“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever;
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
I will not leave you comfortless…”

                   -John 14:16-18

The Holy Ghost is mentioned throughout the entirety of God’s Word. From the creation of the world in Genesis (1:2), to the closing verses of Revelation (22:17), It has always been active among God’s people. Yet in spite of this, we find that the Spirit’s dealing with mankind was significantly hindered during Old Testament times due to the sinful condition of humanity and need for redemption. You’ll often find instances where the Holy Ghost rested upon an individual (Num. 11:25; I Samuel 10:6), and perhaps even filled them (Luke 1:67), yet the Lord clearly differentiated between the Spirit’s work then and now by saying, “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever.” (John 14:16) You see, the difference in New Testament times does not lie in Who is dealing with us; the difference is that the New Testament saint can now be filled with the Holy Ghost continually.

This promise of Christ to His disciples (and to us) was fulfilled not long after The Ascension on a day we now call The Day of Pentecost. Scripture says in Acts 2:1-4, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” This “initial evidence”, as it’s come to be known, of being filled with the Holy Ghost is found elsewhere in the New Testament where the recipients of this great Gift from God spoke in other tongues as the Spirit Itself gave them utterance (Acts 19:6).

But just as being saved consists of more than going to church and praying, being baptized in the Holy Ghost is much more than the outward manifestation of speaking in other tongues. The Holy Ghost also comforts (John 14:16), strengthens (Romans 8:26), keeps us from sin (Galatians 5:16), reveals God’s will (Revelation 3:6), and many other things too numerous to mention. Each of these benefits should be more than enough reason for each Christian to diligently seek the baptism of the Holy Ghost (study Acts 19:2).

Though many would say that the Holy Ghost only manifested Itself so mightily during the first century, Peter emphasized the lasting nature of this offer from God (Acts 2:39). Any saved, sanctified Christian is eligible to partake in this wonderful experience, and can seek it in faith knowing that “…every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matthew 7:8)

“Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.”

                       -Acts 19:19-20

Some of the greatest outpourings of the Holy Ghost took place in the book of Acts. People were saved by the thousands (Acts 2:41), and the Lord added to His church daily (Acts 2:47). But contrary to what people often suggest today, God did not pour out of His Spirit so freely just to get people’s attention. The reason we find such amazing miracles and groundbreaking revivals is because the early church knew what it meant to live a holy and sanctified life.

On the other hand, many people today are under the false assumption that you can have as much of the world as you want without it hindering your walk with the Lord. They entertain themselves with murder and vampires on Saturday, yet leave church confused on Sunday because they didn’t feel the Lord like they thought they were supposed to. While their morning might include a short Scripture reading, the evening hours are spent indulged in books unworthy of sharing the same shelf with the Word of God. Apparently unaware that a Christian “…cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils” (I Corinthians 10:21), they continue on in this miserable state of hypocrisy, hoping that they’ll soon come out of the valley they unwittingly keep throwing themself back into.

As Christians, however, we should follow the example of the Ephesians and remove from our lives anything offensive to God. When they realized that the books they read were not holy, they gathered them together and burnt them. No, they didn’t sell them on E-bay and cause someone else to stumble; they destroyed the evil once and for all. The Scripture goes on to say that it was this very act that caused the Word of God to spread rapidly through the area (verse 20). In the same way, we can expect God to work mightily in our lives when we begin removing those things that have no place in our life. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (James 4:8).

 

“Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.”

                        -Deuteronomy 7:26

If you've done much reading on my sidebar, then you know that I enjoy raising ducks. Don't ask me why, I just do. I suppose there's just something about it that appeals to me. Anyway, after having ducks for a little more than a year now, I've noticed some very interesting similarities between us Christians and these feathery creatures.

First of all, ducks are completely defenseless to predators. The only hope they have of escaping the claws of a hungry raccoon is to fly away (which most domestic breeds can't even do). They have no teeth, so they can't bite; they have no claws, so they can't scratch. They are totally helpless.

Second of all, they know only one voice: the voice of their master: the one who feeds them, takes care of them, etc. My mom has actually whistled at my ducks the same way that I do, and they won't even lift their heads. But if I whistle, they go into a frenzy thinking it's time for dinner. Whether it's time to eat or not, when I call, they respond.

Do you see what I'm getting at? As Christians, we are completely defenseless against the devil apart from Christ. The only protection we have is found in the shadow of His wings (Psalm 17:8). Furthermore, true Christians respond only to the voice of their master. The Lord even said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" (John 10:27) When the devil tries to deceive us, we should be able to know immediately that it is not the Master speaking, and discard everything he says. He may appear as an angel of light (II Corinthians 11:14), and even disguise his voice to sound like the Lord's, but a Holy Ghost filled Christian should still be able to discern which voice is that the of the good Shepherd (John 10:14).

