Spirit In Us
July 27, 2025
Dr. Paul Cannings
It is very easy for us to rely on past experiences, whether good or bad, essential concepts learned from books we have read or classes we have taken. Sometimes, it is none of the above; it is how we were taught that church is supposed to be or how experiencing God can be. These desires can lead us to a point where we become more committed to a search for God than to anything else. Everything described above, and more, is dependent on our knowledge base, which is built on our experiences. It is not a reliance on the deposit of the Holy Spirit in us. The Holy Spirit has made our bodies His dwelling place (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Titus 3:4-8).
It is one thing to know about His presence, and it is a whole different mindset to focus on making His presence a living reality each day (1 John 4:4). It is not that the Spirit does not know we want to live by the flesh (Romans 8:5-12). He understands that a battle is going on (Galatians 5:16-19). It is essential to acknowledge that He utilizes this to His advantage in shaping our lives to experience God daily. Here is how this works:
- When we are paralyzed by fear or anxiety He reminds us of His Word (John 14:26) so that we can develop the discipline to overcome our fears as He illuminates the Word, in order to understand how it works (2 Timothy 1:6-7; 1 Corinthians 2:10-15; David when confronting Goliath believed God for His Word while the others allowed their fears to cause them to neglect God’s Word – David saved a nation).
- Sometimes we come to church and think that the pastor is a fly on the wall, preaching specifically to us, or we turn on the radio and the preacher is talking directly to us. This is the Holy Spirit guiding us to the truth (John 16:13) and reminding us of the Word. The Spirit leading us to the truth is crucial for experiencing the power, joy, and blessings of Christ’s life within us, so that we can become Christ’s friends (John 15:13; it is for this reason that He died).
- When we demonstrate that we are leaning towards the flesh, the Spirit convicts us (John 16:7-11) to turn us towards God.
- Our growth enables us to understand God’s Word more deeply because we are now practicing His Word more frequently (Philippians 1:9-11). As we practice God’s Word, our appetite for it grows, and the more it grows, the more the Spirit works in and through us (Ephesians 3:14-21).
The Spirit of God’s influence is what moves us from spiritual infancy to maturity. When we are mature, we no longer live according to the desires of the flesh, because we have learned to deny ourselves and follow Christ with all our hearts (Galatians 2:20).