Who is the Holy Spirit?

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener), to be with you forever—  the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him,  you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you  and will be in you. - John 14:16-17 (Amplified Bible)

Do not quench the Spirit - 1 Thessalonians 5:19 (LSB)

What does the Holy Spirit want to do in me that I can quench?  Very simply stated, He wants to move you along a path to ever-increasing holiness. What does holy mean? Separate. He wants to separate you further and further from sin, and the further you get away from sin, the closer you get to God. It’s just a process of separation. He wants to produce in you the decreasing frequency of sin, the decreasing power of temptation, the decreasing preoccupation with the world, the decreasing victimization to the flesh, and increase your longings for God. That’s the progress of sanctification. That’s a movement toward holiness. That is His work. - John MacArthur

The Holy Spirit...

1. Illuminates God’s Word

But you have an anointing from the Holy One [you have been set apart, specially gifted and prepared by the Holy Spirit], and all of you know [the truth because He teaches us, illuminates our minds, and guards us from error].-1 John 2:20 (Amplified Bible)

For no prophecy recorded in Scripture was ever thought up by the prophet himself. It was the Holy Spirit within these godly men who gave them true messages from God. - 2 Peter 1:20-21 (Living Bible)

2. Brings us into intimacy with God

And that is the way it was with us before Christ came. We were slaves to Jewish laws and rituals, for we thought they could save us. But when the right time came, the time God decided on, he sent his Son, born of a woman, born as a Jew, to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his very own sons. And because we are his sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, so now we can rightly speak of God as our dear Father. Now we are no longer slaves but God’s own sons. And since we are his sons, everything he has belongs to us, for that is the way God planned. - Galatians 4:3-7 (Living Bible)

You can quench the Spirit by not accepting the difficulties of life, being bitter and angry, by not being prayerful, and not enjoying the communion of God.  You can quench that work of the Spirit by not being worshipful, by not being willing to cast your care upon Him.  You can quench that work of the Spirit by operating on your fleshly power, by sticking with your human resources, and saying, “I’m not going to go to God for anything, I’ve got all I need, I can handle myself.”  You quench it by feeling inadequate, by not trusting God’s love, and saying, “If I go, He doesn’t love me.”  Or not trusting His supply, “He doesn’t have what I need.”  Any of those and more would cause you to quench the work of the Spirit. - John MacArthur

3. Glorifies Christ to us

But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future].  He will glorify  honor Me, because He (the Holy Spirit) will take from what is Mine and will disclose it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine. Because of this I said that He [the Spirit] will take from what is Mine and will reveal it to you. - John 16:13-15 (Amplified Bible)

And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit. - 2 Corinthians 3:18 (Amplified Bible)

So as you study the Word of God, the reflection of the glory of Jesus Christ comes blazing off of it.  I don’t care whether you’re talking about the Old Testament or the New Testament, Christ is the theme everywhere.  And as you gaze into the Word of God, with the blinders off, with the veil off, because you’re in Christ, and you look in this glass, which reflects the glory of the Lord into your face, as you do that you are being transformed into the same image. - John MacArthur

4. Guides us into God's will

I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to do My judgments. - Ezekiel 36:27 (LSB)

Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. - Psalm 143:10 (LSB)

The process of sanctification, then, involves progress, and it means I must execute God’s will.  That is, first of all, the Spirit prompts me to obey the Word of God, by convicting, and sometimes chastening me if I don’t. And then the Spirit of God orders the providences of my life, the events, and circumstances, and whispers in my conscience, through my desire, and sends me in the direction He wants me to go.  All of that is moving me in the process of sanctification.- John MacArthur

Be Encouraged to sensitize your heart to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. 



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