God's Very Presence Indwells Us!

Hi Everyone!

Everything that I am learning about and already thinking about has totally coincided with what I've been taught during the week of discipleship and training. I think that is pretty exciting! It is just truly neat how God does that!

A day or two ago, I wrote a post about the privilege is is that we have access to God--that the curtain was torn at the temple from top to bottom the moment Jesus died, giving all people access to God through His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ!

And as awesome as that is, there is something else to it!

Not only are we given access to God, but HIS VERY PRESENCE INDWELLS US, by the Holy Spirit, when we place our trust in Him.

In the Old Testament the tabernacle (which mean something along the lines of "a dwelling place" was God's desire to dwell among His people and be present with them. However, his people were sinners and God could not forget about their sin. The sacrifices they made with animals did not take away their sin. Another perfect sacrifice was needed, and this sacrifice was Jesus Himself.

Jesus took our sin upon himself so that we could have a restored relationship with God, and at the point that anyone personally trusts Christ for salvation, the Holy Spirit indwells them.

John 14:14-17 "If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you."

John 14;25-27 "All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 16:12-14 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

Acts 5:12 "We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."

Romans 8:9 "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

Galatians 4:6-7 "Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir." (OK so this goes with the Romans 8 verses below)

Romans 8:12-17 "Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."

Ephesians 1:13-14 "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory."

THINK ABOUT THAT!! GOD INDWELLING US!!!! Isn't that just awesome!!!! I don't know about you, but I haven't gotten over the wonder of it yet! (I hope I never will)

HOW THEN SHOULD WE LIVE???

1 Corinthians 6:9-12 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. "Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything.

Galatians 5:16-17 "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want."