God in Me

 "God in Me." Is this possible? 

Paul preached the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit as our Helper. Here is Jesus' message in John 14: 15 - 31.

 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 

Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.  I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.”

After Paul writes about our battles with sin in Romans 5 through 7, he affirms that we can defeat sin if we have Christ in us. We have God's law and following the law does not save us. We must have faith in God and believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Do we throw away the law? No, we keep the law. 

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption; whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." Romans 8:14-16

The question is: Do you have the Holy Spirit? Did you simply go through a church ritual without giving yourself totally to God? Did you receive the Holy Spirit? 

My story: I grew up in a home with a father who read the Bible to us and prayed with us. My father directed us towards God. We were in church for every event and service. I asked Jesus into my heart when I was ten years old. And I lived. Then, years later as I was preparing a Bible study for the young ladies Woman's Missionary Society, I realized that I was missing something. There was always that void. I prayed. I prepared Bible studies. Yet, I was not connected with God. I was teaching a children's Sunday School class and leading a group of teens on Sunday nights. I loved serving and teaching. Yet, I felt like I was missing something. What? I didn't know until that early Spring morning when I realized that I was simply going through the motions. Jesus promised to give us the Holy Spirit. The disciples preached the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Yet, I was missing God in me. I prayed that morning. I cried. It was just me and God. Since that morning, my Bible study hasn't been just to prepare a lesson, but to prepare my heart for each day. I have had encounters with strangers who I shared the gospel. Many times, afterwards I wondered where did I get those words. It wasn't me. It was the Holy Spirit in me. There is a big difference in just being saved and being saved filled with the Holy Spirit. 

I can truly quote Paul's words from Romans 8:37-39:

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels. nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

So, where are you in your Spiritual walk? Examine yourself. No deconstruction other than seeking and following God through His Holy Words and being filled with the Holy Spirit.






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