Day 2

A Serious Misconception

There is an error that many make: they have attempted to understand the work and power of the Holy Spirit without first coming to know Him as a Person.

It is crucial that we establish in our hearts and minds whether we believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person—One who is infinitely holy, infinitely wise, and infinitely mighty, yet wonderfully tender, sensitive, and compassionate. Do we believe He is One who is worthy to receive our reverence, affection, faith, love, devotion, and complete surrender? Or do we instead believe that the Holy Spirit is simply an influence proceeding from God—some sort of divine mystical power, not unlike what we think of when we refer to “the spirit of generosity” or “the spirit of competition”?

This latter view is shallow, crude, and even cultic. If we believe this way, we are easily susceptible to spiritual haughtiness or pride, which would lead us to strut about as if we belong to some higher order of Christianity.

However, if we see Him as infinite in majesty, glory, splendor, wisdom, knowledge, and holiness, and if we believe that He, as a Person, has an accord with the Father and Son to take possession of our lives and make good out of them, then we will fall on our faces in holy awe.

Someone who sees God’s Spirit as an influence or supreme power will constantly say, “I want more of the Spirit.” On the contrary, someone who sees Him as a wonderful Person will say, “How can I give more of myself to Him?”

Our Perception of Him

One of the reasons many perceive the Spirit of God as a mere influence, rather than as a Person, is the way He’s been spoken of. Have you ever heard anyone refer to the Holy Spirit as an “it”? I have been in ministry for thirty years; if I were given a dollar for each time I’ve heard the Spirit of God referred to as an “it,” I would be very wealthy. Unfortunately, so many of us miss out on the fullness of the Spirit’s presence because we refuse to honor Him as a Person. The Spirit of God will not manifest where He’s not honored (see Matthew 13:54-58; Psalm 89:7).

I want to note that in calling the Holy Spirit a “Person,” I am not calling Him human. What I am simply saying is that He possesses attributes of what we would consider to be personality. The Holy Spirit is Deity, not a human being. But we must remember, humans were created in God’s image. So He’s not like us; rather, we are like Him.

As a Church, we’ve chosen to view Him as a “holy entity” rather than as One who is most holy. His desire is to be our closest friend, yet we have limited His involvement in our lives. The sad truth is we have inadvertently rejected the most fulfilling relationship available to us.

Let’s take a look at some scriptures that will perfectly illustrate the personality of the Holy Spirit: