Everybody knows basically that Jesus is the answer to their needs, but in spite of this knowledge a lot of Christians find themselves not knowing how to apply this truth practically. How do we apply the reality of going to Jesus to get the answer to our needs?

After collecting all the objective facts the first step to getting our answer from Jesus is by approaching Him through worship and praise in Spirit and truth. The Holy Spirit is the instrument that Jesus uses to lead us into worship and praise in Spirit and truth and the instrument that Jesus uses to administer the answer to our needs in sanctification and in any other need that we have. Because this is true, if we are to cooperate with Jesus in His sanctifying work in our lives, it is important that we have an intelligent understanding of how Jesus uses the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Before we get into the how though, let us get into the who and why first.

Jesus said in the Gospel of John, "And this is eternal life, that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." (Jn 17:3). Notice here that Jesus says that eternal life is first knowing God. Second, Jesus says having eternal life is knowing Him. Jesus is God,⁴⁰ but the Godhead is not just knowing Jesus. There is one God, eternally existent, all powerful, all knowing, without beginning, without end, having self eternal existence and life in Himself and transcendent throughout the universe consisting of three individual self-conscious and self-aware Personalities with individual intellect, emotions and will: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.⁴¹

The Father is the head of the Trinity. He gives instructions to the Son of His will and plan for man.⁴² Jesus then carries out these plans through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.⁴³ Even though the Holy Spirit is the instrument by which Jesus sanctifies and carries out His will and plan for our lives, we do not put our focus on the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul said, "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Tim 2:5). Jesus is the door by which we come into relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We come to know God, the Trinity, through coming to know Jesus the Son, the second part of the Trinity. Jesus said,

"And in that day you will ask Me no question. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you shall ask the Father for anything, He will give it to you in My name. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full." (Jn 16:23-24).

We can go straight to the Father and are encouraged by Jesus to do so, but it must be done in the name and person of Jesus Christ in order to be received by the Father.

Jesus only carries out the will of the Father, not His own will. Just as Jesus only acts out of the dictates of His Father, so the Holy Spirit only acts or speaks out of the dictates of Jesus. Knowing Jesus then is knowing the Father;⁴⁴ and since the Holy Spirit does not act out of His own initiative, but only out of the initiative of Jesus, therefore, to open oneself up to the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to open oneself up to Jesus and knowing Jesus is to know the Holy Spirit.⁴³ No matter what, we look to Jesus to know the will of the Father and to Jesus for the release of His power and the Holy Spirit to carry the Father's will out in our lives.

If the Holy Spirit is Jesus' instrument by which He works out His will, love, and plan for our lives, then we dare not grieve the Holy Spirit's working in our lives. The Apostle Paul himself admonishes, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Eph 4:30). But if we are to intelligently cooperate with Jesus in His working in our lives through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, then it is imperative that we gain a thorough understanding of who the Holy Spirit is so that we will recognize Him when He comes. Then when He does come we will be able to totally release Him to do what Jesus has instructed Him to do in our lives and through our lives to others. It is important that we do not grieve the moving of the Holy Spirit in our lives because He does not represent Himself. He represents Jesus Christ who sent Him to carry out the Father's will.

*The Holy Spirit Is a Person

Second, the Holy Spirit is a person. This means that like any person the Holy Spirit's constitution is composed of a mind and thus independent self-conscious reasoning powers; and therefore a heart meaning an independent will and thus a soul and emotions; and a Spirit, because He is the Holy Spirit. Because He has a heart, He is the result of His heart response to what He knows through his soul, emotions and Spirit. However, God the Holy Spirit does not have a body. Jesus said about God, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).

As a person the Holy Spirit dwells in believers (Jn 14:15). He teaches and brings to remembrance (Jn 14:26). He testifies (Jn 15:26). He convicts of sin (Jn 16:8). He guides into all truth; He hears, He speaks, He shows, and He reveals the future (Jn 16:13). He inspires Scripture and speaks through it (Acts 1:16; 2 Pet 1:21). He spoke to Philip (Acts 8:29). He calls to the ministry (Acts 13:2). He sends forth His servants (Acts 13:4). He forbids certain actions (Acts 16:6-7). He intercedes (Rom 8:26).

Third, the Holy Spirit has specific attributes of personality. He has a will (1 Cor 12:11). He has a mind (Rom 8:27). He has knowledge (1 Cor 2:10-11). He has language (1 Cor 2:13). He has love (Rom 15:30). He has goodness (Neh 9:20).

Fourth, the Holy Spirit has many names; My Spirit (Gen 6:3). The Spirit of God (2 Chron 15:1). The Spirit of the Lord (Is 11:2). The breath of the almighty (Job 32:8). The Spirit of the Lord God (Is 61:1). The Spirit of your Father (Matt 10;20). The Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7, A.S.V.). The Spirit of Christ (Rom 8:9). The Spirit of His Son (Gal 4:6). The Spirit of Holiness (Ps 51:11; Rom 1:4). The Spirit of wisdom (Is 11:2). The Spirit of counsel (Is 11:2). The Spirit of supplications (Zech 12:10). The Spirit of worship (Jn 4:23). The Spirit of truth (Jn 14:17). The Spirit of comfort (Jn 14:26). The Spirit of life (Rom 8:2). The Spirit of adoption (Rom 8:15). The Spirit of faith (2 Cor 4:13). The Spirit of love (2 Tim 1:7). The Spirit of power (2 Tim 1:7). Spirit of a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7). The Spirit of revelation (Eph 1:17). The Spirit of eternity (Heb 9:14). The Spirit of grace (Heb 10:29). The Spirit of glory (1 Pet 4:14).

Fifth, the Holy Spirit in Scripture is treated like a person; He can be lied to (Acts 5:3). He can be tempted (Acts 5:9). He can be resisted (Acts 7:51). He can be grieved (Eph 4:30). He can be insulted (Heb 10:29). He can be blasphemed against (Matt 12:31). He can be called upon (Ezek 37:9).

Finally, the pronoun, Spirit, is masculine; to emphasize the fact that the Holy Spirit is a person and not a thing.

Jesus said in the Gospel of John,

"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you no longer behold Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged." (Jn 16:7-11).

The Holy Spirit came to convict us of our sin and the penalty of sin, death, so we would confess and repent of our sins. Second, He then convicts us that the only way to pay sins penalty and receive God’s forgiveness is through Jesus’ death and shed blood on the cross. Third, He convicts us that we must receive Jesus Christ into our hearts as Savior from sin’s penalty and as Lord of our lives so that we will then become one spirit with Him in order for Jesus’ death to be applied to our sins and in order to receive His will and plan for our lives.

Second, the Holy Spirit came to convict us of the personal Lordship of Christ over our lives individually, to bring restraint in our lives concerning what that means since Jesus' presence is not here to give us this restraint personally, and to show us that looking to Jesus is the answer to our sanctifying needs.

Jesus states in the Gospel of Luke 10:19, "Behold, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy and to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and nothing shall injure you." Jesus has given us authority over all the power of the enemy. As we exercise this authority in the name of Jesus within the will of God (James 4:7), the Holy Spirit carries out in power our commands to the enemy.