The Better Thing

"We will not know Him well."

WHEN WE SAY “the glory”, “the anointing”, “the fire of God”, or phrases like “a move of God” or “revival”, all are the Holy Spirit. And He is a SPIRIT not a GHOST. That is a King James Version translation error, although He is not angry when we use it. It’s just factually incorrect. He is THE Holy Spirit, as well. Many remove the article “the”, but there is only one of Him. He is THE Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, and the Breath of the Father.

He is LORD OF HOSTS, meaning the Master of all angelic beings, with the Father and Jesus. They are Three-In-One. Though they are three separate Persons, they speak in unity. This does not necessarily mean all at the same time, although this has happened in the Old Covenant, but that they do not debate between themselves, there is no argument, no “you go first”.

When we say, “the breath of God” or “the gifts of the Spirit”, we are talking about the Spirit of God, other descriptions of Him. All of these word choices I have mentioned are not THINGS or OBJECTS or even ACTIONS, such as we have made them. They are not something HE HAS. They are, instead, Him working.

He is continually working. And He lives IN US. Jesus told this to His disciples before His crucifixion. He promised to send them “another Comforter” (John 14:16), yet another name for the Spirit. The word there, paraclete, has many meanings, all of which open up another picture of what He does. What He does has led to other word choices. We make statements like He will “enter the room” or He is “about to fall” which are inaccurate. Although He can FILL THE ROOM with the Presence of God, which is another term for Him, wherever we go, He is WITH US and will NEVER LEAVE US OR FORSAKE US (Hebrews 13:5). He entered when you entered. He doesn’t fall from heaven. He’s already here. The Truth of it is, He wants us to hear Him speaking 24-7, for us to walk in the atmosphere of heaven all day long, and to never feel empty or dry.

It is natural to coin phrases. Many words have been created through folk etymology. This is where the original word is used differently or pronounced differently and that becomes the norm. One example is the word “cowboy” which is an interpretation of a Spanish term from the days of … well, cowboys. Another example are the works of William Shakespeare. He coined some one thousand words no one had heard of in that day but which are normal to us now. My point here is, the church’s habit of creating a new language amongst believers, a natural thing, has actually separated much which is spoken of in the Word from its true meaning, and if we take the attributes of God and make them into objects, then we lose the heart of God. We will not know Him well. And knowing Him is why Jesus’ died.

John 17 in the EasyEnglish Translation is a moving passage. There is a verse which speaks to this beautifully. In verse 21, Jesus says, “I pray that all of them [those who believe me] will be united. You, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they also will be united in us. So then the world’s people will believe that you sent me.” It is UNITY which shows the world’s people who we are. We cannot be UNITED to each other if we aren’t truly UNITED to the Father, and we will not be united to the Father when we don’t know Him, when we don’t know Jesus’ work, the Spirit’s work. Our need for church vocabulary stops us from seeing Him. Where we speak of anointing carried in cloths, such as is mentioned in Acts, this being one example, we must see the Spirit inhabiting all places and working through our prayers. It isn’t that He sends a piece of Him nor a “burst of power” to activate, but that He is there with that one, in that place.

Revelation of Truth is continual. Never settle for where you stand but reach ever higher and be willing to set down one thing you have clung to in order to receive the better thing. The Holy Spirit is a continual better thing.

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” (John 14:16-17)

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:26)

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.” (Acts 2:2-3)

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

“But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” (1 John 2:27)


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com