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Written by Michelle J. Goff, Founder and Director of Iron Rose Sister Ministries
If someone were to ask me about my relationship with the Holy Spirit, I would take a long pause before answering. My head would tilt, then nod, as I began reflecting on how that relationship has changed over the years.
When I was young, the Holy Spirit was represented by a dove at Jesus’ baptism or by tongues of fire on the Day of Pentecost. While accurate in their respective biblical contexts, they form an incomplete picture of who He is and what He does.
Even the fact that I refer to the Holy Spirit now as “He,” rather than “It,” is noteworthy. It took time for me to learn to see God and trust God through His Spirit.
According to Acts 2:38, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, along with the washing away of our sins, when we are baptized. The Holy Spirit empowered the apostles to perform miracles throughout the book of Acts.
Turning back a few pages in our Bibles, the apostle John does the most thorough job of explaining Jesus’ promise that we would receive the Spirit as our Comforter, Guide, and Reminder of Truth (John 14, 16).
At the root of our relationship with the Holy Spirit is our faith.
I do not make that statement as a condemnation of those who do not believe in the workings of the Holy Spirit. Neither is it a declaration of weak faith upon those who are filled with doubts in this area.
My younger self was critical of those who spoke confidently about what the Holy Spirit had or had not done. I errantly thought the Spirit was dormant until Jesus brought Him into the picture. And I was skeptical of how He works today.
However, I have discovered that the strength of my relationship with the Holy Spirit is directly correlated to the depth and breadth of my faith in Him and in what God has promised through Him. I had to set aside my fears of the mysterious, indescribable, even other-worldly nature of the Spirit.
Many of you have heard this story, but indulge me with a brief synopsis: During my first trip to Venezuela, there was a woman who asked me a question in Spanish, and I had no idea how to answer her… not even in English. I sent up an arrow prayer, opened my mouth, and what came out was spiritually wise, biblically accurate, and eloquently stated in fluent Spanish. In other words, it was not me; it was the Holy Spirit through me. I believed He would use me as His instrument. And my confidence in that belief has grown through my prayers and study of the Word, not to mention more and more experiences like that one.
I encourage you to open your mind to what the Spirit’s role and relationship is in your life. You could do a word study on the Holy Spirit, finding the verses that refer to Him and what He does through others.
Because He is spirit, the Holy Spirit needs a vessel through which to do His work. In other words, the Holy Spirit is God’s conduit through which He reaches, teaches, guides, comforts, and directs us.
How can we grasp the air? Our life is like a vapor (James 4:14). We cannot see the wind, but we see the effects of it. We see evidence of the Spirit, but we may not recognize His hand until we are past the moment of greatest need for Him.
Did you know the Holy Spirit had a significant role throughout the Old Testament? After a deep dive on that study, I wrote a poem entitled, “Ruach,” the Hebrew word that best represents the Spirit. It is an onomatopoeia (the word describes itself by the sounds it makes when you say it, e.g., swoosh, buzz). Note: The poem appears in the last chapter of I already AM: Testimonies of Belief of the Great I AM.
When David prayed, “Take not your Holy Spirit from me!” (Ps. 51:11 ESV), he had witnessed the difference in his predecessor, Saul, when God’s Spirit was taken away. The Spirit spoke through many of the prophets, priests, and kings. The important distinction from then to now is that not everyone was offered the invitation to have the Spirit. Now, when we become one with Christ, we celebrate the joy of the resurrection and redemption from life without the Spirit.
If you do not have a relationship with the Holy Spirit, I invite you to take the important step of faith by proclaiming your belief publicly, repenting from a Spirit-less way of life in darkness, confessing Jesus as Lord of your life, and being baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
If you would like help on that part of your spiritual journey, we would love to help connect you with a local church that can walk alongside you.
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Written by Johanna Zabala, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Ecuador
Being an Iron Rose Sister provides great opportunities each week for endless spiritual blessings resulting from the teachings that we read and from meditating on those wonderful words shared by Christian sisters. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3 NASB).
There are many spiritual blessings for which we were chosen from the beginning so that we may be set aside as His adopted children. As indicated in the quoted text from Ephesians 1 onward, we are described as princesses of the heavenly kingdom since we have been saved and are striving to live for the glory of God.
In this year 2023, I have observed in more detail how each sister throughout the world who writes for this blog is a beautiful instrument of the Lord to deliver biblical messages and personal stories, called with great love "Godstories". These show how the Heavenly Father Himself in His infinite purposes uses each life experience to make His power and majesty known.
Together, as the virtuous Michelle, the beautiful Deanna, the unique Ana Teresa, the cheerful Sabrina, elegant Aileen, joyful Kat, fervent Kara, creative Corina, fun Katie, jovial Ann, loving Jocelynn, pretty Alina, always kind Brenda, expressive Francia, fascinating Nilaurys, attractive Claudia, cute Marbella, delicate Elina, brilliant Brenda Davis, faithful Wendy, radiant Liliana, great Lindsay, smiling Beliza, assertive Rianna, enterprising Karyn, dedicated Lisanka, and many others, we have shared each blog with the love of God and the heart of the Lord.
Convinced by the relational discoveries that undoubtedly show a range of experiences and moments of life how we are connected, this connection allows us to teach and learn from each other. For this reason, I feel that we are a great team and every day I get to know and love them much more, creating a bond of fellowship, equality, and continuous growth of faith and hope in the Lord Jesus.
Many are the themes shared by these various writer-sisters that have touched my heart and have led me to reflect on my needs; through their writing they all teach, knowing how to relate as a team in spiritual harmony. Likewise, they have strengthened my belief in the undeniable fact that I will never be alone— that I am always in unity with the Maker of Life and therefore with my fellow sister.
I confess that it has been difficult for me to write to you; it is easier for me to communicate verbally than with a written message. But these sisters have encouraged me with their distinct examples to do it better and better, and I am confident you will understand me because of the different learning styles that have also been described in previous blogs, and that in each facet of life, our talents are acquired and perfected through cognitive stimulation, daily practice, and seeking God’s wisdom.
In short, writing will always be an art. That is why writing is not simply a recording of facts, but also involves knowing how to make oneself understood and felt, and reaching the audience in a meaningful way, I am constantly reminded that the main protagonist without question is and always will be the Holy Spirit, the Guide of each topic presented. That is how I have been able to perceive it at all times in the service of the Almighty.
In addition, I particularly consider that the inter-learning process of these human and spiritual relationships allows each of us to benefit from our combined experiences. This leads us to have the mind of the Lord, and I love that. "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:5 NIV)
Therefore, all the manifestations of faith that are projected in each blog entry communicates what exists in each writer’s heart. It is made known at their level of self-knowledge, feelings, thoughts, motor skills, socio-emotional communication, innumerable teaching capacities, and acquisition of continuous learning.
As we think about this theme of relationships that unite us, I would like to bless and encourage each of us who is a part of Iron Rose Sister Ministries not only to consider the written offerings on the theme. Also, to consider the connection that comes from above and that surrounds us to equip ourselves with increasing capabilities to enrich individual and group growth, and to live out the faith, hope and love that characterizes us.
Are you willing? Are you brave and willing to empower every precious Iron Rose Sister to decide to teach and learn in their own relationships? Do you maintain an ongoing relationship with Heavenly Father through prayer so that you can develop communication with each other?
Go ahead— together in unity let's continue to be a great team, precious to God.