The perseverance of the Holy Spirit is a marvelous thing. He lives in the Believer in Christ and honors us with His Presence to lead and guide.
Oh, my friends, when I think how often you and I have let the devil in, I wonder the Spirit has not withdrawn from us. The perseverance of a saint for a single day is a multitude of miracles of mercy. When you consider that the Spirit is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, and yet he dwells in the heart where sin often intrudes, a heart out of which come blasphemies, and murders, and all manner of evil thoughts, what if sometimes he is grieved, and retires and leaves us to ourselves for a season?
It is a marvel that he is there at all, for he must be daily grieved with these evil guests, these false traitors, these base intruders who thrust themselves into that little temple which he had honored with his presence, the temple of the heart of man. -Charles Spurgeon-
When I read the text above I burst into tears. I asked God to forgive me for every time I have treated the Holy Spirit in a way that grieved Him. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me aside from Jesus saving my soul.
I have never done bad things such as breaking the law, or other things that were morally wrong. I wasn’t the perfect child, but I never lived in open rebellion against my parents or did things that hurt those around me.
In school, my classmates called me a “goody two shoes.” I was a good person. But I was also too scared to do rebellious things. My parents always supported me in everything. And I didn’t want them to be disappointed in me.
I guess I didn’t want to disappoint anybody at any time or anywhere. I know, that’s legalism at its finest.
If you have lived your life being a “good person” it can be easy to not see yourself as you really are. You haven’t done bad things legally or morally. So you don’t think of yourself as grieving God or the Holy Spirit with good things you do.
I have already admitted to being a people-pleaser in my younger years. So I was devastated when I realized how much I had grieved the Holy Spirit and taken Him for granted.
I assumed He was there to meet MY needs. I made it all about me and what I wanted. But God wanted me to get to the point that I would be aligned with Him and His desires – not the other way around.
It’s about God and what He wants – not about you and what you want.
Realizing this has changed my life. The perseverance of the Holy Spirit is a precious gift that God has given me to help me live in victory. I won’t be defeated by Satan when I follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus died on the cross and rose again. Then He went back to heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. This made it possible for the Holy Spirit to come and reside in the heart of every person who believes in Him as their Lord and Savior.
If you have asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, you have the awesome gift of the Holy Spirit who lives inside you. He wants to lead you in the right direction.
But He is much more than that. He is your comforter in time of trouble, the provider of your every need. And He will never lead you astray.
First thing each morning, thank the Holy Spirit for who He is and what He has done in your life. Also thank Him that you don’t have to make decisions on your own any more.
Ask Him to reveal areas in your life where you need to change, and be obedient to His direction. Your life will take on new meaning.
