earth as it was being formed by God Almighty.

So is this part of the Trinity corporeal and actually walking in Genesis or is He incorporeal like God, the Father? I believe he is an energy life-force, just like God, the Father and Jesus before he was born in that manger 2000 plus years ago. Judaism believes that He is "the breath of God." They certainly believe that he exists, but not as the 3rd part of the Triune God. Since they also don't believe Jesus was the Messiah, they have packaged their belief system in monotheism and have done so for 6,000 years.

So what else do we know about the Holy Spirit? Well, John 14:26, Jesus refers to the Spirit as, "The Helper." His role seems to be to move the agenda along in a number of ways:

1. He teaches us. Luke 12:12 says that "He will teach you in that very hour what you need to say." What a promise! He is there to make sure your words are clear and correct at all times, as long as your relationship is acknowledged and used.
2. He intercedes for us. Romans 8:26 says that the "Spirit also helps our weakness." Since we do not know how to really pray, the Holy Spirit reiterates your thoughts and prayers "with groaning too deep for words." This is fascinating to me...We have our own built in translator. Anyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ has this Holy Spirit living inside of them. Think about what that means, and few of us understand it, and even fewer have learned to take advantage of Him in our daily lives.
3. He comforts us. Jesus says he will pray to God the Father and He shall give you a "Comforter," who will abide in you forever. Jesus said this to the Apostles, but He knew we would all need this comfort to get through the difficult times. If you let Him, He will be there in fear, in grief, and in sickness. If you don't use Him you suffer more than necessary. If you continue to ignore Him, the Bible says He actually grieves for you. 
4. He empowers us. Here is where you find victory in your life from the sins of the flesh. On our own we tend to fail miserably. I can attest to trying it on my own and going backwards, instead of forwards. No matter what the problem in our proclivity to sin, here is the answer for victory one day at a time. He will give the power to break any bondage plaguing your life, so that you can walk in tandem with a direct pipeline to God. Are you struggling with weight? Are you struggling with pills? Are you struggling with your faith? Are you struggling with your temper? These are just a few of many that He can empower to to overcome. 
5. He inspires prophecy. Have you ever been reading the Word of God, and suddenly had a great revelation of truth...Where did that come from anyway? The Holy Spirit continues to inspire the individuals in which he resides. As I study and write this blog, I am often amazed at where the words come from that flow from me to this digital communication. Yes, I study, yes, I have some God-given talent to write, but the subject matter and the free fall of ideas comes from another place, and I believe it is the Holy Spirit just doing his job.

There are other jobs that seem to fall under the Holy Spirit's enormous job description, but you get the point. If you neglect the Holy Spirit in your life, you need to re-think that position and understand that you absolutely need him at full strength in your life, no different than God the Father and Jesus Christ. They are the amazing Trinity or Triune God composed of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 

Whether or not you realize it or not God gave you a living soul when you were born the 1st time. He gave you another gift when you were born again and washed clean by the sacrifice of Jesus for our sin. This gift of the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in each believer, and He is waiting for each of us to stop neglecting His precious gifts and abilities. We have an amazingly difficult time internalizing, much less understanding the Trinity, we call God. Some like to make the comparison to water, since it is the same in any of the three different forms, Ice, Liquid and Steam. This is 3 difference states of being with the identical properties of each other. I don't believe this explains the complexity of our Godhead, but it at least opens our minds to what might be.

Greet the Holy Spirit, praying to Him on occasion, and you will receive an added measure of divine wisdom and strength for all the days of your life.

May the Triune God we both fear and love bless us all in these trying times!

The Digital Disciple