"For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness."

                            -I Thessalonians 4:7 

As Christians, we have all been called by God to pursue a life of holiness. That may sound simple, but those of you who have read the book of Romans know that holiness is something none of us can possibly attain through our own efforts (see 3:9-12, 8:7-8). Why then are we instructed to strive for it? Because God Himself is holy, and requires nothing less of us than to be holy also (Leviticus 11:45). And though none of us can become holy by ourselves, the Holy Ghost can and will enable us to do that which would otherwise be impossible (Philippians 4:13).

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:"

                            -Hebrews 12:14

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."

                            -Matthew 5:8

As today's text states, uncleanness (i.e. sinfulness) is the opposite of  holiness, and we should therefore stay as far away from it as possible. In fact, according to these verses, a lack of holiness will keep us out of heaven, but the result of a having a pure/holy heart is to see the face of God! What greater reward is there than that?

Sadly, the doctrine of holiness and its importance has been abandoned by many most churches today. But, contrary to what you may have heard, holiness is still important to God and, as a result, should be important to us as well. Let us do as Paul admonished us in Ephesians 4:22, 24 and put off the "old man", and put on the new man of "righteousness and true holiness."

"And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another."

                            -Romans 15:14 

This fruit of the Spirit is much more difficult to expound on, due to the fact that it encompasses such a vast subject, so I suppose it would be helpful to us if we first looked at the very root of the word goodness. Goodness, of course, simply means the state of being good. While I'm sure that most of you reading this would profess to be a  good person, we must remember what the Word of God says in Romans 3:10:  

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." 

The reason I bring this passage of Scripture up is to point out that it is impossible for us to be good through our own efforts. Like all of the other fruits of the Spirit, we must first have the Holy Ghost in our lives in order to develop it. Remember, they are called "The Fruit of the Spirit", not "The Fruit of Our Own Efforts."

When I was young, I was taught to begin my mealtime prayers with the words, "God is good..." Despite the fact that it was only a children's prayer, those words couldn't be more true. We serve a good God. And because we serve a good God, His dwelling in us ought to result in us being good children of God. (If you haven't noticed by now, every one of the fruits of the Spirit can be gained by simply becoming like Christ.)

When I look back over the past 24 hours of my life, I must say that there have been instances in which I have been lacking somewhat greatly in the area of goodness. "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ"  over our areas of weakness and insufficiency (I Corinthians 15:57)!

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

                            -Philippians 4:7 

As we saw yesterday, the work of the Holy Ghost in our lives should naturally result in an indescribable joy in the depths of our soul. But not only that, it should also create such a sense of peace that, even when our lives are full of chaos and turmoil, we can maintain a positive attitude, knowing that "...all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

In the world in which we live, it is more difficult than ever before to have peace. We are constantly hearing of "...wars and rumors of wars." (Mathew 24:6), and other such things that try to cause feelings of fear and uncertainty to take the place of the peace of God. However, we must bear in mind that "...God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (II Timothy 1:7) It is the desire of our Lord Jesus Christ that the "peace of God rule in our hearts" (Colossians 3:15), and that we would trust fully and completely in Him to see us through whatever life may throw our way.

Just as a lack of love indicates a lack of God (see post #1 of this series), a lack of peace means we are not adequately relying on the Prince of Peace (i.e. Jesus) from day to day (Isaiah 9:6). If we will fully trust in Him, we will experience greater peace than we have ever known - a peace "...which passeth all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Such peace cannot be found in any earthly thing; it can only be obtained through Jesus Christ.

I was just going through some of my old writings when I came across something I wrote about a month ago, and I wanted to share it with you.

"Years ago, I remember watching as young men would stand up in church and testify, saying they had been called of God to preach. I would always think to myself, "That'll never be me. There's no way I'll ever be a preacher."

Ever since I was saved two years ago, however, I have found myself daydreaming every now and then about being a preacher one day. I never spoke about it, or even prayed about it, but it was always in the back of my mind. Then, around 1-2 months ago, I really started praying about my future, asking the Lord what He wanted me to do with my life. I had considered just about everything under the sun from farming, to becoming a professional musician, but I wanted the Lord's guidance in making my decision because I knew it was one of the most important choices I would ever make.

