Who Is Your Partner?

Imagine being with Jesus, seeing His face, hearing His voice, and experiencing His touch as He places a hand on your shoulder or hugs you. This seems incredible, yet God had something better than Jesus' physical presence with us on earth. I am sure you are asking how that could be correct! Yet, Jesus said, “It is to your advantage that I go away…” (John 16:7). What was Jesus talking about? He explained: “…if I don’t go away, the Divine Encourager” (or “Helper”), “will not be released to you” (John 16:7 TPT; NKJV). Jesus was explaining the importance of the Holy Spirit, who was with the apostles at that point, but would soon be in them when Jesus left this earth after rising from the dead (John 14:17). However, Jesus wasn’t going to leave us helpless when He physically departed. Instead, a miraculous plan was put in place for each born-again child of God.

God knew that we would need help to live on this earth. Our human nature without God is weak, and we tend to live to satisfy the desires of our flesh (Galatians 5:16). Life in the flesh leads us to failure. However, when we believe in Jesus, a miraculous change occurs; the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ is given to us by the Father (Galatians 4:6). “…When the Spirit of Christ empowers our lives, we are not dominated by the flesh, but by the Spirit” (Romans 8:9 TPT). The Holy Spirit is a gift of the Father’s love (Romans 5:5) and confirms His unity with us (1 John 4:13). What does the presence of the Holy Spirit accomplish?

The Holy Spirit:

• Leads us into all truth (John 15:26; 16:13).

• Reveals Who Jesus is (John 15:26).

• Helps us to know the things that have been given to us by God (1 Corinthians 2:12).

• Makes us holy as we are united with Jesus by His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:1; 1:3; 1:5; 2:5).

• In union with us shows us that we are also in unity with the Father and the Son (Ephesians 2:10).

• Helps us to know that we are children of God; God is our Father (Romans 8:16).

• Present in us helps us to know that Jesus lives His life in us (Romans 8:10 TPT).

• Present in us helps us to know that we live by His “dynamic power” (Romans 8:4 TPT).

• Present in us helps us to live by His impulses and to pursue spiritual realities and not those of the flesh.

• If allowed to control us, causes us to experience life and peace (Romans 8:6 TPT).

• Brings resurrection power into our born-again nature, the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11 TPT). The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in every child of God (Ephesians 1:19-21)!

• Present in us helps us to know that we are accepted into the family of God (Romans 8: 15 TPT).

• Present in us means we are never alone, never orphaned; God, our Father, is always with us and always for our good; we are beloved children of God (Romans 8:16 TPT)!

• Helps us in our weaknesses; in our human frailty, He empowers us (Romans 8:26).

• Helps us when we don’t know how to pray or what to pray for. He “rises up within us to super-intercede on our behalf, pleading to God with emotional sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8:26 TPT). He “passionately pleads before God for us, His holy ones, in perfect harmony with God’s plan and our destiny” (Romans 8:27 TPT).

• Works within us producing fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22,23).

• Is proof of God’s love for us and His gifting to us; we possess everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

  
  

Partnership with the Holy Spirit is a choice. Even though He is one with us, we chose if we will cooperate with the Holy Spirit. We must be “responsive to, controlled, and guided by the Spirit; then we will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God)” (Galatians 5:16 Amp). We chose to do life together with the Holy Spirit!

We learn what partnership looks like by the Word of God:

• Mary hears the word of God and believes. By the power of the Holy Spirit, she gives birth to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Luke 1:35).

• In obedience to the Father, Jesus was baptized. The Holy Spirit rested upon Him and remained with Him. Jesus was empowered by the Spirit to face temptation from the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus possessed “great power” and “He did wonderful things for others, and divinely healed all who were under the tyranny of the devil” (Acts 10:38 TPT), including casting out demons (Matthew 12:28).

• By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was raised from the dead and was seated at the right hand of the Father (Romans 8:11; Ephesians 1:18,19).

• Acts 1:8 confirms that when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we are “seized with power” (TPT). We receive “ability, efficiency, and might” (Amp), beyond our human capability. This additional equipping of power is called the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5).

In Summary:

The Holy Spirit should be the Leader of our lives as He leads us into all truth.

The Holy Spirit is Empowerment so we may live just like Jesus lived.

The Holy Spirit is the Producer of a fruitful life.

The Holy Spirit is the Equipper of everything we need to live a godly life.

The Holy Spirit is our Peace.

The Holy Spirit is our Focus as we look at Jesus instead of the distractions of this world.

The Lord instructs us to “be strong and courageous; do not be afraid” (Joshua 1:9). By the empowerment of the Holy Spirit present within us, we are capable of living out this command!

Will you choose to partner with the Holy Spirit, the “Giver of Life,” to cooperate with Him, believing in His presence and the work He accomplishes in you?