Living With The Holy Spirit Within You

If you are a true believer who has accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit resides within you. Let that sink in! The Holy Spirit, third person of the Trinity, has taken up residence within your being. I Corinthians 3:16 asks the question: “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? Romans 8:11 also teaches this, along with many other passages of scripture.

It stands to reason then, does it not, that nothing should be let into our minds and bodies that is not compatible with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. God is holy. This means that no ungodly things should be allowed into our minds and bodies. This could eliminate a lot of what we look at, read, listen to, participate in, and think about. Some Christians are very disciplined about this. Others struggle. In a way, this article was written to myself because I have to confess that I fall into the latter category.

So, if the Holy Spirit indwells Christians, why do so many struggle with addictions, bad habits, lustful thoughts, and things that they should not be doing or looking at? The answer lies in the battle between the flesh and the Spirit. Many years ago I heard an analogy about two dogs. One dog was named Flesh. The other was named Spirit. These two dogs were always getting into fights. One day someone asked the dogs’ owner which dog wins the most.  The man replied, “Whichever dog I feed the most.”

You and I must seek to live in the power of the Holy Spirit. How do we do that? It is done by avoiding the things that cause us to lose the battle. At the same time focus on godly influences. One time when this can really be applied is when you have evenings at home with your family. You can be engaged in activities that are conducive with the holiness of God or that influence your family to lose the battle between the flesh and the Spirit. It is also important that your family environment is one in which the Holy Spirit feels “at home.” To use one example from my own life, I have personally found that having Christian music in the background and reading inspiring books is one way to do this.

It grieves the Holy Spirit when we do certain things not in keeping with His desires for us.  Here are two verses of scripture that address the importance of this issue:

Ephesians 4:30 says to “not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

I Corinthians 6:20 is a sober reminder that “you have been bought with a price, therefore, glorify God in your body.

Jesus paid a high price when He died for you and me. But He rose again in power!  That same power can enable us to live in victory over the flesh in accordance with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I don’t call upon the power of the Holy Spirit as much as I should.

How about you? What are some things that you need to get rid of that are not compatible with the Holy Spirit living within you? What are some Godly influences you can focus on?