God's presence

Frederick Buechner said, "It is not the objective proof of God's existence that we want but the experience of God's presence. That is the miracle we are really after, and that is also, I think, the miracle that we really get." Much like the relationship with our earthly parents, we are comforted and consoled when we understand our parents are close by and are interested in our activities. This is the basis of care and discipline; it is difficult to accept discipline from someone we think does not care for us. We better accept God cares for us when we can perceive His presence. For Christians His presence is within us, the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us how much He cares for us, and it speaks to us anytime we are ready to listen, for the Holy Spirit will reveal those teachings as we are able to accept them. One goal of the Holy Spirit is to mold us for the next location of our existence, heaven. Christians need to realize He is over, under, around, and through us on each step of our unique individual spiritual journey to eternity.

Never alone

Our physical existence may involve times when we feel alone, by ourselves, lacking personal confidence. This is a feeling the Christian never needs experience because the Holy Spirit lives within us; we only need to acknowledge He is there. We can also as and allow Him to help guide us toward godly objectives. When we are distressed and reach out to God, we always have someone to go with us and help us. “And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.” Rom. 8:27 (NLT)

Safety

Most people: men, women, and children want to feel “safe.” The challenge for self or others can be understanding from what exactly we want safety or protection. The answer may be a combination of physical, verbal, emotional, or spiritual dangers. When one feels safe, they usually describe this as security, serenity, or comfort. Comfort can be described as having someone to walk with you through whatever struggles you encounter. The Holy Spirit does this for those who accept Jesus as Savior. He is also our Comforter or spiritual defender; the meaning for the original word translated Comforter is really "defender." When we depend on Him, we are assured spiritual safety. “I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.” Jn. 17:15 (NLT)

Son of Man

G. N. Stanton (ISBE) said, "Christ by this phrase represented Himself as the head, the type, the ideal of the race." Others have said, "'son of man' is an expression in the sayings of Jesus in Christian writings, including the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and the Book of Revelation." The meaning of the expression is controversial. Interpretation of the use of "the Son of man" in the New Testament has remained challenging and after 150 years of recent debate, no consensus on the issue has emerged among scholars. The expression "the Son of man" occurs 81 times in the Greek text of the four Canonical gospels, and is used only in the sayings of Jesus. The occurrences of Son of man in the Synoptic gospels are generally categorized into three groups: (i) those that refer to his "coming" (as an exaltation); (ii) those that refer to "suffering" and (iii) those that refer to "now at work" i.e. referring to His earthly life. What of the Son of Man when Jesus departed? He is described as 'at' or near' in Rom. 8:34; as 'appointed' or 'set' in Eph. 1:20; 'sitting' in Col. 3:1; 'sat down' in Heb. 1:3. But, in Acts 7:56 at Stephen's stoning, He was observed as 'standing', intensely interested in the ongoing events. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are intensely interested in each step of a Christian's unique individual spiritual journey, but especially when humans suffer for upholding godly desires.

Mind Control

Sometimes it is difficult to control our minds. We are exposed to so many things that are not healthy for our spiritual lives. It is virtually impossible to "unsee" things. It is wise to stay away from areas which might increase the opportunity for evil observations to occur, but it is likely we cannot sanitize our whole life. Our goal should be to replace these observations with godly thoughts so they are pushed back in our recall; we need to ask the Holy Spirit help us be more holy. This is the way we can combat mind control by evil. "The mind controlled by the sinful nature is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." — Rom. 8:6 (NIV)

Mentor

During our physical lives, many people help train and guide us along the pathway. Mom and Dad are usually the first to do so. Later we may have others who provide leadership or are mentors. Generally someone is a large help for helping us become the person we are. A similar pathway exists in the spiritual realm. Someone may introduce us to Christ or helps us wade through those times of questioning. Sometimes we can find a human mentor to help us. All the while, the Holy Spirit is our divine mentor, prompting and prodding us to make life changing decisions. After the decision to follow Christ, the indwelling Spirit works to sanctify us, to make us into the person Christ wants us to become, to help us discover what life is really meant to be. "The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Job 33:4  (NIV)

Responsible

Many times people would like to choose that for which they are responsible. John Churtom Collins said, "We are no more responsible for the evil thoughts that pass through our minds than a scarecrow for the birds which fly over the seed plot he has to guard. The sole responsibility in each case is to prevent them from settling." However, those thoughts and plans which settle certainly are our responsibility, as well as the actions that follow. If we fill our minds with God's word, the Holy Spirit is better able to prompt us and mold our actions and future thoughts. Because of Jesus' actions, a new covenant we share with God grants us perpetual sinlessness (1Jn. 1:7) and the ability of God, the Holy Spirit to live inside our clean bodies. With HIs help, we can continually push aside those troublesome thoughts that pass our way. "This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." Heb. 8:10 (NIV)

Veil

The writings given to Moses were certainly timeless truth, however, only when a person put aside preconceived conclusions and was completely focused on God could they gain some level of understanding. To those whom Paul addressed, the pathway was unclear and might be described as a veil, clouding clear visibility and thus understanding. Once Jesus was revealed and His sacrifice allowed the Holy Spirit to indwell people, God's intentions became clear for all believers. When we ask the Holy Spirit to help on our unique individual spiritual journey, new actions seem to make better sense; the shadow is removed, "For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities," - Heb. 10:1 (ESV). Paul said, "Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." - 2 Cor. 3:15-18 (ESV).

