Before Jesus returned to heaven he promised that he would not leave us alone but would send us the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is equal to God the Father and the Son, and has the same mind and purpose.  The Holy Spirit comes to dwell with us as the presence of Christ.

"This is he that came by water and blood, [even] Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one." 1John 5:6-8

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 14:16-18

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The work of the Holy Spirit is to lead us to Christ, to teach us, and show us Christ’s great love in dying for fallen man. The Holy Spirit opens our mind to understand the words of Christ.

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: John 15:26

When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but... He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show [it] unto you. John 16:13:14

If we accept the atonement of Christ and follow the leading of the Spirit of Truth, the truths of the Bible will wash us, cleanse us and keep us from evil.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Titus 3:5

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. 1Peter 1:2

And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 1Corinthians 6:11

God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 2Thessalonians 2:13

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I need the Holy Spirit to awaken a response within me to accept Christ’s atonement. The natural heart of man is opposed to God and we would never respond without the Holy Spirit.

I need the Holy Spirit to apply the blood of Christ to cleanse my soul. The natural heart of man is sinful, corrupt, and polluted. Our natural bend is towards crime, hatred and selfishness. I am powerless, and there is no hope to change my nature without the Holy Spirit.

I need the Holy Spirit to show me my need of a Saviour. Man’s heart is deceptive and without the Holy Spirit we would never know how wicked and evil our hearts are. Even as a Christian our so-called good works are full of pride and selfishness.

Christ died to give man forgiveness.
Forgiveness gives man access to the Father.
The Father gives man the gift of the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit fills us with God’s love and power to live holy lives.
Christ will come to save a remnant, who are pure, holy and undefiled.

Jesus died to give me the Holy Spirit; because without the Holy Spirit I am powerless and hopelessly lost. Jesus, who is equal to God the Father, loved us so much that he left heaven to live and dwell with man. Jesus was God in the flesh, he was full of the Holy Spirit and lived a life of prayer and constant communion with his Father. Jesus lived a life of purity and holiness, and was hated, reviled and rejected by his own people. It will take an eternity to understand God’s love in sending his Son to become the blood sacrifice to pay for my sins to give me the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In the beginning God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit worked together to create man and all the earth. God made man in His own character, pure holy and undefiled. Adam and Eve walked and talked with God in the garden home made for their pleasure.

Satan, a fallen angel who rebelled against God in heaven, tempted Adam and Eve to sin against God. Adam and Eve lost their garden home, their direct communion with God, and they lost their holy character.

Under the laws of heaven, earth and nature -- Sin brings death. After man sinned humanity lost their connection to eternal life and was under the curse of death.

But because of God’s great love He formed a plan to give man a second chance to obtain eternal life and communion with God through the Holy Spirit.

Do I need the Holy Spirit to be saved?

Jesus answered… Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. John 3:5-6

Repent: Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38; 3:19

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…" Acts 3:19

Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart… Joel 2:12-13

Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness…. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes... Ezekiel 36:25-27

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalms 51:10

Believe in Christ: But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive… John 7:39

Pray for Rain: Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; [so] the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field. Zechariah 10:1

The LORD… shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." Hosea 6:3

God loves you and wants to bless you. But you must do something to obtain His blessing. You must put aside the cares of this life [die to self], and put Him first in your life.

MAKE A COMMITMENT TO:

1. Spend time with God every morning.

2. Read the Bible.

3. Pray

1. Get up early: before the busy day begins. Spend time with God when your mind is fresh and everything is quite. Lay aside the cares of life and put him first in your life.

2. Go to bed early: Discipline yourself to go to bed early, then you will be rested and can get up early.

3. Persevere: It takes time to form new habits. If you are not accustom to getting up early and studying it may take some time before you see the benefits from it. At first you may not enjoy it or may not understand what you are reading, but don’t stop. The farmer works the field and sows the seed because he knows there will be a rich harvest, even though at the time he can’t see it. And you will also be richly blessed, but it may take time before you see the fruit of your labor.

1. In order to have the Holy Spirit we must ASK for it. Jesus tells us that God is more than willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask for it. [Matt 7:11]
   Response: Receive the Holy Spirit and listen for his leading.

2. Ask for the Holy Spirit to lift up Christ and show you His goodness and His love for you.
   Response: As you see God’s love for you, give Him your heart and life. Surrender to His love and the Holy Spirit will come to dwell with you.

3. Ask for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you your true self. (The heart of man is deceptive. We need the Holy Spirit to show us we are poor, blind and naked.)
   Response: As you see your wretchedness and unrighteousness humble yourself before God. With a broken heart, acknowledge you are a sinner and accept Christ’s sacrifice for you. Repent of your sins and He will forgive you and send to you the Holy Spirit as a Comforter.

4. Ask for the Holy Spirit to teach you truth and the way of righteousness. And the Holy Spirit will speak to you through the Scriptures and open your understanding to His Word.
   Response: Watch, listen and learn from the Lord.

5. Ask for the Holy Spirit to empower you to overcome cultivated and inherited sins. The Holy Spirit will give you new thoughts, new desires and new motives. And He will abide with you in power and great glory to give you the desires of a new heart.
   Response: Walk in the Spirit, Obey His voice, and you will not fulfill the desire to sin.

6. Thank the Lord, and Praise Him for His goodness. Thank Him for leading you and answering your prayer.
   Response: Believe that God hears you and is answering your prayer. And the Lord will fill you with the Joy of the Holy Spirit.

1. Always open God’s Word with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to teach you and show you what you need to learn today.

2. Study to know Jesus. Learn of His sacrifice for you, learn of His righteous character. Study His life and how he loved people and loved His Father.

3. Dig deep into the Word of God. Ask the Lord to teach you the hidden meaning.

4. Compare Scripture with Scripture to learn the meaning of difficult verses. The Bible is it’s own interpreter, one verse will interpret another verse. Use a concordance or the computer to do a word search to learn the meaning of a specific topic.

5. Live by God’s Word. Jesus did nothing except that His Father showed him. We must also eat God’s Word and live by it. Our life must become an open book reflecting God’s Word. The Holy Spirit will be given to those who obey God’s Word. [Acts 5:32]