Then one day I decided to just ask the Lord if He wanted me to be a preacher. I thought to myself that maybe the reason I had been unable to shake the notion of being a preacher one day was because that was God's will for my life. "I'll pray about it, and if the Lord says 'yes', then I'll do it. If He says 'no', then I can put the whole idea behind me - once and for all." I told myself.

So anyway, this past Thursday (the 18'th) I was outside between 10:00-11:00 P.M. praying. After a good deal of prayer, I found myself kneeling on the blacktop crying out to God for guidance. After about 45 minutes of seeking God, I felt like the Lord was telling me He wanted me to preach.

Then it hit me.

I suddenly realized what a great responsibility it is to be a preacher of the Gospel. Being a preacher means more than just delivering a fiery sermon once or twice a week. It means being responsible for the souls God commits to your leadership, and knowing that if you mess up it could affect countless people negatively. Thinking about all of this, I actually almost forgot the whole thing.

The next day (Friday) I spent quite a bit of time praying, asking God to give me the confirmation needed if this was indeed His will, but I didn't really seem to receive any direction. But then last night I continued seeking God, and He let me know for sure: I am called to preach. The Holy Ghost has given me such a sense of certainty that there is no longer any doubt in my mind as to whether or not this is His will

But there are still so many unanswered questions. After all, there are a million and one types of preachers. God may want me to be a pastor, a deacon, a missionary, an evangelist, or any number of other things, so I've still got a lot of prayer and seeking the Lord ahead of me...

I know that now I have to begin preparing for whatever God may have in store for me. Like I said, I have no idea what that might be, so I've got to be prepared for whatever area of ministry He places me in.

I just pray the Lord will help me to remember that where He ordains He sustains, and that He wouldn't have placed this calling on my life if He didn't have everything figured out as to how I am supposed to fulfill it."

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

                            -Galatians 5:22, 23

Would you say that things such as goodness, temperance, and longsuffering are virtues that a Christian should exercise just part of the time? Should we only be loving every once in a while? Of course not. These things are to flood our entire being, characterizing our new identity in Christ Jesus.

There is a reason why Paul calls these attributes "the fruit of the Spirit." If I was told by somebody to distinguish between two trees which one was the apple tree and which one was the pear tree, I would immediately check each one for fruit. If I found apples on the left tree, it would naturally assume that it was the apple tree, and vice-versa. Likewise, if we possess the fruits of the Spirit, that is an indication that the Holy Ghost is at work in our lives.

It makes sense, though, that if love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance indicate the presence of God in our lives, that things such as hate, sorrow, fear, impatience, harshness, dishonesty, doubt, haughtiness, and lack of self control would indicate His absence.

The fruit of the Spirit is necessary in each of our lives. If we desire to be "neither...barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (II Peter 1:8), then we ought to bear the fruit of the Spirit, not in moderation, but in abundance.

"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."

                            -John 15:8

For a long time I was never really serious about serving the Lord.  I was saved at a young age, but then I began to get discouraged and I fell away from God.  Then, when I was a little bit older, I got saved again, and at age 11 I was filled with the Holy Ghost at a Church of God youth convention.  But, yet again, I was unable to hang on to what God had given me and I backslid. For years, this was my life. I would get saved, backslide, and then repeat the whole process.
   
When I was about 13 or 14 I remember getting saved and honestly believing with all my heart that it was my last chance.  I thought, "If I mess it up this time, that's it.  Game over; no more restarts." But praise the Lord that wasn't the case, because I did indeed backslide...again.
   
After that, conviction began to set in strong.  I was tired of going back and forth, and so one night I got my mom and my grandma to come and help me pray as I sought forgiveness.  After a pretty long season of prayer, God, for some reason, answered my prayer and saved me once again. 
   
A month or two passed, and then the devil started trying to tear me down.  I knew that if something didn't change I would backslide again.  Then one night at about 4:00 A.M. (yes, A.M.), I woke my mom up and asked her to help me pray for the Holy Ghost.  As we were praying, I told God that I didn't just want the Holy Ghost, but I wanted the commitment to be able to keep it. That night my life was forever changed.  I was sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost, but I also received the commitment I had prayed for. 

That was almost 2 years ago and I am still going (or should I say, growing).  Over the past two years I have learned a lot.  I've learned that God doesn't always move mountains - but sometimes He does.  I've learned that commitment wasn't all that I lacked before; I lacked a true love for God.  Your feet take you where your heart leads, and that's why we have to put our heart in God's hands.  But, perhaps most importantly, I've learned that God is the only One you can count on in life. He's the only one that will never leave you or forsake you.  When all else fails, God won't.