Today’s passage is a promise God made to His children, before the death and resurrection of Jesus that His Spirit will dwell on them forever.
My brother, my sister, we all know that God kept His promise and when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, His Spirit comes and dwells in us. Why? The Holy Spirit dwells within us to produce change in us and help us to become a bit more like Christ every day! Yes, when the Holy Spirit dwells in someone, that person will change… that is the beginning of conversion: your former desires no longer entice you, your old character dies away, your chief aim is now to please God. We, the Christians of today are the heirs of this prophecy, so we are able to respond to God’s will and distinguish between good and evil because the Holy Spirit dwells within us. The Bible says “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26)… so, believers should not be lost in their walk with the Lord, not knowing what to do or where they are. Thus, if after some times in the Lord you still feel lost at times, ask yourself if you are not stuck spiritually because you don’t want to grow, for the Bible says “solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14). Yes, you could be suffering spiritually because you are resisting the growth expected by the Lord, which of course comes to refusing to do His will. Yet, the Bible says: “it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13)… This should make us wonder: what do we do when we don’t feel like obeying the Word? Well, then we rebel! My friend, bear in mind that God has not left us alone with our struggles to do His will. He wants to be alongside us and help us. He want to give us the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.
Also, know that the secret to a transformed life is to submit to God’s control and let Him work His will in us and through us. If you are constantly struggling to obey the Word of God or to do what pleases Him, ask Jesus to help you desire to do the Father’s will… He knows what you are talking about: He was there once! And do not think that God will leave His Throne of Grace to come and help you. He did not do it when Jesus cried out: “if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done”(Luke 22:42). But He has already provided what you need: the power of the indwelling Spirit that will help you grow in knowledge and understanding (Philippians 1:9), the influence of faithful Christians, Jesus’ teachings about obedience to God’s Word (church services where we can be exhorted) and sacrificial service. My friend, it is in doing God’s will that we gain the desire to do His will: “brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9). Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.