11 Special Attributes of the Holy Spirit
Our Source of Power
Even as Christians, it’s possible for us to be unaware of one of God’s most awesome blessings. Although we may know we’ve been saved, we might not realize that the Holy Spirit came to live within us at that moment. And even if we’ve heard this truth, we may not understand who the Spirit is or why His indwelling presence is significant. The Scripture tells us everything we need to know about this amazing gift of the Holy Spirit sent to us from our heavenly Father to enable us to become and do what He desires.
Consider these special attributes of the Holy Spirit:
He convicts us of sin (John 16:8).
He permanently indwells us (John 14:16-17).
He seals us (Eph. 1:13).
He teaches us (John 14:26).
He guides us into all truth (John 16:13).
He reminds us (John 14:26).
He bears fruit through us (Gal. 5:22-23).
He comforts us (John 16:7).
He equips us with spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:4-7).
He fills us (Eph. 5:18).
He empowers us (Acts 1:8).
Although the Spirit comes to indwell us immediately upon salvation, His work within us takes a lifetime. His job is to enable us to do everything God desires and to transform us into the people He wants us to be. Since we now have a constant Helper reminding us who we are in Christ and equipping us for each day’s challenges, we never have to struggle through life in our own strength. This doesn’t mean we’ll never have difficulties, conflicts, or misunderstandings; but through them all, He guards our way and gives us His wisdom. And when we sin, He immediately convicts us so we can confess and receive forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
The Holy Spirit is our source of power.
When Jesus gave His disciples the task of preaching the gospel to the entire world, they had absolutely no power to carry it out (Luke 24:49). That’s why Jesus told them to wait until the Spirit came. In the same way, if we hope to accomplish what God desires in our lives, we need to see Him as our source of power and strength.
The power of the Holy Spirit is God’s divine ability and authority released in believers’ lives for the purpose of godly living and fruitful service. When we walk in the Spirit, we’re relying on His strength to accomplish God’s will. As a result, we experience the following benefits:
We may get tired, but we won’t burn out.
We won’t get discouraged by obstacles, knowing the Spirit within us will enable us to do whatever He’s called us to accomplish.
We’ll trust God rather than trying to manipulate our circumstances.
We may experience distress, but we won’t become desperate.
When we do God’s work in His strength, in His way, and with His wisdom, we’ll be blessed no matter what goes on around us. Walking in the Spirit doesn’t make life easy, but we never have to walk through it alone because our Helper is always with us.
What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?
Although we’re sealed and indwelt by Him when we’re saved, this is not the same as being filled. To be filled with the Spirit means we have surrendered our lives to Him, acknowledging that He owns us and has the right to lead us. When we are fully yielded and walking in obedience to His will, then He has full control and fills us with Himself.
This article was originally published on April 23, 2017, and is adapted from the Sermon Notes for Dr. Stanley’s message “Your Convictions About the Holy Spirit,” which aired this weekend on TV.
