The Holy Spirit

Teacher, Counselor, Comforter

John 14:25-26 (NASB)

 (Jesus said) “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

I’ve never quite understood the triune nature of God: Father-Son-Holy Spirit.
The Father-Son connection is obvious and easy to embrace. But I didn’t understand the Holy Spirit's role in this triumvirate. I’m still not sure I fully grasp it.

Of course, I have read in scripture about the Spirit and God’s Spirit, but I have glossed over the depths of the connection.

To me, the Holy Spirit seemed more like an essence, a “feeling” that was part of God rather than being God. Rather like when you walk into a room where an intense exchange had been going on before you arrived — hyper-serious discussion, explosive anger, or even roaring laughter. You can “feel” the tone of the room even though you don’t know the context. That’s how I viewed God’s Spirit.

Honestly, I’ve never given the Holy Spirit much attention in my walk with the Lord.  I continually seek God’s guidance. I pray for a deeper commune with Jesus and a more intimate relationship with both. In the book I recently completed, “God Has A Name” by John Mark Comer, he goes into detail about how your relationship with your earthly, physical father can color your perception and even your relationship with your Heavenly Father. As I wrote about in a previous Sunday Substack, my dad was not a supportive, cheerleader-type figure in my life. He was never mean and never physically abusive, but he wasn’t warm and loving either. Those of you who have a loving, fun relationship with your earthly father (and/or mother), and would even call your parent your “best friend,” embrace it. Give deep, appreciative thanks for this connection. You are blessed, even lucky; this is not the reality of many.

I’ve had many conversations with friends, many tearful prayers, and many deep dives into the Word, seeking a closer connection with God the Father. I want to clearly and continually hear His voice. But I don’t often “feel” the fullness of His love. I know it’s there, but I want more.

I even had a dream a few nights ago that demonstrated how I view my relationship with God. I don’t have dreams very often, so for me, this was significant:

God was the Coach of the football team. The score was close and emotions were running high. This was an important, winner-take-all game. God, the Coach, was hovering around the players, giving instructions, and calling the plays. I was standing about three feet behind Him and the rest of my teammates, neither invited nor allowed to be part of the huddle. I just wasn’t a member of the Action Team. I asked nicely, then pleaded angrily, “Let me in, Coach!!!” But I was ignored. Excluded. Essentially told to be quiet and sit on the bench. I felt so disappointed and pushed aside...and then I woke up.

That has been a fairly typical “scene” with God in my life...until recently.

A few weeks ago, when I was in Provo, Utah, at CognitiveFx for the two-week intensive brain rehab program, one of the daily "activities" was sitting in a comfortable recliner with a headset listening to healing tonal music for 20-30 minutes. One day, while in the chair, I was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. This program was the most difficult, most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life. I cried out an exasperated, silent prayer,

"God, why don't you answer me? Why can’t I hear Your voice? Jesus, where are you? Holy Spirit, can you help?"

In that moment, I felt the most loving, warm feeling wash over my body, like someone was pouring warm water (or warm oil) over me. I had an overwhelming feeling of happiness and relief. I felt deeply loved, embraced, cared for. It was something I had never before experienced. I cried real tears.

Since then, I’ve had quite a few experiences like that with the Holy Spirit. My heart leaps with joy, and I often cry real tears of healing and restoration. (And crying isn’t really my normal response; it’s not ‘my thing.’)

Not sure how to properly address the Holy Spirit in my prayers or in my writings, I asked this question: Does the Holy Spirit have a gender? We know God and Jesus are masculine, but what about the third member of this sacred trilogy?

According to Wikipedia (yeah, I know...)

In Christian theology, the gender of the Holy Spirit has been debated for quite some time. The grammatical gender of the word for "spirit" is feminine in Hebrew (רוּחַ, rūaḥ), neutral in Greek (πνεῦμα) and masculine in Latin (spiritus). The neutral Greek πνεῦμα is used in the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) to translate the Hebrew רוּחַ. In the Semitic languages, such as ancient Syriac, the earliest liturgical tradition and established gender usage for referring to the Holy Spirit is feminine.

In Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus, the word is feminine. Some recent authors (1980s to present), while retaining masculine references to Father and Son, have used feminine language for the Holy Spirit. Most English translations of the New Testament refer to the Holy Spirit as masculine where the masculine Greek word "Paraclete" occurs, for the word "Comforter," most clearly in the Gospel of John, chapters 14 to 16.

Hmm.

What’s important to me right now is a reverent conversation. With gratitude.

Before writing this substack, I did some research about the Holy Spirit. I found many dozen books on various aspects of the Holy Spirit available on Amazon, Kindle, and Apple Books (iBooks) and endless videos.

I found this short video helpful. Perhaps you will too:

I am just beginning this part of my journey with the Lord. My heart is filled with joy. I hope you’ll join me, learning and exploring...

Today’s prayer

Dear Jesus, thank You for sending us the Holy Spirit to teach us and to be in our lives. I am so incredibly grateful that Spirit has become a reality in my life. Lord, Your Word says, (Matt 7:8-9 – AMP)

“Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives, and he who keeps on seeking finds, and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be opened.

Father, as we continually seek You and Your righteousness, the door is opened and the Holy Spirit is here to provide soft, gentle guidance. There are no words for the depths of our gratitude, so we will simply say Thank You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

QUICK LINKS:

Follow: Twitter | Instagram | Telegram | Truth Social | Podcast Membership|
Broadcasts: Rumble| HappyHour |This Wk wDrT | Brighteon | Bitchute | Tues Coffee

Learn about ECP: Health Center Cleveland, OH | Health Center Ventura, CA
Websites: DrTenpenny.com |Tenpenny Apparel| Tenpenny Supplements