30th July 2021
THE COMFORTER
David Abankwah
READ: Matthew 5:4
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 14:26 | NKJV
Comfort is a state of relaxation; a feeling of freedom from worry, disappointment, pain or difficulty; moral assistance or emotional strength that is given to a known criminal; and provision of satisfaction or well-being. Comfort is one of the main ministries of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Dispensation, the Spirit of God came upon the Prophets, Kings, and other special people, used them for certain purposes, and left when those purposes were achieved. Note that, the Spirit of God was not living in men but upon them. So, you will come across: ‘And the Spirit of God came upon me….’ in the Old Testament very often and not ‘came into me….’ as seen in the NT.
The reason it was so was that, the sin of men was not washed away but rather covered when the blood of animals was shed for the remission of their sins. Why? Because that was the only means of atoning for one’s sins. Moreover, the blood of one man is greater than the blood of many animals. So, if the sins of men could be washed away, then, a certain blood greater than the blood of men needed to be shed for the remission of their sins and iniquities. At first, God was not pleased with the sacrifice of animals’ blood and was rather waiting to release His Son whose sacrifice only pleased Him (Hebrews 10:1-4). This was one of the reasons God sent His Son.
Furthermore, it was also important for the blood of Jesus Christ to be shed for the ministry of the Comforter who was to come. One thing about the Holy Spirit is that, before He can live in someone, He expects the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse that person first because He only lives in the blood of Jesus Christ and not the blood of animals or humans. So, if you have prayed for the coming of the Holy Spirit and yet, you have not received Him, it is because you have not been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ yet. Before you can be cleansed, Jesus Christ has to see that you have repented genuinely and have converted from your old life of carnality into the newness of life.
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity and not just the Power of God as many people think He is. That was why He is referred to as the Lord in 2 Corinthians 3:17. In short, the Holy Spirit is God. When the Holy Spirit comes, He will strengthen you to overcome all manner of situations. The fact that you have the Holy Spirit, doesn’t mean you will not go through serial sufferings. Even when the Holy Spirit comes, one of the checklists of His presence is that He will lead you into the desert to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1). Aren’t you tired of struggling with sin? Aren’t you tired of rising and falling in your Christian life? Repent, be converted, and the Comforter will come and assist you.
•| Prayer Diary |•
¹Lift up prayers for the presence of the Holy Spirit as you live a life of righteousness. ²Lift up prayers for the presence of the Holy Spirit to assist you to live a life of holiness. ³Lift up prayers for humility to subject yourself under the teachings of the Holy Spirit instead of leaning on your own fleshy understanding of the Scriptures. ⁴Lift up prayers for the Holy Spirit to empower you to win more souls in the name of Jesus Christ.
Quote
“The Holy Spirit is like a lubricating oil that makes the machinery of Christianity so effective and easier to operate”
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
Isaiah Chapters 50-52
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© 2021 David Abankwah
David Abankwah 