LIVING BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD-
-The Truth
NKST Mabushi-10 May 2026
Today, we are looking at the topic- LIVING BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD and our subtopic is The truth.
For us to live by Spirit of God, we need to understand who the Holy Spirit is.
In Protestant theology, particularly within Reformed traditions like ours, the Holy Spirit is defined as the third person of the Trinity, equal with the Father and Son, who is eternally God, given to believers to seal their salvation, regenerate their hearts, and empower them in sanctification.
The sprit of God is an integral part of the Trinity and has always been in action as long as God lived and lives.
Gen. 1:1-2
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
In Vs 26
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Here, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit decided to create man in Their image. The purpose was to have God represented on earth above all other creatures but the devil knew about this and planned to deceive man out his relationship with God.
The bible tells us that God would come in the cool of the evening to have followship with man and the devil was not happy.
As brethren, we should not despise the followship we have with one another.
The bible says, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them- Mathew 18;20.
The devil is always unhappy when we gather as children of God so he introduces all kinds of tricks to distract brethren (those who he cannot stop from coming). In fact, sometimes he encourages some to come on his agenda to create confusion. May we not be part of the devils’ plan in Jesus name.
When man disobeyed in the garden, he lost the connection with God, most specifically, the Spirit departed man.
God did not abandon man, He found ways to redeem man. The first was to offer man a chance to repent but he opted for blame games and he lost the chance- Is the wife you God made for me that put me in this condition. We know the rest of the story.
God gave His only son out of free will to redeem man.
The last part of the restoration of man’s position was the coming of the Holy Spirit.
And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter; that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth….
— John 14:16,17
On the night of His betrayal, our Lord Jesus relayed specific information to His disciples in the Upper Room. He told them He was soon going away from them. He also assured them that He was going to prepare a place for them. He promised them that He would then come again to receive them unto Himself. He also explained to His disciples that He would ask the Father to send them the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Who would abide with them forever.
Notice that Jesus called the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of Truth” in this verse. This is the first of three instances where Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of Truth” over the course of His teaching in John chapters 14-16 (see John 15:26 and John 16:13). Three different times in three chapters! By repeating this phrase over and over again, Jesus was driving a truth into His disciples’ hearts — that the Holy Spirit is utterly trustworthy and would never mislead them or misguide them.
The Holy Spirit is not merely a force, a power for good, or a sense of divine presence. The Holy Spirit is a Person of the Godhead, eternally proceeding from both the Father and the Son,
Jesus explained several important aspects of the Holy Spirit and His work.
- The Spirit of truth is given only to believers.
The first instruction Jesus gave in the Upper Room regarding the Holy Spirit emphasized that the Spirit of truth is given only to believers. “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 14:17). Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers that the natural man “receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God” (I Corinthians 2:14). False teachers and false prophets can claim spiritual power and a dynamic message from on high, but only true believers can have the indwelling presence of the Spirit of truth. - The Spirit of truth testifies of the Lord Jesus.
Jesus’ second reference regarding the Holy Spirit is a promise that the Spirit of truth will testify of the Lord Jesus. “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me” (John 15:26). If a preacher constantly references the Holy Ghost and rarely mentions Jesus, you have good reason to question whether this man’s message is the genuine message of the Holy Spirit of God. The Spirit of truth testifies of Christ, and the message of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Holy Spirit will always lift high the person and name of Jesus. - The Spirit of truth is consistent with the Word of God.
The third mention of the Spirit of truth in the Upper Room is a confirmation that the voice of the Holy Spirit will always be consistent with the Scripture.
“ However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come” (John 16:13). Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit so that He could guide us “into all truth.” The Spirit of truth is our guide to the whole revealed Word of God. Without Him, we cannot understand the Bible. But with His blessing and presence, the written Word is made alive to our hearts.
Many believers have a hard time following the leading of the Holy Spirit because they can’t see Him or physically hear His voice. They say, “Oh, how I wish Jesus was here” or, “I wish Jesus would step through the door and tell me what to do in this situation.”
But this way of thinking isn’t in line with the Bible. Is it time for you to rejoice that you have the Holy Spirit in your life because He will never mislead you! You may need to develop your ability to listen, but the Holy Spirit will always guide you to where you need to be. He is the Spirit of Truth!
This means you can be sure that when the Holy Spirit nudges your heart to do something, it is the right thing to do. When He puts a thought into your mind, it is a right idea. When He guides your spirit, He knows something you don’t and is trying to lead you on the best possible path through the obstacles in your life. He is always the Spirit of Truth, and as the Spirit of Truth, you can rely on the fact He will never mislead you.
The bottom line is this: If we’re going to experience real, supernatural Christian living, we must come to a place of surrender to the Holy Spirit. He is always trying to coach and direct us, even when we’re not listening. He is always as close as our next breath, dwelling in our spirits — speaking, directing, encouraging, and trying to help us make the correct decisions in life. Whether or not we listen to Him, He is still there on the inside of us because that’s the job assignment He received from the Father. So to the extent we decide to listen to our Heavenly Coach and follow His advice, that is the extent we benefit from the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives.
We must learn to trust the Holy Spirit’s leadership and do what He instructs us to do. He is a divine Coach sent by God to help us. For Him to help us, it requires our ears, our hearts, our trust, and our obedience. Anything short of this will produce inferior results, results far short of the supernatural life you really desire. Since He is the Spirit of truth, it means He is completely trustworthy — so put aside your fears and objections and begin to let Him do His job of coaching you. This is Jesus’ guarantee!
PRAYER
Father, I confess that I have been fearful about following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Today I admit it; I confess it; and I turn from it. I want to experience the coaching ministry of the Holy Spirit in my life. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. Therefore, I know He will never mislead me. Starting today, I choose to put aside my apprehensions and surrender to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. With Him helping me, I will begin to follow His leading and let Him guide me through life.
I pray this in Jesus’ name!
Amen