The Holy Spirit-An Essay of Understanding

Hello,
I posted an essay like this earlier, but I revised and updated it tremendously. Enjoy! Brother Jesse Ministries is MY personal ministry by the way...

The Holy Spirit-An essay of understanding-Revised
By Jesse Raymond Bassett
© 2005-2006 Brother Jesse Ministries. All Rights Reserved.

PREFACE:
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The Holy Spirit. When we hear those words, we often think of a ghost. After all, the word Spirit brings to mind the supernatural. In a way, we are correct, for the Holy Spirit IS supernatural. However, we are incorrect in thinking it is like a ghost. While the Holy Bible is not fully clear on the Holy Spirit, there are some verses that describe who it is. It is my prayer that this essay will clear up some foggy areas in your mind and open your eyes to see the truth. This is a revision of the original essay in hopes of making the Holy Spirit more understandable to the reader. Please pray this prayer with me:

Lord,
May the words of my mouth and the meditations in my heart be acceptable to you, my God. My Rock, and my Redeemer. AMEN. (Psalm 19:14)
Now, let us begin our journey through the Word together!

May God bless you with his almighty presence,

Jesse Raymond Bassett

The founder of Brother Jesse Ministries

May 27, 2005







Introduction:
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Let me state my thesis right away: The Holy Spirit is a person. It wants to live inside of you, be with you, guide you, and pray for you. If you believe in Jesus Christ as the true Son of God, you can receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In this essay, I will explain who He is. I also will explain how He lives within us, speaks to us, and guides us on the paths of righteousness.

The Holy Spirit throughout Time:
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The Old Testament:

During the time of the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came out into the world only once in a great while. It inspired the writers of the Torah to write the story of Creation, the Flood, and the Exodus. All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16). This verse confirms the proof that the Bible is God's doing. Through the work of the Spirit, writers wrote the stories that were told to them. The Holy Spirit told each writer what to write.
The Holy Spirit also helped in the many battles during the time of the Israelite's migration to the Holy Land. He helped them win the battle of Jericho, and many more battles. To the Israelite's, the Arc of the Covenant was where they thought God dwelt. Little did they know it was the Holy Spirit that lived there. Hence the name "Holy of Holies". Every prophet that came to witness to Israel was inspired by God, filled with the Holy Spirit, and obeyed His command. Elijah, for example, was carried off by the spirit of God. Most theologians now believe that he (Elijah), was carried off by the Holy Spirit into Heaven.
In the Old Testament, it was the Holy Spirit's job to give the prophets' words to speak. All the prophets spoke the words of the Lord. How did they do this? Simple…they were filled with the Holy Spirit and it spoke through them. Another example of the Holy Spirit being active in Old Testament times is in the story of Gideon. We read in Judges 6:34 that Then the Spirit of the LORD took possession of Gideon. He blew a ram's horn as a call to arms, and the men of the clan of Abiezer came to him. (NLT) This clearly shows the Spirit of the Lord, which when researched more thoroughly, reveals that it is the Holy Spirit, was active in the Old Testament.
The Old Testament is full of accounts of prophets like Moses, Elijah, Ezekiel, etc. being full of the Holy Spirit and speaking its words.

THE NEW TESTAMENT AND BEYOND:

The Holy Spirit during Jesus' Ministry:
When Jesus Christ was living amongst us, the Holy Spirit was beginning to be active. We read in the Gospel of St. Matthew that: Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. (Matthew 4:1) This verse tells us the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness to be tempted. It was the Holy Spirit which brought Jesus into the desert, as read in Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. (New International Version)
Jesus said many things about the Holy Spirit. For example, our Lord said: Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God . That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:5-6) This verse means we must be baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit in order to be true Christians. Christ also said to the Pharisees that and I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (John 14:16-17)
This verse proves the Holy Spirit is part of God. He (the Holy Spirit), is a spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit will NEVER lie to you. If the soft voice in your head (which is the Holy Spirit) tells you to do something you know is not right, ignore it. Most likely it is Satan talking to you. Matthew 10: 20 say "For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in you." When thoughts come into our mind or we hear a voice that tells us not to do well, it is not the Spirit. When we trust the Holy Spirit, it'll light a fire on our tongues and we will speak the very words of the Lord God!
Take for example John the Baptist. He was a spirit-filled man. In Matthew 3:1 we read: I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. This proves that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit after baptism and that believers can be filled with it as well. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, so he had to have been filled with the Holy Spirit. Without this, He could not minister to the thousands of people. Jesus Christ, being filled with the Holy Spirit, said to His disciples:

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 said to you. 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 said to you (John 14:26, New American Standard Bible).
This means that we as believers in the only begotten Son (John 3:16), have the honor and privilege to learn from the Holy Spirit. If we forget a Scripture passage, the Holy Spirit will often remind us of a verse for our present situation. In Romans 8:26-27 we find that Apostle Paul reminds us that: Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (King James Version) When we go through trials in this life, the Holy Spirit is there to comfort us, to guide us in the paths of righteousness. He opens the eyes of our hearts, so that we may receive the peace that only Jesus Christ brings.
In 1 Corinthians 2:9-14, we are told that:

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined what God has prepared
for those who love him."
But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God's deep secrets. No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world's spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you this, we do not use words of human wisdom. We speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren't Christians can't understand these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means. (New Living Translation). What does this verse mean? It means many things. First off, it means that we cannot grasp what our Lord God has prepared for those who follow Him and love Him. The only person who can know the thoughts of the Divine is the Holy Spirit. Christians need to learn how to quiet their minds and hear the voice of the Spirit. Then, and only then, will we speak the words of the Holy God. See, non-believers often look at Christians and judge them.
Most of us have committed many sins in our lives. Over the past few months, I have seen Christians rededicate themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ because they were not following Him. We need to open the eyes of our hearts, so we can see the Lord we claim to follow. We must be God chasers! It is time to rise up and say NO more will Satan blind me! The Holy Spirit lives within me and is guiding me on righteous paths! I am forgiven of my sins in Jesus’ Name! We need to become a soldier in the army of the Lord. No longer can we stand quiet while our brethren suffer. It is time to witness, time to bring revival across the world. As someone once said,

“In order to see change, we first must change ourselves”
May this be true today and forevermore.

Sincerely,
Jesse Raymond Bassett