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With The Holy Spirit
Dr. Rashma George

                  In the little experience that I have had in sharing the word of God with the people, I have encountered a great section of people who have approached me with prayer requests. Men always want me to pray for their jobs or promotion. Women's basic concern is their husband and children. The students want their studies and future to be taken care of by God.

                  It is so every true that if we know the living God and we have a personal and intimate relationship with His son then he has given us the right and power to be called His children (John 1:12)

                  Jesus Himself said that, if we receive, if we seek we find, and if we knock the door is opened that for us (Matthew 7:9-11) . Many times many of us have approached God with our humble requests. It normally turns out to be hit-and-run trial method. If our prayers are answered we praise God and if not we quit by saying it wasn't God's will or desire.

God's desire

                  God's desire from man has always been to have a close and intimate relationship with Him. This is why God always desired from Adam and Eve to have a fellowship and communication with them. Perhaps that is the reason God the Spirit (Genesis 1:1) created man by breathing in him His breath or Spirit (Genesis 2:7) . With this spiritual aspect in Adam and Eve, they both could talk, communicate and have fellowship with God as good friends do. But sin broke this fellowship between God and Adam and Eve.

                  Yet we find Old Testament times men who were righteous before God and enjoyed fellowship with God. Enoch (Genesis 5:23-24) and Noah (Genesis 6:8-9) walked with God. God shared with Noah all He planned to do with the human race. Noah responded to God in perfect obedience (Genesis 6:14-22)

                  Abraham walked before God (Genesis 17:1) God shared His heart with him. God didn't hide any of his plans from Abraham whom he blessed ( Genesis 18:17-18)

                  Moses enjoyed close fellowship with God ( Exodus 34:29-35) . His obedience to God was absolute (Exodus: 40). David was a man after God's own heart (1Samuel 30:6-8). He sought the Lord God for every decision he made. Ezekiel and Daniel were separated by God to speak His oracles. God shared His deepest thoughts and plans with them. In the Old Testament we find only a selected few carried the special presence of God or in other words the anointing of God with them.

                  But in all such cases we find, all who had the anointing :

(1) to understand the desires and will of God,
(2) to commune and have fellowship with Him,
(3) to carry out His plans and purposes and
(4) to have this presence of God and anointing always resulted in abundant blessings.

Abundant life for all:

              For all to enjoy the presence and anointing of God, for sin in mankind to be dealt with, Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God was sent by God the Father to turn man's sinful nature into sinless nature. As 2 Corinthians 5:12 says "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God".

               Jesus Christ became the door ( John 10:7-9) , the mediator (1 Timothy 2:5) to link man to God the Father. Jesus removed the enmity between God and man and became a channel of peace ( Ephesians 2:14-18) . He restored to man his lost spiritual nature (John 3:3). Any man who believed in Jesus was " born again' of the Spirit of God (John 3:5-6, Romans 10:9-18 ).

                Hence, Jesus restored man to the image of God, so that man could have fellowship with God, commune with God and understand the heart, mind and desires of God. This restored fellowship with God gave to man the abundant life full of blessings (John 10:10) which originally belonged to Adam and Eve.

Living constantly with the presence of the Spirit of God:

                A man born of the spirit of God is expected to live by the power of the Spirit of God. Romans 8:1,4 makes it clear that man is expected to walk according to the spirit of God.

                Jesus make this very simple for man. Jesus said that, if any man acknowledged Him as the Son of God and is born of the Spirit of God and ask Him for the permanent presence of the Spirit of God to abide with him then, he will receive the very presence of God, which is the Holy Spirit. Jesus when on earth explicitly spoke about sending the Holy Spirit (John 14: 16-18, 26, John 16:18-20).

               For the first time on the day of the Pentecost ( Acts 2:1-4) people who were waiting upon the Lord and praying received the very presence of God in them or were baptized with the Holy Spirit was that all who received the Holy Spirit spoke in a language they did not know (Acts 2:4). This unknown tongue or other tongue or 'utterance' was given by the Holy Spirit tot them to praise, worship, magnify God.

               In the book of Acts there are several examples where people, who believed in Jesus Christ and were born of the Spirit of God were baptized with the Holy Spirit and spoke in other tongues.

               In (1 Corinthians 14:2,4) it is written, "for he who speaks in tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however in the spirit he speaks mysteries .... "He who speaks in tongue edifies himself.......This means that people who have received the Holy Spirit, when pray in " other tongues' not only exalt God but edify themselves spiritually, in other words build up the 'spirit man' in them. constant praying in other tongues help to interpret or understand what they have prayed about. Thus in 1 Corinthians 14:13, Paul says " Therefore let him who speaks in tongues pray that he may interpret". When man understands what he is praying in tongue he has access to the mysteries of God, the thoughts and desires of God.

                A man who is thus spiritually built up develops a spirit oriented mind (Ephesians 4:23). His mind seeks the things of God and not the earthly pleasures (Colossians 3:1-4) . Now as he communes in prayer in the language of the Holy Spirit, then the Holy Spirit reveals to him the deep spiritual truths (John 16:13) which the natural mind cannot understand or discern. These facts are clearly are stated in 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 .

                'But God has revealed them through His Spirit, for the spirit searches all things yea the deeper things of God.... even so no one knows the things of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit who is form God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us........ Holy Spirit teaches comparing spiritual things with the spiritual. But the natural mind does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them for they are spiritually discerned.......For who knows the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ".

                 With this constant communion and closeness with he Holy Spirit, man becomes sensitive to every move of the Holy Spirit. Then when man calls upon the Holy Spirit he is always there to help and comfort (John 14:26). Holy Spirit becomes man's best friend and man begins to live and walk with His presence like Enoch, Noah and Abraham.

                 When man thus lives and is seated in the presence of the Holy Spirit, all spiritual blessings are his (Ephesians 1:3). Man reigns and has power over all works of wickedness, power of darkness and works of the evil one (Ephesians 1:21,23, 2:6,7)

                 With such high standing and calling there is no need for a man who is born of the Spirit of God, i.e. "born again" to run from pillar to post asking for blessings and prayers. All the blessings are his inheritance in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.

(Cross and Crown)