Work of the Holy Spirit

by Ellen White

Pray that the mighty energies of the Holy Spirit, with all their quickening, recuperative, and transforming power, may fall like an electric shock on the palsy-stricken soul, causing every nerve to thrill with new life, restoring the whole man from his dead, earthly, sensual state to spiritual soundness. You will thus become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust; and in your souls will be reflected the image of Him by whose stripes you are healed. 5T 267

The power of Christ alone can work the transformation in heart and mind that all must experience who would partake with Him of the new life in the kingdom of heaven. "Except a man be born again," the Saviour has said, "he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3. The religion that comes from God is the only religion that can lead to God. In order to serve Him aright, we must be born of the divine Spirit. This will lead to watchfulness. It will purify the heart and renew the mind, and give us a new capacity for knowing and loving God. It will give us willing obedience to all His requirements. This is true worship. 9T 156

The Holy Spirit will take the things of God and show them unto you, conveying them as a living power into the obedient heart. COL 149

While we yield ourselves as instruments for the Holy Spirit's working, the grace of God works in us to deny old inclinations, to overcome powerful propensities, and form new habits....

As we seek to win others to Christ, bearing the burden of souls in our prayers, our own hearts will throb with the quickening influence of God's grace; our own affections will glow with more divine fervour; our whole Christian life will be more of a reality, more earnest, more prayerful. COL 354

The indwelling of the Spirit will be shown by the outflowing of heavenly love. The divine fullness will flow through the consecrated human agent, to be given forth to others. COL 419

We often sorrow because our evil deeds bring unpleasant consequences to ourselves; but this is not repentance. Real sorrow for sin is the result of the working of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit reveals the ingratitude of the heart that has slighted and grieved the Saviour, and brings us in contrition to the foot of the cross. By every sin, Jesus is wounded afresh; and as we look upon Him whom we have pierced, we mourn for the sins that have brought anguish upon Him. Such mourning will lead to the renunciation of sin. DA 300

When the law was proclaimed from Sinai, God made known to men the holiness of His character, that by contrast they might see the sinfulness of their own. The law was given to convict them of sin, and reveal their need of a Saviour. It would do this as its principles were applied to the heart by the Holy Spirit. This work it is still to do. In the life of Christ the principles of the law are made plain; and as the Holy Spirit of God touches the heart; as the light of Christ reveals to men their need of His cleansing blood and His justifying righteousness, the law is still an agent in bringing us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul."[2 PS. 19:7.] DA 308

God's ideal for His children is higher than the highest human thought can reach. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." This command is a promise. The plan of redemption contemplates our complete recovery from the power of Satan. Christ always separates the contrite soul from sin. He came to destroy the works of the devil, and He has made provision that the Holy Spirit shall be imparted to every repentant soul, to keep him from sinning. DA 311

It is the love of self that brings unrest. When we are born from above, the same mind will be in us that was in Jesus, the mind that led Him to humble Himself that we might be saved. Then we shall not be seeking the highest place. We shall desire to sit at the feet of Jesus, and learn of Him. We shall understand that the value of our work does not consist in making a show and noise in the world, and in being active and zealous in our own strength. The value of our work is in proportion to the impartation of the Holy Spirit. Trust in God brings holier qualities of mind, so that in patience we may possess our souls. DA 330

The omnipotent power of the Holy Spirit is the defence of every contrite soul. Not one that in penitence and faith has claimed His protection will Christ permit to pass under the enemy's power. The Saviour is by the side of His tempted and tried ones. With Him there can be no such thing as failure, loss, impossibility, or defeat; we can do all things through Him who strengthens us. When temptations and trials come, do not wait to adjust all the difficulties, but look to Jesus, your helper. DA 490

His Spirit "maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." As the "whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together" (Romans 8:26, 22), the heart of the infinite Father is pained in sympathy. Our world is a vast lazar house, a scene of misery that we dare not allow even our thoughts to dwell upon. Did we realise it as it is, the burden would be too terrible. Yet God feels it all. In order to destroy sin and its results He gave His best Beloved, and He has put it in our power, through co-operation with Him, to bring this scene of misery to an end. "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matthew 24:14. ED 263

