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The Forgotten God: Understanding the Holy Spirit's Power in Your Life

The Holy Spirit is often the forgotten member of the Trinity, yet He is vital to our Christian walk. When we understand the Spirit's role and power, we can experience transformation in our lives and become agents of change in the world around us.

The Spirit at Creation: Bringing Order from Chaos

The Spirit was present at creation, hovering over the waters. This could also be translated as "the breath of God was hovering over the waters." To the Jewish mind, Genesis is about forming order out of chaos. God was breathing on unformed chaos to give it order.

If there is one being more creative than any other in existence, it's God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You are here because you are created. The world exists because it was created.

When God formed man from dust, He didn't just speak him into existence as He did with other elements of creation. Instead, He "breathed the breath of life" into man. God gave humanity His spirit to raise them up, imparting His creative capacity to us.

What Does the Holy Spirit Do in Our Lives?

The Spirit of God who hovered over creation, bringing life and order over chaos, now hovers over you to give you joy and happiness and escape from the pain of loss. The Holy Spirit settles upon you and within you to give you joy.

Scripture tells us to ask the Spirit for help when we don't know what to say. Perhaps we ought to talk with the Spirit more often. Not in wild, chaotic ways, but in a relationship that's both comfortable and powerful.

The Spirit Brings Life to Dead Bones

In Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones, we see a powerful picture of the Spirit's life-giving power. God asks Ezekiel, "Can these bones live?" Wisely, Ezekiel responds, "Only you know." Then God instructs him to prophesy to the breath, saying, "Come, breathe from the four winds, and breathe into these slain that they may live."

The same word is used for both "breath" and "Spirit." Just as God breathed life into Adam, and just as He breathed life into those dry bones, He breathes life into us. We are dust, and God gives us breath and life.

How Did Jesus Minister Through the Holy Spirit?

Jesus' ministry wasn't just with His voice but also with the breath of the Creator. At His baptism, the Spirit of God descended upon Him like a dove, and then His ministry began. Similarly, the Spirit settles upon us when we become Christians.

Jesus performed miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit—the same Spirit we have received. When Jesus spoke, things happened. He forgave people, and they were forgiven. He told the lame to walk, and they did. He opened the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. Even supernatural forces of darkness had to answer to His voice.

The Spirit's Power in the Early Church

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples, breathed on them, and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." Then in Acts 2, the Spirit fell upon them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues.

Ordinary people began to speak words that created faith in Jesus. The Spirit enabled them to be understood in different languages. Just as in Genesis, the world was born with the breath of the creative God, now the early church was born with that same breath filling empty lungs.

What Does It Mean to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit?

Every single person who is a believer in Jesus Christ has been filled with the Holy Spirit. But some are like ponds rather than rivers. Ponds stagnate. The Spirit is life-giving water, and if you're not giving it out, you're stagnating inside. You need to share what God is doing in your life.

When God breathes into His community, ordinary people pray with authority. Prison doors open. People are redeemed. The crippled are raised up. Diseases are healed. They dream dreams and see visions. They speak words of knowledge.

Yet they also get it wrong. They struggle with sin, just like us. They have highs and lows, just like us. They do something victorious in supernatural power, and then say something foolish. That's comforting—the Spirit of the living God indwells ordinary, imperfect people like us.

How Does the Holy Spirit Help Us Remember God's Word?

Jesus said, "The advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you." The Holy Spirit doesn't bring original content; He reminds us of what Jesus and the Father in Scripture have said.

Have you ever been praying about something and suddenly remembered a Bible verse? That's not just your memory—that's the Spirit of God putting it in your mind.

Experiencing God's Love Through the Spirit

The Spirit helps us experience God's love. Paul wrote, "God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit." The Spirit is not a consolation prize after Jesus departed; it's an anticipation of His presence.

In Hebrew thinking, something wasn't known until it was understood relationally and experientially. The Holy Spirit helps us know God in this intimate way.

What Happens When You Walk with the Holy Spirit?

When you walk into a room, the Holy Spirit walks in with you. You are the temple of God. The Lord Jesus Christ died for you. The Holy Spirit dwells within you. You are alive because God the Father wants you to be.

Instead of saying, "Oh, I'm just a Christian," say, "I am a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who has saved me to do His works in the world." Stand up with confidence because He will empower you.

People around you are bound by fears—speak life to them. They're bound by doubt—speak hope. Some are bound by darkness—speak freedom. If you don't know what to say, remember that the Holy Spirit will give you the words.

Life Application

This week, I challenge you to be more aware of the Holy Spirit's presence in your daily life. When you encounter someone who needs hope, ask the Spirit to give you words of life to speak to them. Don't be afraid to step out in faith, trusting that the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you.

Ask yourself:

Am I living as a stagnant pond or a flowing river of the Spirit's power?

When was the last time I consciously relied on the Holy Spirit's guidance?

What dry bones in my life or the lives of others need the breath of God?

How can I be more attentive to the Spirit's promptings this week?

Remember, you are not "just a Christian"—you are filled with the same Spirit that empowered Jesus' ministry and the early church. Live with that confidence and watch what God will do through you.