Day 21 – The Holy Spirit is God; Lust is Sinner-Made
To live purely from our hearts is to image Christ; to lust is to mirror the devil. We are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, we must live like it.
Genesis 1:2 – 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Matthew 28:19 – 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Psalm 104:30 - 30 When you send forth your Spirit, they [creatures] are created, and you renew the face of the ground.
The Holy Spirit is truly God. He was in the beginning with the Father and the Son (Gen 1:1; John 1:1), creating out of nothing. To this day, God continues to create through His Son, by His Holy Spirit (Ps 104:30), and the church baptizes in the singular Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19).
Mark 3:28-29 - 28 “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Mark 13:11 - 11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:35 - 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
John 16:12-15 –
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Acts 5:3-4 –
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.”
Ephesians 4:30 - 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Romans 8:26-27 - 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
The Holy Spirit is truly God, one with the Father and Son, even as He is a distinct divine Person:
1) He can be blasphemed (Mark 3:28-29).
2) He speaks (Mark 13:11).
3) He creates and sustains (Luke 1:35).
4) He guides Christ’s disciples (John 16:12
5) He hears, declares, and glorifies Jesus (John 16:12-15).
6) He can be lied to and sinned against (Acts 5:3-4).
7) He can be grieved (Eph 4:30).
8) He intercedes for the saints (Rom 8:26-27).
9) He has a mind (Rom 8:27).
Far from being something less than truly God, like a force or power of God, or an angel or some other created being, the Holy Spirit is truly God. All that He does, He carries out distinctly among the Trinity, proceeding from the Father and the Son.
John 14:16-17 – 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
John 14:18 - 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
John 14:23 - 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
John 15:26 - 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
John 16:7 - 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
Jesus promised to send His Holy Spirit, who proceeds from His Father, to dwell within His disciples (John 14:16-17; 15:26; 16:7). Through the Spirit’s presence in believers, the Father and Son also abide within us (John 14:18, 23).
These three Divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are distinct even when they dwell within Christians. By the Holy Spirit, we receive the Father and Son as well, because these three Persons mutually indwell one Another (John 14:16-18, 23; 15:26; 16:7). To receive the Spirit is to receive the Trinity.
Application
When you lust, you follow what the devil has created in you, not what the Holy Spirit has created in you. The devil sinned first, then deceived Eve; she sinned, becoming like the devil, and Adam mindfully sinned, becoming like him too; and now, all of Adam’s descendants are conceived in sin, and are sinners from conception. We’re still created in God’s image, but it has been marred by sin.
The devil was the first person to twist God’s good creation. Lust, therefore, is from the devil, from Adam, not from God. When the Holy Spirit applies Christ’s finished work to our hearts, through faith we are saved. The Holy Spirit remakes us and is remaking us in the image of Jesus Christ (Rom 8:29; 2 Cor 3:18). We must walk in the Spirit, in what He has done and is doing in us.
To live purely from our hearts is to image Christ, but to lust is to mirror the devil. We are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, Son, and Father; therefore, let us walk in Him, and not the evil one, not the flesh. When we trust in Christ, we’re not just forgiven; we’re empowered to live differently. Indwelled by the Holy Spirit, you are empowered to live His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:16-26).
The question is if you will live what you have been empowered to do, from your heart, by the Holy Spirit. If you have been transformed by Him and are indwelled by the Trinity, how can you walk in the flesh? You must walk in the Spirit.
Today, commit to walk in Him. Pray for strength, set your heart on Christ, and take one step at a time toward a life that reflects Him. Tomorrow, do it again, and every day until you see Him face to face.
Marching Orders: Thinking God’s Thoughts After Him
Receive, believe, and live the truths you’ve read. Memorize and meditate on these truths today:
Memorize and Meditate on One Sentence to Shape Your Affections:
The Holy Spirit is truly God, and by Him, the Father and Son live within all Christians.
Memorize and Meditate on a Short Poem to Shape Your Affections:
Holy Spirit, with Father and Son, eternal,
Our seed of salvation, our Kernel.
He is neither angel, nor fleeting force,
But God Himself, creation’s Source.
Distinct, divine, a Person true,
He speaks, He guides, His will to do.
Grieved by sin, yet interceding,
He glorifies Christ, His people, leading.
Not a mere power, but God Most High,
On His mind and voice, the saints rely.
Sent by Jesus, from His Father’s throne,
He dwells in us, we’re never alone.
Three yet One, in unity bound,
Father, Son, in Holy Spirit found.
Receiving the Spirit, Three Persons we gain,
God’s love within us, forever to reign.
Listen to This Song Often to Shape Your Affections:
Add this song to your playlist, “Holy Spirit Living Breath of God”
On YouTube,
By Keith and Kristyn Getty (Written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend)
Holy Spirit, living breath of God,
Breathe new life into my willing soul.
Let the presence of the risen Lord,
Come renew my heart and make me whole.
Cause Your Word to come alive in me;
Give me faith for what I cannot see,
Give me passion for Your purity;
Holy Spirit, breathe new life in me.
Holy Spirit, come abide within,
May Your joy be seen in all I do.
Love enough to cover every sin,
In each thought and deed and attitude.
Kindness to the greatest and the least,
Gentleness that sows the path of peace.
Turn my strivings into works of grace;
Breath of God show Christ in all I do.
Holy Spirit, from creation’s birth,
Giving life to all that God has made,
Show Your power once again on earth,
Cause Your church to hunger for your ways.
Let the fragrance of our prayers arise;
Lead us on the road of sacrifice,
That in unity the face of Christ
May be clear for all the world to see.