A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. —1 Corinthians 12:7-11 NLT
Believers are filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit primarily to help them do God’s work and serve the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit’s influence and impact in the life of believers can be extremely uplifting, giving divine guidance, comfort, hope, and strength. Some ways the Holy Spirit impacts the life of believers include:
Ability to discern between the things of God and that of the world: “But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.” 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 (NLT)
Comfort and Peace: The Holy Spirit is our Comforter in times of sorrow, stress, or confusion, and He provides peace that transcends human understanding. This inner calmness helps believers trust God’s eternal plan despite external challenges and circumstances. “Then the churches …had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.” Acts 9:31 (NKJV)
Illuminates the mind: “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches…” 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 (NJKV)
Guidance and Direction: The Holy Spirit guides, directs and leads believers in their daily decision-making and helps them understand God’s will. This guidance can come through an inner sense of conviction, reading the Scriptures, or through circumstances and advice from other believers. “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” John 16:13 (NLT)
There is so much more the Holy Spirit does in the life of a believer and the Church. We will look at a few more in later blogs.
Stay blessed,
LaraLex
Hills and Valleys 