The Christian life is supernatural. As a car will not run without fuel, or a windmill pump without wind, so you cannot live the Christian life without the Spirit of God. Jesus promised to send the Spirit to His followers after He returned to heaven (John 16:7). He told them to return to Jerusalem and “wait for the Promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4). The Father sent the Spirit upon them on the day of Pentecost. The Spirit empowered them with boldness to share the gospel. The Holy Spirit of God still works in the world today and through the lives of God’s people.
The Spirit of God does the work of salvation and regeneration in our lives. Jesus described regeneration as being “born again” (John 3:3). Jesus explained that as we experience physical birth through our mother’s womb, we must also experience spiritual birth through the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote, “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5, NIV). Jesus stated emphatically, “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:7). The Spirit of God literally comes to live inside the Christian when we are born again and become children of God. The Bible says, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16, NKJ).
The Spirit of God does the work of transformation in our lives. In speaking of the glory of the Lord the Bible says, “And we all…are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (II Corinthians 3:18, NIV). The Spirit gives us the power to obey the Word of God that is transforming our thoughts, words, and actions. The Spirit convicts us of sin and continually turns our hearts toward God. The Spirit gives us boldness to witness for Christ and brings to our mind Scriptures (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit of God is the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead! (Romans 8:11).
The Spirit of God produces the fruits of the Spirit in our lives. The more the believer seeks after God, the more he or she is filled with the Spirit. The level of our surrender to God is in direct proportion to the fruit that we bear. The Bible explains, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23, NLT). Like an apple tree produces apples, the Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit will produce these spiritual fruits.
Have you been born again? Have you yielded the control of your life to God today? Are the fruits of the Spirit evident in your life? Does the Spirit have control of you? A.W. Tozer once said, “Though every believer has the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit does not have every believer.” How about you?