In this first lesson, we sought to establish the IDENTITY of the Holy Spirit and we found Him to be a PERSON who has intellect, emotions and will and expresses them through definite actions (ministry). We also determined His DEITY as we looked at how scripture links Him with some of the Old Testament names through which God was revealed to man.
Any time we discover new truths about the Holy Spirit, it should serve to cause us to want to deepen and develop our own personal relationship with Him for, as believers, we are called into the "fellowship of the Spirit" (Phil. 2:1).
DEVELOPING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
Developing your own personal and intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit can be understood in some of the same principles that govern all successful relationships. Let's look today at six of those principles:THE PRINCIPLE OF INTEGRITY
An important part of building any relationship is to be honest and up front in your dealings with the other person. I think we can all agree that lying about yourself, your attitudes, or your actions would be a tremendous hindrance in building a long-term relationship. Right? Open lines of communication based on truth are essential in developing interpersonal relationships.
The fifth chapter of Acts records the story of two disciples, Ananias and Sapphira, who offended the Holy Spirit when they attempted to lie to Him. This couple sold some personal property. They were in no way required to give the proceeds of the sale of their property to God (through the budding fellowship of the early church). Anything they gave would have been appreciated. But Ananias and Sapphira made a decision to lie about what they were doing and it had severe consequences. If you're not familiar with their story, read it in Acts 5:1-11.
The Holy Spirit is no less concerned by our honesty before Him today than He was in the days of Ananias and Sapphira. As believers, if we want to have a vibrant personal relationship with the Holy Spirit and a life filled with His abundance, we must be careful to be honest before Him in all we do and say.
THE PRINCIPLE OF OPENNESS
The second principle that is important in developing relationships is to be open to the ideas of the other person. When others sense consistent resistance to their ideas, they will soon abandon their efforts to build the relationship.
In his address before the Sanhedrin, Stephen told the religious leaders that they resisted the Holy Spirit because they were stubborn, willful and rebellious just like their forefathers (Acts 7:51). I don't know about you, but I can see myself in the things Stephen said to the Sanhedrin a lot more often than I'd like to admit. There are times that I stubbornly want my own way and am not open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to move outside my comfort zone.
The early Christians understood this principle of openness and were eager to obey the directives of the Holy Spirit. Philip followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and ran and joined the Ethiopian in his chariot (Acts 8:39). Peter obeyed the Holy Spirit when he was commanded to go to Cornelius' household, even though he had previously harbored personal prejudice against Gentiles (Acts 10:19-20). Paul and Silas were led to change the course they had plotted for themselves and follow the course the Holy Spirit outlined in their ministry of spreading the gospel (see Acts 16:7-10).
How open are you, my sister, to what the Holy Spirit asks of you? Do you step out in obedience when He calls you to a task outside your "norm"? If we truly desire to build our relationship with Him, we must not resist His ideas!
THE PRINCIPLE OF CONSIDERATION
If we are to develop a meaningful relationship with another person, we must be considerate of their values, interests and preferences.
Many relationships have been diminished and even destroyed when couples refuse to consider the other's values relating to finances or child rearing ... or when they consistently neglect each other's interests when planning vacations or even meals.
We looked at Ephesians 4:30 when we discovered that the Holy Spirit, as a person, has emotions and can be grieved. But look at what the next two verses, 31 and 32, say:
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you ... be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another...."
Girls, this is a list of the Holy Spirit's values, interests and preferences. Did you ever think of it that way? When we harbor bitterness or anger against someone and refuse to forgive them ... when we spread gossip about someone ... when we answer someone unkindly ... when we look at someone's suffering and think they got what they deserved instead of feeling sympathy for them ... then, we are NOT being considerate of the Holy Spirit's values.
If we are going to develop a meaningful relationship with Him, we must be considerate of His values and offer back to Him lives that reflect HIS preferences, not ours! If a man understands that his wife prefers a particular kind of flower, their relationship is much more enriched when he brings her that type flower than one he may prefer. Oh my sisters, when we are hurt, you and I might prefer to hang onto our anger and complain about the person who hurt us. The Holy Spirit prefers that we forgive - the same way Jesus forgave us. Which are you going to do? Are you going to hang onto your preference or will you be considerate of the Holy Spirit's preference? The principle of consideration must be applied if we are to be successful in deepening our relationship with the Holy Spirit.
THE PRINCIPLE OF COMMITMENT
A meaningful relationship is never developed without commitment by BOTH persons to one another in their relationship. The Holy Spirit's commitment to us is clear from Genesis to Revelation. He is there, never to leave us - to bring us comfort, encouragement, strength and a life filled with abundance and grace.
But the question for us is: Have we committed ourselves in like manner to Him? If we have looked at the first three principles and seen that perhaps we are not as honest and up front with the Holy Spirit as we need to be ... perhaps we are not as open to His ideas as we need to be ... perhaps we are not as considerate of His values as we need to be ... then, perhaps the problem is that we are not as COMMITTED to Him as we need to be.
If that's your problem today, it's easily remedied. RE-COMMIT to Him right now. Demonstrate that commitment in obedience to the next thing He asks of you.
THE PRINCIPLE OF REVERENCE
The fifth relationship principle has to do with respect for the other person. We have clearly identified that the Holy Spirit's names reveal His divine nature. As God, the Holy Spirit should be treated with all the reverence and respect you would give God the Father or Jesus.
Treating the Holy Spirit as anything less than God in our response to His leading in our lives demonstrates that we do not fully understand the implications of His identity. How often do you thank Him for the spiritual gifts He selected for you? Do you wish you were "gifted" like someone else instead of the unique person YOU are? You show reverence for the Holy Spirit when you function they way He desires you to function within the body of Christ in the unique giftedness He has given you. You show your respect for Him when you respond in openness to His promptings. You reverence Him when you demonstrate your commitment to Him by obeying His instructions.
And worship - oh. my. What more wonderful vehicle to demonstrate your reverence of Him than in worship?? Have you discovered that the way you live your life is an act of worship? If not, read Romans 12:1-2!
THE PRINCIPLE OF SUFFICIENCY
When you are developing a relationship with another person, it is much easier to respond positively to that person if he or she is sufficiently meeting your personal needs.
The Holy Spirit is all-sufficient to meet every need of our lives through His presence, power and ministry. How long has it been since you took a little inventory of some of the specific needs the Holy Spirit has met in your life?
Ask yourself: Have I ever experienced an answered prayer? Have I ever experienced healing of an inner hurt? Have I ever felt enabled to minister effectively to someone else?
Sometimes just reviewing a few simple things like these questions I've just listed can remind us of the Holy Spirit's great sufficiency in our lives. When we are able to focus on His sufficiency to meet our needs we have a deeper appreciation of the value of our relationship with the Holy Spirit.
If you want to develop your relationship with Him and take it to a deeper level, step forward in integrity, openness, consideration, commitment, and reverence and praise Him for His sufficiency!
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