The Gift

Before Jesus left the planet, He told His disciples to wait for a gift. He was leaving something with them that would help them as they walk the Christian life. He told them not to do anything until they received that gift.

What was that gift? It was the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in every Believer. Every person who accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior would now be given the gift of the Holy Spirit indwelling them. The Holy Spirit! The third Person in the trinity. The God of the universe, the Great I Am would come and live inside every person who believes. What a gift!

I have a feeling, a lot of Christians, don’t really realize what that means, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enters the believer and starts talking. He says to go this way. Don’t go that way. Do that. Don’t do that. He gives a believer peace and comfort. He puts our prayers into groanings we can’t even understand. He can speak through us and to us. He warns us.

If you are a believer, you’ve probably heard that voice in your head. A few years ago my son burst in the door and asked if he could go skate boarding at a place nearby. A voice in my head said very sternly, “Don’t let him go unless he wears a helmet.” So I told my son he could go only if he wears a helmet. My son complained. He didn’t want to wear the helmet. The voice in my head was insistent,”Don’t let him go unless he wears a helmet.” Again, I told my son, he couldn’t go unless he wore a helmet. Again, he complained. In my head, the voice convinced me that this was a mountain to die on. “Don’t let him unless he wears a helmet!” So I dug in my heels and told my son he can go only if he promises to wear a helmet. My son finally gave in.

An hour later, my son burst through the door again, this time holding up his arm. He was in serious pain. He tells me he thinks he broke his hand. I ask him what happened. He says he was skateboarding down a hill and fell. He smacked his head on the cement, along with his arm. I ask him if he was wearing his helmet. He said yes. I told him if he wasn’t wearing a helmet, he would have broken more than his hand. He said he knew.

My son did break his thumb in two places. If he hadn’t worn his helmet. He very likely could have suffered a head injury. I can’t tell the future, but God can. The Holy Spirit was yelling in my head, warning me not to let my son go unless he wears the helmet. I’m so glad I listened.

If you are a Believer, listen to that voice in your head. That’s not you being crazy. It’s the God of the Universe helping you. He is the gift God has given to everyone that believes. He loves us and works to guide us and protect us. Now God also warned us that we can quench the Holy Spirit, by not walking with God. So don’t do that. Listen to the Holy Spirit. He is there to guide us along. He truly is a gift.