Reign.

We have been talking about Holy Spirit for a while now. I think it is so easy for us to forget that we have God living on the inside of us. The number of times I have gone through hard days and have needed to be reminded that I am not doing life on my own, I have God with me… We are so quick to feel neglected or alone, but we are never alone.

I don’t think we realise just how blessed we are to have Holy Spirit, or we do and we find it to be too good to be true, but either way, what would your life look like if you truly believed that the Creator of the universe, God Himself was living on the inside of you?

We started this series in Genesis, and I think it is only fitting that we finish it there too. Genesis 1:26-28 in the Passion Translation says, “Then God said, “Let us make a man and a woman in our image to be like us.  Let them reign over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the livestock, over the creatures that creep along the ground, and over the wild animals.” So God created man and woman and shaped them with his image inside them. In his own beautiful image, he created his masterpiece. Yes, male and female he created them. And God blessed them in his love, saying, “Reproduce and be fruitful! Populate the earth and subdue it!  Reign over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every creature that lives on earth.””

God created us so we could rule and reign in life. Why do we have Holy Spirit living on the inside of us? To help us to rule and reign in life. Yet so many times we find ourselves stuck in cycles. We find ourselves defeated. We find ourselves oppressed. Why is that? We have inherited everything that Jesus has. We are royalty, we are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus, that is our spiritual position. So why do we struggle so much?

My pastors said something so profound recently, they said, “A throne is inherited, but a king is made by embracing the throne”. We did not do anything except believe in the finished work of the Cross to be saved, Jesus did all the hard work of atonement.

However, after salvation, it is up to us to choose to embrace all that Jesus died to give us. It is up to us to embrace the reality that we have God, yes, the Creator of the Universe, God Himself, living on the inside of us. On purpose! Holy Spirit is not stuck in there looking for a way out. God wants to be with us so much that He chose to make our hearts His home. How precious is that?

The more we walk in and embrace that reality, the more we are going to see heaven’s kingdom realities released in our lives. The more we embrace the power of the Holy Spirit in us to overcome, the less likely we are going to remain prisoners to sin and our fleshly desires. The more we embrace who God says we are, and the identity that He releases in us through Holy Spirit, the less likely we are going believe the lies of the devil.

We have, living on the inside of us the resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead. Yet we often feel weak and powerless. That tells us that our feelings cannot be trusted, and we need to start embracing who God says we are. Inheritance is easy, becoming who God says we are takes work.

A king is not made overnight, you can be appointed overnight but it takes years of training to become equipped for the role. Likewise, we inherited all that Jesus has the moment we believed but it takes a lifetime of walking with God for us to be transformed into Christ’s image, 2 Corinthians 3:18 and Philippians 1:6. It is not automatic, we don’t just sit and say, “Have at it, Holy Spirit.” It is a partnership where He leads and guides and we follow. Where He makes adjustments and prunes, and we consent and submit. Where we lay aside everything that we hold dear so we can lay hold of what He considers valuable.

I heard someone recently say that salvation was easy, discipleship is hard. Being saved is all about believing and speaking, walking out this Christian life, embracing Holy Spirit in your everyday, that is going to cost you everything, but it is so worth it. God wants you to rule and reign in life.

Love and blessings,

Melissa Tsingano.