Struggle & Triumph | Who God Says I AmSample

I Am Indwelt by the Holy Spirit

“Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV)

One of the biggest differences between Christianity and any other faith on the planet is the promise of the gift of God’s Spirit to live within us. In no other religion does the deity give itself to its adherents. But God has given us the greatest gift of all by giving us Himself.

God created people to live in communion with Him. Adam and Eve enjoyed that fellowship until they sinned and turned away from God. 

When Jesus walked on the earth, His disciples were able to interact with Him every day. What a rollercoaster of emotion they must have felt when He was crucified, then rose again and then told them He would be leaving again! 

But as He explained, He had to leave in order for the Helper to come. 

We cannot physically walk with Jesus the way His followers did, but even they weren’t with Him every hour of every day. When He sent the Holy Spirit, whom He had promised to them, His followers became capable of unbroken communion with God through the Holy Spirit living in them.

In the Old Testament, God’s presence was in His temple, and only certain people were filled with His Spirit at specific times for specific purposes. Now the Spirit of Jesus lives in the hearts of all who receive Him and believe in Him for salvation. Now we are His home, His temple. 

Paul wrote to the believers in Rome, “the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:15,16).

Having God’s Spirit living in us isn’t just an academic, theological thing. We’re His kids! “Abba” is the Aramaic word that a child would use to call out to “Daddy.” His Spirit in us proves that we are truly the children He loves.

Application: You have the greatest gift in all creation if the Spirit of the God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in your heart. He can give you the power to live a life that pleases Him, and you are never alone. Are you giving the Holy Spirit the lead in your daily life? Does your life lead others to see that the God of the universe lives in you?