WHY DID JESUS PROMISE TO SEND THE HOLY SPIRIT TO HIS FOLLOWERS?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. 
Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, 
I will send him to you.
(John 16:7)

MEDITATION:
Jesus made a promise to His disciples (including those who follow Him today)
that when He was resurrected, He would send and “the Advocate” to us.
The dictionary defines “advocate” as:
“a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy”.
Of course Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit who is sent to support 
believers and guide us with His recommendations of living as a child of God.

The Holy Spirit is the third prong 
of the Trinity (God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit).
He is not a thing but a person; 
the Bible tells us that He:
Teaches (John 14:26)
Has an infinite intellect (1 Corinthians 2:11)
Has a will (1 Corinthians 12:11)
Has emotion (Romans 15:30)
Speaks (Revelation 2:7; Acts 13:2)
Teaches (John 14:26)
Witnesses (John 15:26; Romans 8:16)
Guides (Romans 8:14; John 16:13)
Convicts (John 16:7-8)
Commands (Acts 8:29)
Helps (Romans 8:26)
Reaches out to sinners (Genesis 6:3)
Performs miracles (Acts 8:39)
Can be obeyed (Acts 10:19-20)
Can be lied to (Acts 5:3)
Can be resisted (Acts 7:51)
Can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30)
Can be quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
Can be insulted (Hebrews 10:29)
Can be blasphemed (spoken against) (Matthew 12:31)
Is eternal (Hebrews 9:14)
Is omnipresent (ever present) (Psalm 139:7)
Is omniscient (all-knowing) (1 Corinthians 2:10-11)
Is omnipotent (all-powerful) (Luke 1:35; Job 33:4)
Regenerates us (Titus 3:4-5)
Dwells within us (Judges 14:19; John 14:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 3:16)
Seals us in Christ (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30)
Guarantees our inheritance (2 Corinthians 5:5)
Baptizes us (1 Corinthians 12:13)
Fills us (Ephesians 5:17-20)

ACTION:
When we read the scriptures listed above 
and learn more about the Holy Spirit, we can see why 
it was important for Jesus to send Him to His disciples (then and now). 
Every believer who claims to be a follower of the Lord needs to ask themselves: 
“What will I do with the Holy Spirit in my own life?”
“Will I just acknowledge He was sent by the Lord and recognize His 
availability, or will I embrace His presence and ask Him to fill me completely?”

Jesus promised He would send the Holy Spirit, 
but we have to make a choice to invite Him into our lives 
and allow Him to remold us into people who are more
pleasing to our Heavenly Father with new priorities, attitudes, etc.
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, 
there is less room in our life for the things that displease the Lord.

How can we know if we have been filled with the Holy Spirit?
When we are filled to overflowing, there are things that will spill over 
for all to see - they are listed in Galatians as the ‘fruit of the Spirit’.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 
(Galatians 5:22-23)

Have you been “filled” with the Spirit, or do you just have 
an intellectual knowledge of His presence and availability?
Do you have a spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, 
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, You and I both know which fruits of the Spirit are 
missing in my life which are evidences that I have not been filled with 
Your Spirit. Help me to allow more of the Spirit into my life so that I 
can be more pleasing to You and become a greater witness by the way 
I live my remolded life. Your Word tells me of the availability of the 
Holy Spirit and I ask You today to completely fill me with Your Spirit.”

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