Have you ever noticed that the Holy Spirit is sometimes referred to as the Spirit of Christ or the Spirit of Jesus? (Phil.1:19; Acts 16:7) We know that the mysterious nature of God is that of three distinct persons yet supernaturally still one, right? That reality is hard for us to grasp, so why would God risk confusing us by referring to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Jesus? One reason is because God wants us to know what to expect of the Holy Spirit: He’s exactly like Jesus.

    Is Jesus bold and courageous? So is the Holy Spirit. Is Jesus gentle and patient? Guess what, the Holy Spirit is, too. Does Jesus always do what the Father directs? Does he always have your best interests at heart? Yes, yes! Were there things Jesus did on earth that could only be explained by the supernatural power of God?  Of course!…and that’s exactly what we can expect from the Holy Spirit. In the same way that we would feel comforted, reassured and empowered in the physical presence of Jesus, so we should now expect to be indwelled by the Holy Spirit.

    Do people sometimes operate in the name of the Holy Spirit in ways contrary to God’s ways? Yes, sometimes they do, but in his sovereignty, God has chosen to do his work in partnership with people. We’re going to have to get used to giving each other grace.

    Let’s resolve to walk humbly, biblically and powerfully in the Holy Spirit. Let’s seek his ways, his presence, his fruit and his gifts the same way we’d want all that Jesus had for us were we physically with him. Remember, the Holy Spirit is so much like Jesus that he’s called the Spirit of Jesus. We can trust him completely!