A Tool In God's HandsSample

Partnership with the Holy Spirit

As Jesus was about to ascend into Heaven, He gave an explicit instruction to His disciples to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit has been given. If we look back to the ministry of Jesus on the Earth, you will see that Jesus did not start His public ministry until He was filled with the Holy Spirit when He was baptised by John the Baptist. Based on this, it can be concluded that we cannot be used by God until we are in partnership with the Holy Spirit.

A close study of the life of Jesus as written in the Bible will show that everything Jesus did while He was on earth, He did by the Holy Spirit. It is for this reason Jesus said that it was not Him Who was doing the works, but the Father Who lives in Him that does them. The Father Who lived in Jesus was the Holy Spirit.

If we do not submit to the partnership of the Holy Spirit, we cannot be used by God. Because, the Holy Spirit is the God Who uses us and apart from Him, we cannot do anything – just as Jesus Himself has shown us. It is for this reason Jesus told His disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit before they start the ministry He has commissioned them to do.

Everyone God used in the Bible partnered with the Holy Spirit. The Kings who feared God, the Prophets, the Priests, the Levites, and the Judges were all able to function in their roles because of the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if we do not submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit, God cannot use us. It does not matter how many years we have been in service or how much burden we have in our hearts. None of these things will matter if we do allow the Holy Spirit to direct us in our service to God. He is the senior partner in all God has called us to do in His name.