Image of God

Genesis tells us that God made man in His own image. There have been many opinions about what this really means. Some have offered other words such as "form," or "likeness." Certainly, Adam was a living being, much different from the other animals created because he had a spirit and soul. But how was Adam in Genesis an image of God? As believers in God, one must wait until the arrival of Jesus Christ for this answer. Jesus would say "I and the Father are one." (Jn. 10:30) or "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (Jn. 14:9). God has always been concerned about His creation and where their spirits will spend eternity. "The Scriptures tell us, "The first man, Adam, became a living person." But the last Adam — that is, Christ — is a life-giving Spirit. - 1 Cor. 15:45 (NLT). Based on this, we can understand that the "image of God" is likely indicate our spiritual nature; this is what sets us apart from other parts  of the animal species. It is with this spiritual part we should follow God's guidance, and we do this by following the Holy Spirit.

Foundation

One of the things that humans crave is acceptance by others. People in a group will participate in actions they would never do without encouragement from peers. Both genders will adorn themselves seeking the approval of others. Physical attraction must be considered as secondary to spiritual foundation. "And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee." - 2 Cor. 1:21-22 (ASV)

Pathway

God chose a people called Christians. He does not control their decisions and actions, but from His omniscience, He is aware of all their choices before they make them. God has set a pathway for Christians, those who accept Jesus as Messiah. However, humans must make many personal choices to stay on this chosen pathway. This pathway becomes our own unique individual spiritual journey. Speaking of His children, James reflects on how involved the Father becomes in the lives of His willing children. "[you are] the people chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through the sanctifying action of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus, the Messiah, and to be sprinkled with his blood. May grace and peace be yours in abundance!." - 1 Pet. 1:2 (ISV)

Guarantee

Humans are constantly reminded of the value of our physical bodies. Men and women compete with one another for superior appearance, academics, and greater lists of accomplishments. At the end, this is an attempt to satisfy our own desires for physical prowess. Alongside this is the spiritual part of humans - the real and superior part. The foremost accomplishment a human can make is beyond concerns for the dying physical body - to be indwelled by the Holy Spirit and guaranteed an eternity with God. "For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee." — 2 Cor. 5:4-5 (NRSV)

Coach Holy Spirit

People who are interested in the Holy Spirit will usually ask questions like, What goes the Holy Spirit do?" or "How can He help me?" These can be difficult questions because the Holy Spirit was not sent to help humans accomplish their own goals. He remains here to help humans accomplish God’s goals for them. The best question is, "How can I do what God wants, even though I will need help?" When a person aligns their personal goals with those stated in the Bible, that person may observe more of their desires fulfilled. Paul refers to this as workmanship - God created good works for us to do, and "we are His workmanship," (Eph. 2:10). So, how does the Holy Spirit go about motivating those sanctifying acts? In many places around the world, sports activities and games are a large part of people’s interest, regardless of gender. Within those activities, the coach is crucial. The coach is the team guide, and this person has the end goal in mind, always. In this sense, the Holy Spirit is a personal coach. He does not perform the actions of the task, but He guides the players down the needed pathway. The players have the personal option to do or not do what the coach advised them, and how to execute the needed action. Each Christian needs to listen carefully for guidance from the Holy Spirit and then have the courage and zeal to execute this guidance, as best we understand. Practice will allow our contributions to flourish. We become more proficient and better servants as we allow the Holy Spirit to polish our goals and execution.

Lord

In this modern age, how do we understand the meaning of the word "Lord" as used in the Bible? During the time the Bible was written, the word Lord meant the one who had ultimate control of one's life. Today, many of us are our own Lord. We consider ourselves as wise, knowledgable, and powerful as any other entity - we are self sufficient. We are "independant." But are we really? If this were true, what is the reason tasks we want done are not done nearly as quickly or as robustly as we would prefer? What is the reason our relationships disappoint us at times. No, we are not self sufficient, all people heed to follow God's direction and have confidence the Holy Spirit will help us grow closer to what He wants and thereby closer to divine guidance. This pathway will result in a better position for eternity. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought. — Jer. 17:7-8

Remembrance

If we desire and seek to be led by the Holy Spirit, we must look to Jesus' promise. Remembrance is the key. Remembrance was promised by Jesus to guide His followers, “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 that I have said to you.” – Jn. 14:26 (ESV). The disciples spent hours listening to Jesus, watching, and practicing His actions. When He left, Jesus left this promise based on their amount of openness and dedication. For those people who have the Holy Spirit residing within them, the same promise is applicable. If we will follow and respond, He will bring to our remembrance the concepts needed to follow His desires. However, this means we must first consume the information for the Holy Spirit to bring into our present consciousness. Reading and studying the Bible is critical to this! Comments from preachers or scholar may help with background, but this will only be catapulted forward if the concepts presented are cues for accessing our memory. At these times, the Holy Spirit can help arrange our mental pictures so that we have greater understanding of His desired actions. Each time we read scripture, we may think of another place to apply the biblical concept to our lives.