“When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance” Eph 1:13-14 (NIV) The gift of the Spirit is a mark, a seal, a deposit, and a guarantee! God stamped a mark on us and sees us with his mark that seals us as belonging to him, like a brand on a cow; we are part of his herd, which is the best herd possible. The Holy Spirit is also a down payment from God on all the good he is giving us, which is his kingdom and all the blessings that go with it. We gave our lives to him and showered us with blessings, and he lets us have a down payment now so we can taste our future. And the gift of the Spirit is a guarantee that nothing can stop God from bringing us into his kingdom; we can rest assured he will complete his renovation of everything.
Christians experience the Holy Spirit in different ways. Some feel Him strongly, others feel Him in a subtle way. Regardless of how we experience Him, the Spirit is a living presence deep inside us who encourages us to follow Jesus. The gift of the Spirit is a guarantee of our present blessings and of our future eternity in a new perfect creation. If the Holy Spirit is real, then everything else God promises is certain. He is the “proof” of the truth of Jesus. Since we have the Spirit, we know we have all things. May you receive and embrace these words of encouragement!
How do you sense the Holy Spirit? Do you let the gift of the Spirit give you confidence that you belong to God and that he will fulfill all his promises to you?
