“The influence of the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in the soul. We do not see Christ and speak to Him, but His Holy Spirit is just as near us in one place as in another. It works in and through everyone who receives Christ. Those who know the indwelling of the Spirit reveal the fruits of the Spirit…”1
"Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."
Galatians 5:22
In Galatians, God shows us that the power of sin will be broken in us through the Holy Spirit:
“…walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (see also Romans 7:23 + 8:1) “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Spiritual Gifts
“Under spiritual gifts we mean the gifts given by the working of the Holy Spirit as they are listed in 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Ephesians 4:11: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, miracle workers, healers, helpers, administrators, a variety of tongues. These gifts play a part in ‘the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry’. … They validate the testimony of the church and give it leadership and guidance.” 112 The Holy Spirit also gives other talents for specific purposes: “in knowledge and in all manner of workmanship” (Exodus 31:2-6) or architecture (1 Chronicles 28:12, 19).
When we want to become Jesus’ disciples we surrender to Him everything we have and are. Hence all our talents and abilities, inherent as well as learned, are placed at His disposal. He can give us additional talents and/or He can refine and purify our natural abilities.
Can we have spiritual gifts when we have a lack of the Holy Spirit?
God Shows the Way!
While reading a book on prayer I realized that we may ask God to show us the way we should go (Psalm 32:8). The quiet listening to God’s voice changed my whole life. I tell about this experience in an article called “From Business Representative to Pastor” (only available in German). 114 There is also a good sermon to listen to from Kurt Hasel “How can I make the right decisions?” (also only available in German) 115 And there is also a profound sermon to read from years ago by Henry Drummond: “How can I know God’s will?” (only available in German)2
I am convinced that we will directly seek God’s counsel more and more in the last days.
Joel 2:28-29 indicates this. Ellen G. White comments: “We must individually hear Him speaking to the heart. When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God. He bids us, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10).”3
Money
What differences are there between spiritual and carnal Christians in relation to gaining and dealing with money? Do we see ourselves as the owners of our resources or as God’s stewards? “Love of money and love of display have made this world as a den of thieves and robbers. The Scriptures picture the greed and oppression that will prevail just before Christ’s second coming.”4
God’s Angels Protect God-Fearing People
God’s angels protect God-fearing people. “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7) “A guardian angel is appointed to every follower of Christ. These heavenly watchers shield the righteous from the power of the wicked one.”5—When the Bible talks about God-fearing people, followers of Christ and righteous people being under God’s protection, does this mean that it applies to anyone who sees themselves as a Christian? Does it also apply to those who haven’t completely surrendered their lives to God? It is true for children, because Jesus said in Matthew 18:10: “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” David, who completely entrusted his life to God, knew that he had no grounds for fear. He said: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)
(I recommend that you read the section about the ministry of good angels in chapter 31 of the book The Great Controversy). This is a great joy for every child of God.
Call to Action
We have only touched on a few areas. There are still many areas of life and faith which could be added. For all of them the following is true: When we review the differences now, there is not a single area that doesn’t have major advantages through a life with the Holy Spirit. And the other way around, there isn’t a single area where we don’t have great disadvantages with a life without the Holy Spirit. Shouldn’t this be a great motivation for us to daily dedicate our lives to God and to ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
“Some years ago a Boeing 707 took off from the Tokyo airport headed for London. It had a great take off. There was a clear, sunny sky. Soon the passengers could see the famous Mount Fuji in Japan. All of a sudden the pilot had the idea to circle around the mountain so that the passengers could enjoy this rare view.
He left the designated course of flight and changed over to visual flight. During visual flight the pilot dispenses with the security of the ground control center and depends completely on what he sees. The pilot saw the mountain close under him. His altimeter showed 4000 meters. What he didn’t see was the fall winds and gusts of wind, which raged around Mount Fuji. The Boeing 707 was no match for the winds. The plane broke in the air, crashed and all of the passengers died.”6
The carnal Christian lives in “visual flight mode.“ He makes all the decisions himself. In spite of his best intentions, he will fail. The spiritual Christian lives through the Holy Spirit in a loving and trusting relationship with His Lord, who leads him to a safe destination.
"I [Jesus] have come to bring fire on the earth. How I wish the fire had already started!"
Luke 12:49 NIRV
The above is an excerpt from Steps to Personal Revival.
Unless noted otherwise, scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NIrV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIrV” and “New International Reader’s Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
- Editor Francis D. Nichol, Adventist BibleCommentary,vol. 6 (Hagerstown, 1980), p. 1112
- Missionsbrief.de—Predigten lesen—Henry Drummond: Wie erkenne ich den Willen Gottes? (Deutsch und Englisch)
- Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1898), 363.
- Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings (Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1917), 651.
- Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911), 512.
- Kalenderzettel February 17, 1979 by Reinhard Petrik
