The Transforming Power Of The Holy Spirit Among Us
The Holy Spirit is alive and well and living among us right here in the High Country!
By Ben Cox
That’s a strange way to start an introduction to a magazine, right? However, it’s appropriate because that’s what this magazine is all about. Here’s what I mean by that: the Holy Spirit is God and He is doing wonderful things through flawed people like myself and many others who who have chosen to be His followers.
Transforming Power
We Christians come in all shapes and sizes with different stories and representing different theological backgrounds, denominations, and philosophies of ministry, but we have the same love and devotion to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That love motivates us to live our lives in ways that are in harmony with seeing His kingdom come and His will being done on Earth as it is in Heaven. At least that’s what Jesus would like to see from those of us who claim to follow Him!
However, I must confess on behalf of us all, that we Christians are known more by our preoccupation with fighting among ourselves and judging everyone else but ourselves than by our love for one another and for all people. In spite of that, the Holy Spirit still works with us and through us, which brings me back to this point: One of the major reasons we publish this magazine is to demonstrate, through the testimonies that you read here, how a person’s life can be transformed from the inside out by a personal encounter with the Spirit of the Living God! Many Christians refer to that initial encounter as being “born again” because that’s how Jesus described it when He said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless He is born again.” (John 3:3, NLV)
Being born again is where our journey begins and the initial transformation starts, but that transformational process is meant to continue as we keep our hearts open to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Then, one day, when we meet Jesus face to face, He will complete the process and usher us into an eternal relationship with God that’s beyond anything our finite, human minds can conceive of!
Yes to God
In the meantime, we, as Jesus’ followers, are meant to find our places alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ and obey His command to “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16, NIV)
If you consider yourself to be a follower of Christ and your light has dimmed for whatever reason, may these stories inspire and motivate you to open your heart again to the Holy Spirit who stands ready to refresh you, renew you, and fill you with God’s peace, love, and light. If you’re reading these pages and you long for the inward transformation of which these stories speak, be assured that you, too, can be born of the Spirit and filled with the Spirit in ways that will help you push back any darkness or emptiness that is encroaching upon you.
The healing starts or restarts when we make a decision to say yes to God and no to our own self-centered ways. You can make that choice now privately and encounter the Holy Spirit because the Lord always gives grace to the humble who are willing to acknowledge their need for God. But realize this, too: there are people all around you in the High Country who can help you with your next steps because the Holy Spirit is alive and well and moving among us!
This article was originally written for the Summer 2018 Edition of The Journey magazine.