DAY 2 – THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A WHO

As Christians, we think that the Holy Spirit is an abstract presence that only comes on a Sunday or at a conference with hundreds of people. But scripture tells us that Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to continue to walk with us just like he did.

The Holy Spirit isn’t an abstract presence that we can never predict, but actually someone we can have a relationship with. Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit is a Who, not a What! This is incredible news! We can get to know a ‘who’, talk with them, listen to them, learn from them and enjoy being with them. The Holy Spirit enters every believer when they are saved which means we are all invited to know him.

This relationship is built intentionally and personally. We can know things about someone but not really know them as a friend. Good friends catch up regularly. What types of things do you do to build important relationships in your life? You might grab a smoothie and walk to your favourite beach or head to the local coffee shop and catch up over croissants. Maybe you are the adventurous type and like to hike a mountain or take on the new skate park. Whatever you do the key is that you value your relationship and therefore are intentional about creating space to talk and listen, to know what’s going on in the other's life, and to love each other well.

Good relationships take effort, time, and intentionality. A relationship with the Holy Spirit is the same. We can ‘walk and talk’ with him, spend time sitting with him, we can ask him for wisdom and insight and tell him about what’s been going on for us. We can learn about the way he talks with us and works in our lives. We can get to know his heart and what he wants to do in the lives of those around us. The Holy Spirit wants to have an engaged relationship with us. We partner with him in this by being intentional about making this relationship a priority in our lives.

Journal:

• Write down one thing you can do every day to get to know the Holy Spirit more. It might be starting your day reading scripture, praying, listening to worship music, sitting in contemplative silence, running in nature or praying with others.
• What is something that gets in the way of you spending time with God? Write it down and share it with a trusted mentor or friend. Ask them to hold you accountable for changing this habit so that you can journey into a deeper relationship with God.