The Holy Spirit and Life Beyond our Self-imposed Limitations

Do we honestly trust and believe in the power and love of the Holy Spirit? For some reason people find the Holy Spirit frightful. Perhaps for some they believe that a life in the Spirit means a person has to be “super” charismatic. For others perhaps it means letting go of the need to control their life and surroundings.  Nevertheless we often neglect or take the Holy Spirit for granted. The theologian Alister McGrath, says, “The Holy Spirit is like the Cinderella of the Ball, every one is invited but her!” Yet the Spirit shows up despite our best efforts to avoid her.

The Spirit works! I have personally witnessed the Holy Spirit allow people and churches to achieve goals and experience growth due to their trust in the Holy Spirit; goals that by our standards seem most difficult, if not impossible to meet. As a church we often try to create a microcosm world when it comes to items such as funds, budgets and various ministries. In other words we limit ourselves because we don’t believe in what we don’t see. But I have to ask, isn’t that what faith is all about? Prayerfully stepping outside of our imprisoning boundaries and trusting in God? Trusting that through the Holy Spirit God will provide us with what we need?

There is a profound saying in recovery that is so true, “We have to give ‘it’ away in order to keep it.”  We have to be willing to step out in faith; a faith that requires us to give even when we don’t believe in our human hearts we have anything left. Yet through faith and the Advocate (the Holy Spirit) we can accomplish goals and achieve objectives that we could never do if left to the self-imposed limitations; constraints that are part of our humanity.

God will provide! We see this throughout Scripture from Abraham, Moses, Joshua, the Judges, Paul and the rest of the apostles. Through us the Holy Spirit can accomplish those things that seem most unlikely if not impossible.

Trust in the Holy Spirit and do not be afraid. In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells the disciples he is sending an Advocate of the Father who will empower them beyond their limitations. That Advocate dwells among us today, all we have to do is say, “Come Holy Spirit Come.”