Yes, we as fallible people have misused and misrepresented God throughout history. Yes, we as broken and fleshly Christians have abused both the Person and the Power of the Holy Spirit. But we are still called to trust the goodness and purity of His Spirit, despite any and all damage that we have done. The exhortation is clear:  God is a supernatural God, and we are to trust His supernatural Spirit.

Did you know we have permission from God to be hard-headed?! Indeed we do, as we are called by God to do the work of His Kingdom. We are also called, like Ezekiel, to be “watchmen” for God’s people. And while it can be “sweet as honey,” the task of the watchman is serious and daunting. Only by the Spirit of God can we answer that call!

Israel was confronted by the prophet Jeremiah with two sins: They had forsaken the source of their spiritual strength, the fountain of living water, and they had dug for themselves cracked and broken cisterns that caused their water to turn stagnant. Unfortunately, we as Christians need to learn the lesson from Jeremiah: we need to stop digging and start flowing. How? By trusting the Holy Spirit of God more!

One of the more consistent themes of the Old Testament prophets is that of deliverance. In this incredible passage of Isaiah, the Holy Spirit inspired the prophet to speak of every level of deliverance: from the immediate enemy, the Edomites; from our sinful and oppressed state, by way of the Messiah; and from our earthly exile from the very presence of God, by way of the return of the One wearing a white robe dipped in blood. Praise the Spirit of Deliverance!

The question looms so large for us. If Jesus — who was fully and perfectly human and divine as both Son of Man and Son of God — needed the anointing of the Spirit in order to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom, how much MORE do we need the Spirit’s anointing!? The “good news” is that His anointing is so ready and available to us as we surrender and submit.

Jesus coming home to preach—what a celebration! What an honor! Red-carpet treatment all the way in Nazareth. Hometown boy made good. The synagogue was packed. But if it was such Good News that Jesus taught, why did it land Him on the edge of a cliff facing certain death? Only those full of the Spirit can truly embrace the One teaching in the Spirit.

There is a current praise song out today called, “I Trust In God.”  the bridge of that song goes like this: “I sought the Lord, and He heard, and He answered.” Isaiah paints a picture here in chapter 59 when our sin can “stop up” the ears of God, keeping Him from hearing our prayers. Let us always rely on the Holy Spirit to convict us of any and all sin so that our prayers are always heard and answered.

Despite our incredible stubbornness, God is still so utterly faithful and merciful. Like Israel who was in exile to Babylon at the time, we are invited to stay loyal to a God who has continued to be loyal to us. How do we stay loyal to God? How do we avoid hard hearts and stiff necks? By trusting in and being obedient to His Spirit!

The people of Israel continued to flirt with disaster as they went back and forth from trusting God to making idols. Because of that, their “thirst” for the real deal was tainted and poisoned. Today, the Lord is asking us if we are truly thirsty for a “pouring” of His Holy Spirit. If we are willing to be His “mold,” then the Holy Ghost is ready to be “cast” in us.

Jesus goes by many names: Redeemer and Savior, Messiah and Master, Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, Lord of lords and King of kings. But we might miss this one if we’re not careful: Servant. Isaiah declares this title in his Messianic prophesies found in chapter 42. It is fulfilled through Jesus in Matthew 12, and if we have the Spirit of Jesus ruling and reigning in us, shouldn’t the title “servant” apply to us as well? May we strive to be servants of the Lord as empowered by the Holy Spirit!

Isaiah is a book full of judgment and doomsday prophecies for sure. But we also find plenty of prophecies relating to the end times and the Messiah’s return as Lord and King. And guess who is listed as having a huge part in that moment? None other than the Holy Spirit!

Isaiah is like a spiritual roller coaster: chapters of conviction and judgment are intertwined with chapters of praise and salvation. With not even a moment’s notice, the head is snapped from one emotion to the next. A large reason for such a wide ride is that Israel continued to make unholy treaty after unholy treaty, thus bringing upon themselves the consequences of their actions. May we learn the lesson that we make no other treaty or alliance other than one with the Holy Spirit!

We know God seems to like the number “seven.” In ancient Biblical thought, it’s the perfect number. So it’s no wonder then that the future Messiah will have these seven attributes… all connected, of course, to the Spirit of the Lord.

Ecclesiastes is not necessarily your most cheery book of the Bible, that is for sure. But understanding it in its context, the words of King Solomon - now turned Teacher - can give great meaning to our lives that otherwise may feel meaningless. And the One who gives us meaning and purpose? The Holy Spirit!

Advice in our culture is as available as a Google search. Unfortunately, Google is not rooted and grounded in Scripture. Solomon dropped nuggets of wisdom and advice all throughout Proverbs, and we would be very wise to trust the Holy Spirit’s advice.

As a young father, I was certainly not perfect in my parenting. As a maturing father, I was actually concerned that my failures would define me. As an older father of adult children, I stand amazed at how they define my “success.” I praise God for His great grace. My quiver is full!

King Solomon wrote the wisdom-laced Proverbs about 1,000 years before Pentecost occurred in Acts 2. But the more you read and study, there definitely are Holy Spirit connections with both. Here, Solomon points out the pride that can build up in our human spirits when we do not allow the Spirit of God to humble us and reign in us.

It shouldn’t surprise us that we are made of three parts: body, soul, and spirit. While Solomon was writing those nuggets of wisdom for everyday practical purposes, we also have to believe the Holy Spirit was directing him to something even deeper. It’s a game-changer when we become aware of how truly intimate the Holy Spirit desires to be with us and where He actually lives.

Taking a hard look at our culture today, it may be relatively obvious that wisdom as we define it is lacking. But even more important would be to understand wisdom as the Bible defines it. And that wisdom may be even more lacking in today’s world. From the very first chapter, Solomon makes it clear where we can go and get all the wisdom we need… from the Spirit of God!

How we as Christians observe the day of Pentecost ranges from complete and woeful neglect to a full-blown celebration of God’s Holy Spirit. But until we truly get a grasp of the historical context from Joel’s prophecy in the Old Testament, we may still not have a clue as to why Pentecost is so critically important in the Kingdom of God. May you celebrate the Spirit well by allowing Him to be poured out into your life!