He Lives Inside Now

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" — 1 Corinthians 6:19

Do you understand what happened at Pentecost?

In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God came upon men for acts of service with God's spiritual anointing. He empowered them for acts of service and leadership to speak with boldness and to lead with clarity and direction. After that, His Spirit would leave them.

At Pentecost, the Spirit of God did something very unique. People in this century take it for granted. When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, He began to indwell the believers. He made His home in believers. In fact, the Greek word that is used means "intimate home."

He began to live inside the lives of believers, never to leave them, and never to depart from them.

Do you hear that? Never to leave. Never to depart.

This is radically different from the Old Testament. David prayed, "Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me" (Psalm 51:11). He had seen the Spirit depart from Saul. He feared the same could happen to him.

But you don't have to pray that prayer. If you have given your life to Christ, the Holy Spirit has taken up permanent residence in you. He's not visiting. He's not passing through. He's moved in—forever.

He gives direction and affirmation. He provides comfort and assurance. He brings conviction of sin. He grants gifts to empower you for service and ministry. This is what the Spirit of God does; He does it all from the inside of who you are.

If you have never heard that taught, you have not heard the full Gospel. It is important that you understand how critical this is for confirmation that you are a child of God.

You are not alone. You are not abandoned. You are not left to figure things out by yourself.

The Holy Spirit lives inside you right now. He's closer than your next breath. He's not going anywhere.

That changes everything.