WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
The Holy Spirit is part of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not something, not a mystical, magical force, not a power source, not a ghost. The Holy Spirit is a person, a friend, a comforter, He is GOD!

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Holy Spirit has been active since the creation (The earth was barren, with no form of life … But the Spirit of God was moving over the water - Gen 1:2)

In the Old Testament the Spirit was upon specific people to help them and equip them to complete a specific task the Father had for them. For example:

GIDEON: The spirit of the LORD took control of Gideon, and he blew a trumpet to call the men of the clan of Abiezer to follow him. (Jdg 6:34)

SAMSON: Then the Spirit of GOD came powerfully on him….
(Jdg 14:19)

SAUL: The Spirit of the LORD will suddenly take control of you. You'll become a different person and start prophesying right along with them. (1Sam 10:6)

BEZALEL: …and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship (Exo 31:3)

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
At Pentecost the disciples received the Holy Spirit, and after that all Christians receive the Holy Spirit as God promised in Joel 2:28-29: "Afterward I will pour out my Spirit on everyone". When Jesus went to heaven to be with the Father He said: I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit. (John 14:16)

THE HOLY SPIRIT TODAY
Today the Holy Spirit is still involved in the life of every believer. Even before people place their faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit is active, convicting them of their sin and convincing them of their need for God. "The Spirit will come and show the people of this world the truth about sin and God's justice and the judgement." (John 16:8)
Christians need the Holy Spirit's guidance to mature in their faith; they need the Holy Spirit to show them what God's purpose is for them; they need the Holy Spirit to lead them into a deeper knowledge of God and of His will.

We will look into some aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians as it is found in the book "Hearing God's Voice" by Henry and Richard Blackaby:

THE HOLY SPIRIT BRINGS ASSURANCE
God's Spirit makes us sure that we are his children. (Rom 8:16 CEV)

You never need to have doubts that you are God's child. If you believe in Jesus and accept Him as your Saviour, you ARE his child (see John 1:12). The Holy Spirit will put this assurance in your heart.

THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTS OF SIN
Sin separates us from God. When we sin the Holy Spirit will point it out to us, so that we can return to God. The Holy Spirit works in our heart to bring us to repentance, to ask and receive God's forgiveness.

THE HOLY SPIRIT BRINGS UNDERSTANDING
For the natural man is not able to take in the things of the Spirit of God: for they seem foolish to him, and he is not able to have knowledge of them, because such knowledge comes only through the Spirit. (1Cor 2:14)

We need the Holy Spirit to open our spiritual eyes so that we can understand God's Word, and the spiritual truths in it, and how to apply it in our lives.

THE HOLY SPIRIT GUIDES TO TRUTH
When, however, the Spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God, He will lead you into all the truth. (John 16:13)

To know what is really the truth, we must rely on the Spirit to reveal it to us.

The Spirit will give you the assurance in your heart that what you read in the Bible is absolutely true.

THE HOLY SPIRIT BRINGS COMFORT
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit.. (John 14:16-17)

As Helper, the Holy Spirit can reach in the deepest parts of your soul, and brings you comfort and understanding and peace, as no one else can.

THE HOLY SPIRIT EXALTS CHRIST
… no one can confess "Jesus is Lord," without being guided by the Holy Spirit. (1Cor 12:3)

With the Holy Spirit in us, we are able to understand how wonderful, great and awesome God is, and we can glorify and exalt his name.

THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALS GOD'S WILL
But it was to us that God made known his secret by means of his Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, even the hidden depths of God's purposes. It is only our own spirit within us that knows all about us; in the same way, only God's Spirit knows all about God. … we have received the Spirit sent by God, so that we may know all that God has given us. (1Cor 2:10-12)

THE HOLY SPIRIT PROTECTS FROM SIN
If you are guided by the Spirit, you won't obey your selfish desires. (Gal 5:16)

If we listen to the Holy Spirit, He will protect us from sin. We all know that "still, small voice" warning us, guiding us away from the wrong things … it is the voice of the Holy Spirit.

THE HOLY SPIRIT KNOWS THE FUTURE
The Spirit doesn't speak on His own. He will tell you only what He has heard from Me, and He will let you know what is going to happen. (John 16:13 CEV)

Only God knows what is in the future, and therefore He is the only One that can guide you safely and securely through your life.

THE HOLY SPIRIT PRODUCES FRUIT
But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23)

If we are Christians we have to "live by the Spirit". The role of the Holy Spirit is to make us like Christ. When we live according to the Spirit's guidance, and open our hearts to His transforming work, He will produce qualities in us that characterize Christ.

THE HOLY SPIRIT PRODUCES UNITY
..we.. were all made full of the same Spirit. (1Cor 12:13)
Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives. (Eph 4:3)

Because all of us are filled with the same Spirit, there must be unity and peace, understanding and love between Christians. Thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit, this IS possible.

THE HOLY SPIRIT REMINDS US
The Helper, the Holy Spirit, … will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you. (John 14:26).

This was a promise to Jesus' disciples, but also applies to us today. The Spirit reminds us of the truths that is written in the Bible and then applies that truths to our lives, giving us the wisdom to live a life that is pleasing to God.

OUR REACTION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

RESISTING THE SPIRIT
You have the choice to resist or to allow the work of the Spirit in your life.

How stubborn you are! How heathen your hearts, how deaf you are to God's message! You are just like your ancestors: you too have always resisted the Holy Spirit! (Acts 7:51)

GRIEVING THE SPIRIT
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God (Eph 4:30)

What grieves the Holy Spirit? Sin does. Christ went to immeasurable lengths to free you from sin. Continuing by choice to live in sin is an insult to God, a rejection of his grace. To continue in sin when you know God wants you to return to Him breaks his heart!

QUENCHING THE SPRIRIT
Do not quench the Spirit. (1Thess 5:19)

We are urged not to turn the Spirit away, to suppress or extinguish the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As we increasingly allow sin to fill our lives, we are smothering the flames of the Spirit's presence.

FILLED BY THE SPIRIT
…be filled with the Spirit. (Eph 5:18)

According to this scripture we need a fresh, daily renewal of the Spirit's filling. He said "be filled", not "fill yourself". You can't fill yourself with the Spirit. It is God's gift. We can humbly pray and ask God to fill us with his Spirit, ".. so that through faith we might receive the Spirit promised by God." (Gal 3:14)

Ask and you will receive - As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! (Luke 11:13)