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“If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25 NASB95).
One key aspect of living as a disciple of Christ is depending on the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who bears witness about Jesus in our hearts, who applies the redemptive work of Jesus to us, and who personally and progressively conforms us to the image of Jesus.
One ministry the Spirit performs is convicting unbelievers of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8–11). Without the Spirit, we would not have a sense of how much we need Christ.
The Spirit also regenerates believers, causing us to be a new creation. The Spirit moves us from death to life, from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, from alienation to intimacy with God. He does this because of the work of Jesus Christ, who took on sin and died for our sake, that we might have His righteousness.
Another ministry of the Spirit is that of baptism. Through the Spirit, we are “baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13) and are adopted into the family of God. The Spirit also seals us until the day of redemption and indwells us.
The other ministries of the Spirit include filling, empowering, assuring, illuminating, teaching, praying, and gifting. His ministries are widely varied and essential to living out the Christian faith.
We need a moment-by-moment dependence on the power of the Spirit. In this journey of life, we need to glorify Him for giving us gifts, not glorify the gifts themselves. After all, these are gifts—we do not earn them. We cannot live the Christian life in our human power but are completely dependent on the Spirit.
When we try to take matters into our own hands and ignore the work of the Spirit, our faith will lose its vitality. Because of this, we need to train ourselves to be more aware of the work of the Spirit in our lives. We need to listen to His promptings and obey when we hear from Him. This often involves quiet listening, because the world will seek to distract us from His voice.
One practical tip that can help you gain awareness of the Spirit is prayer. Ask the Spirit to search your heart and draw you closer to Him (Psalm 139:23).
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Watch Ken’s previous Friday morning study videos here.
For more on the work of the Holy Spirit, check out Ken’s revised Conformed to His Image.
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