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In last 2 week's devotionals we endeavored to know Who is God the Father and Who is God the Son. 

See Who is God the Father – SimplyHealthyHome (shopsimplyhealthyhome.com) for full read. 

See Who is God the Son – SimplyHealthyHome (shopsimplyhealthyhome.com) for full read.

This week we will be taking a closer look into the characteristics of God the Holy Spirit, and specifically look to address the following questions - Who is the Holy Spirit? What's the significance of us receiving him? What are some things we experience here on earth through the Holy Spirit? 

Question 1: Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God imparted to man. 

When Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent His spirit, the Spirit of God, to dwell among and in the hearts of those who believe in Him. 

John 16:7-11 "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgement, because the ruler of this world is judged."

1 Corinthians 6:19 "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and are not your own?"

Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Question 2: What's the significance of us receiving the Holy Spirit? After we receive the Holy Spirit, we are marked and sealed for the day of Redemption and are granted access to the kingdom of God. 

Ephesians 1:13-14 "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."

Ephesians 4:30 "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

Question 3: What do we have access to here on earth through the Holy Spirit? Through the Holy Spirit we have access to the following during our lives here on earth - 

1. Freedom

In Chapter 3 of 2 Corinthians, we see imagery of a veil covering the minds and faces of those who dwelt in times of the Old Testament, and the removal of that same veil through Christ in the New Testament. That veil signifies the barrier between us and the "glory of the Lord", as described in verse 18 of Chapter 3. 

The reason why this verse is listed as evidence for a characteristic of the Holy Spirit, is because verse 17 mentions that the Lord (aka Jesus) is the Spirit, and where His Spirit (aka the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost) is there is liberty and freedom to experience the glory of the Lord. 

2 Corinthians 3:17 "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

2. Hope 

The Holy Spirit is our hope. The Holy Spirit fills us with hope for the returning of Christ and our redemption through belief in Him. 

Romans 15:13 "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Romans 5:5 "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

3. A Helper / Advocate

The Holy Spirit is our helper because He enables us to understand the Word of God, and to recall the truths God speaks to us through His Word.

John 14:16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -"

John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

John 15:26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me."

Romans 8:26 "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

4. Divine Power

Through the Holy Spirit we have power and authority to speak the Word of God with boldness. We are granted the same power of life that was given to Jesus when He was raised from the dead. And the power that enabled the believers mentioned in the passages below, to speak in tongues. 

Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 4:31 "And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness."

Acts 2:3-4 "Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

2 Peter 1:21 "for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."

Luke 1:35 "And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God."

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

Romans 8:11 "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

5. Divine Guidance

The Holy Spirit guides us to walk according to the Will of God. If we allow Him to, He can guide our thoughts, speech, and actions. 

Ezekial 36:27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."

Psalm 143:10 "Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness."

Mark 13:11 "But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit."

6. Truth / Wisdom

The Holy Spirit reveals truth to us and grants us wisdom to understand the Word of God. 

Luke 24:45-49 "And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

John 14:17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

John 16:12-15 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."