Few believe that humanity has sunk so low as it has or that it is so thoroughly bad, so desperately opposed to God, as it is. . . When the mind is not under the direct influence of the Spirit of God, Satan can mould it as he chooses. All the rational powers which he controls he will canalise. He is directly opposed to God in his tastes, views, preferences, likes and dislikes, choice of things and pursuits; there is no relish for what God loves or approves, but a delight in those things which He despises. . . HP 163

Christian workers can never attain the highest success until they learn the secret of strength. They must give themselves time to think, to pray, to wait upon God for a renewal of physical, mental, and spiritual power. They need the uplifting of His Spirit. Receiving this, they will be quickened by fresh life. The wearied frame and tired brain will be refreshed, the burdened heart will be rested. HP 83

Those who seek for more and still more of the Spirit of God, will not be disappointed. They will hold daily communion with God, and divine power will surely attend their efforts as they present the truth. As certainly as the truth is presented in the Spirit of Christ, it will reach the hearts of the people. Brethren, we should not go into the desk unless we have previously devoted some time to wrestling with God in prayer. We should not be satisfied to use the set discourses that we have preached over and over for the last ten, fifteen, or twenty years. We should draw fresh, new matter from the store-house of God's word. We are desirous that the angels of God may stand by our side when we are in the sacred desk, that God may impress the mind; that there may be glorious unfoldings of the truth; that it may be presented in the demonstration of the Spirit; that it may be meat in due season to the flock of God. It is the special grace of God that makes the sermon effectual. The minister's words will have very little influence upon the people, unless divine enlightenment accompanies them to the hearts of the hearers. We need much more of the Spirit of God than we have had in the past. Brethren, how long are you going to continue to labour without receiving the holy unction from on high? RH JUN.04,1889

In the gift of the Spirit, Jesus gave to man the highest good that heaven could bestow.... He saw ... that there was hope for human beings because there was power in the divine nature successfully to contend with evil agencies.... It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given his Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress his own character upon the church. RH MAY 19,1904

God calls upon us to come into harmony with the divine pattern. He calls upon us, while it is called Today [Heb. 3:13], to repent and be reconverted; and then His Spirit will dwell in us richly [Col.3:16; Titus 3:5,6], and there will be transformations of character little dreamed of. As His Spirit works with your spirit, there will be manifest a saving grace by which we shall be deeply convicted of the wonderful transformation that is taking place in your character. Others will notice it, and be influenced thereby. SAT 369

[Jn. 1:12A, 14 quoted.] The Spirit of God is not commissioned to do our part of the work, either in willing or doing. It is the work of the human agent to co-operate with divine agencies. As soon as we incline our will to harmonise with God's will, the grace of Christ is supplied to co-operate with our resolve. But it is not to be a substitute to do our work, to work in spite of our resolutions and actions. Therefore our success in the Christian life will not be because of an abundance of light and evidence, but will depend upon our acceptation of the light given, upon the rousing of the energies, and operating with the heavenly ministers appointed of God to work for the salvation of the soul. ST FEB.12,1894

God is ever seeking to impress our hearts by his Holy Spirit, that we shall be convinced of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement to come [Jn. 16:8]. We may place our will on the side of God's will, and in his strength and grace resist the temptations of the enemy....

Jesus would enlist men in his service. He would direct their perverted powers in such a way that, through his grace, they may become agents for the working of unmingled good to every other man, and each become his brother's keeper in disinterested love, and thus the world be restored to God....

Let them follow in the footsteps of Jesus, obeying to the letter his word of direction" `If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me' [Luke 9:23], `so shall he be my disciple' [Jn. 15:8]. In the grace of Christ alone can this be done.... God has provided grace that his chosen, his elect, shall not be discomfited by the enemy. God has provided that men shall be Christians in the market place, in the house of commerce, in all manner of taxing cares in private or public life, as well as at the prayer meeting. ST SEP.4,1893

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