Evidence of God’s Living Spirit

Everywhere we turn the proof of God is obvious. It’s in His creation of humans, other creatures, the earth, and universe. 

But the evidence doesn’t stop at His creations.

The underlining reality of God is His divine presence. God made us in His image and placed His spirit inside our souls. Every human being is God’s creation, but the choice to experience His living Spirit is up to Him.    

No one can force God to show Himself. Adam and Eve couldn’t nor Noah, Moses or Ruth. The same for John the Baptist, the Twelve Disciples and Paul. You can’t, neither can I.

The essence of God is the elegance of His grace. When Adam and Eve sinned and fell from God’s favor then the way He showed Himself to humanity changed. This original sin gave birth to faith.

In the Old Testament, you will find different ways God tried to teach His people faith. Noah’s generation didn’t understand and found out God’s mighty wrath. The Israelites continued to struggle with faith and held captive several times for their indifference towards Him. God used prophets as guides, but to no avail. Their inability to grasp faith blocked them from God’s Spirit and set in motion His new covenant.

From the beginning, God’s plan included Christ (John 1:1-5). It’s our Messiah who gives us spiritual life so we can live in God’s Spirit. God made Christ as the sole entry into His kingdom and faith in our Messiah opens the door to heaven.   

Real faith is humbling oneself before Christ. A simple belief isn’t enough for even the Pharisees believed God’s existence. And Jesus exposed the Pharisees as disbelievers. So faith goes beyond the knowledge of God.

Faith is sacrificing personal interest, trusting God’s plan and living in the body of Christ. By abandoning ourselves over to Christ’s care without reservations, we receive God’s grace and the gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8). Once God saves us, we are anointed with the Holy Spirit and experience God’s undeniable presence.

Now filled with God’s Spirit, we find an inner strength beyond our own. We are given the courage to continue picking up our cross, abiding in Christ and living in God’s will. This keeps us in God’s Light, and we know our suffering doesn’t compare to the way Christ suffered on the day of His crucifixion.  

Placing God above everything, loving others, forgiving those who hurt us and selfless service is the evidence of a Spirit-filled soul. Those spiritual attributes radiate to others the way God lives in the life of the faithful.  

I used to live an unsaved life. Everything revolved around me, and my self-serving motives dominated my actions. I was a drunkard, womanizer and ungrateful. The results from living in spiritual darkness killed my spirit and left me suicidal. I wanted to die, but God rescued me.

The Lord saved me, and I’m forever grateful for His mercy. I no longer live in blindness for Christ has shown me the eternal light. God’s Spirit revived my soul, and Christ’s death washed me clean. The evidence of God’s presence renews my faith and inspires me to live holy. God leaves me no excuse not to glorify Him.  

The proof of God’s living Spirit is both internal and external. A life centered in Christ soften the heart tames the tongue and renews the soul. The actions of a Christian show the righteousness of God. God is inescapable.  

The Simplicity of God’s Will 

Sometimes it’s easy to overlook the simplicity of God’s will. Our human tendency is to complicate matters. We wonder if we’re on the right track or question our worthiness.

God created us out of unconditional love. The Lord finds us worthy enough to be saved. And He simplified His will by introducing His Son Jesus Christ to the world.

God made salvation available to anyone who will believe in Jesus as the Savior. Once someone picks up their cross and walks with Christ, then God’s will comes to life. Without establishing faith in Christ, the door to God’s mansion is closed. (John 14: 1-6)   

When Adam and Eve sinned, it damaged their interaction with God. His penalty for their disobedience excluded humanity from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). The Lord didn’t give up on them and showed His mercy by teaching them repentance. God’s grace saved them from the evil one.

It’s easy to find God’s will. The first thing He wants is being placed above everything. Nothing less is acceptable for God’s judgment is harsh on unbelievers. The Bible speaks God’s truth, and many examples of His corrections are recorded.

Noah, Moses, David, and Habakkuk are the testimonies attesting to God’s wrath on disbelief. They saw God’s righteous justice and wrote of those events so we can understand the Lord’s judgment on disobedience. 

Our ancient ancestors of the Old Testament lived in and out of God’s favor. The Lord practiced patience with them and used Prophets to help guide His children into eternal light. Their long periods of captivity and God’s merciful interventions wasn’t enough to convince them to change. Lack of faith and their inability to repent paved the way for God’s next and final plan.

God activated His final plan for salvation in the New Testament. The Lord ended prophecies and introduced His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. God narrowed His will to one crucial act of faith: abiding in Christ.

Apostle John’s Gospel simplifies the truth of abiding in Christ. Here is where the Messiah explained to His Disciples the truth of God’s will. In John’s 14^th chapter, he wrote the command Christ made for entry into God’s kingdom.

Christ told Apostle Thomas this: “… I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14: 6) Verse 6 is precise and easy to understand. Here God identifies Christ as His eternal will. God leaves salvation in Christ’s hands and eliminates any confusion on His everlasting plan.

Our Father is incredible and by believing in Christ, we are anointed by the Holy Spirit (John 14: 15-18). Here God’s overwhelming presence is obvious. Our Father never leaves us guessing for no other feeling or emotion matches His living spirit. The Holy Spirit makes God undeniable.

Experiencing God’s will of love comes from loving Christ. Jesus unfolded the essence of God’s love and the Gospel of John highlights the action necessary to receive this gift. Our love for Christ unites Him and us with God (John 14: 23-24). Then we are given an unshakable foundation for everlasting life.

Another manifestation of God’s love from abiding in Christ is becoming friends of Jesus. Christ told the Disciples this: “No longer do I call your servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you," (John 15: 15).

God wants us to be friends of Jesus. The characteristics of real friendship comprise love, trust, faith and selfless giving. Those spiritual gifts produce a fruitful partnership and can withstand the storms of life. God is glorified when we become Christ’s friend.

The inner peace I have from abiding in Christ is exhilarating. Christ’s serenity comforts my soul and keeps me humble. God has provided me hope in times of distress and I love being corrected from my disobedience. Christ has changed my life and made it whole. I’m no longer afraid to lose my life in Him.

On our own and without Christ our lives are meaningless.  God’s will is centered in Christ. Humility is the cornerstone to Christ’s wisdom, and this provides us with the knowledge of God’s will. The light of God brings us a brighter future.  

How has Christ changed your life?