We Need the Holy Spirit

 "The immediate and continual inspiration of the Holy Spirit is absolutely needed in your life."

— Andrew Murray, Daily in His Presence (September 5 Reading)

At the foundation of my understanding of the world and the human condition is the belief that human beings are created in the image of God. To be created in the image of God means to act as His representative in the world. Human beings were designed to work alongside God in caring for His good creation.

If we are to work alongside God and demonstrate His character, what do we need?

We need the Holy Spirit. The story in Genesis 3 about the fall of humankind revolves around people’s desire to define right and wrong, good and evil, for themselves. The choice that Adam and Eve faced in the garden was whether to gain wisdom as they walked with God or to seize knowledge for themselves and replace God.

In other words, humans are to be guided by the Spirit rather than by the flesh. Our world is oriented toward the flesh; we seek to do what is right in our own eyes. This orientation stems from sin severing the connection we are meant to have with God. Without this connection, we miss out on God’s wisdom, His love, and His life.

When Jesus died to save us from sin and to give us new life, He made it possible for us to be connected to God once more. That connection is found through the Holy Spirit. The process of discipleship that leads to spiritual maturity involves learning to be guided by the Spirit rather than by our flesh.

Just as Adam and Eve chose to eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil—a decision to follow their flesh rather than the Spirit—we need to make the conscious choice to resist the flesh and follow the Spirit. Thankfully, God has given us grace, because this change doesn’t happen overnight. As we progress in our spiritual formation in Jesus, we discover that more and more often we are following the guidance of the Spirit rather than the guidance of our flesh.

If we are to be the people God created us to be, then we need the Holy Spirit guiding our lives.