Devastating Loss

Hello, Friend. 

Thank you for coming back to MAKE ROOM. This blog post will be a little bit different than the others. It is more informational than inspirational though I hope it proves to be both. Before we go any further in this journey together, it’s important that we’re working from the same foundations of who the Holy Spirit is.

I’m not prone to giving instruction as to how to read a blog, but this one is full of Scripture. So, allow me to give a little guidance. Perhaps the best way to process all of this information in this post would be to first read through it in its entirety. Then come back to it with your Bible over the course of the week. Invite the Holy Spirit to teach you about Himself as you sit with the content and look up the Scriptures referenced. I’m praying you are changed as you learn more about our sweet God through the Scripture that renews and transforms our mind.

If you’ve read my prior posts, you know that my heart has been greatly burdened for sincere Christians unknowingly settling for a shallow faith. This cursory faith leads to a lukewarm relationship with God keeping us from lasting, transformative change and the deep intimacy Yahweh intends for us to have with Him. God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—is three in one (1 John 5:6-12), a beautiful and divine mystery we affirm intellectually but repeatedly fail to embrace in practice. We pray confidently to the Father and cling to the redemptive work of the Son, yet the Holy Spirit is frequently misunderstood or ignored. We recognize that the Father sent the Son, and that when the Son ascended, He left the Spirit to dwell within us (John 14:16-17, Acts 1:8), but too often we neglect inviting the Holy Spirit into each breath, missing the opportunity to engage with Him as a present, living companion. For many, the Spirit feels distant, acknowledged in theology but untouched in daily life.

The absence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is not merely an inconvenience; it is a profound and devastating loss. Without Him, we become like a tree severed from its roots—barren and lifeless. We rely on our own strength, disconnected from the infinite well of the Spirit’s wisdom. As a result, our words lose authority, and we speak without the transformative power the Spirit brings (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). Our actions become self-reliant, and this striving leaves us weak and spiritually depleted. We become powerless to fulfill God’s calling and vulnerable to distractions (Romans 8:9-11). Without the Spirit’s guidance, we slip into spiritual stagnation and miss the personal, interactive relationship God longs to have with us. Tragically, we miss the very presence of God in our daily lives. 

However, through His Spirit we have the incredible opportunity to live in full communion with God, journeying deep into the riches of His presence. The Holy Spirit is not distant or impersonal. He is the third person of the Trinity, the very presence of God dwelling in us (1 Corinthians 3:16, John 14:26). Far from being a theological footnote, He is a close, faithful companion who invites us into a life of intimacy with God, marked by power, peace and divine purpose (Romans 8:14-16, Galatians 5:22-23). The Spirit transforms our mundane lives into a magnificent journey filled with love, joy and holiness.

When we yield to the Holy Spirit, we experience true life and peace. As we MAKE ROOM for Him, we become more aligned with the heart of God (John 16:8, 13-14, 2 Corinthians 3:18). He is our Helper, Counselor and Advocate (John 14:26, John 16:7-8), strengthening us to fulfill God’s call (Acts 1:8), empowering us to walk in obedience (Ezekiel 36:27, Galatians 5:16-17) and comforting us in times of uncertainty (Romans 8:26). The Spirit illuminates truth (John 16:13), convicts of sin (John 16:8) and leads us on the narrow path of righteousness (Romans 8:4-5). Jesus promised the Spirit would guide us into all truth and empower us to live as witnesses of His love (John 16:12-15). With the Holy Spirit, we are emboldened and unstoppable in the work God has prepared for us (2 Timothy 1:7-8).

Walking by the Spirit requires humility and surrender, trusting that “His power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). It means laying down our fleeting cravings, human priorities and illusions of control, recognizing that they often lack divine inspiration and consideration of eternity (Romans 12:1-2). We surrender them as an act of trust in His wisdom and sovereignty, even though His purposes extend beyond our understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). The Spirit does not force Himself into our lives. He invites us into partnership, calling us to walk in alignment with Him (Revelation 3:20). This partnership requires deep trust, believing that His ways are higher (Isaiah 55:8-9), His plans are perfect (Jeremiah 29:11) and His power is more than sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9).

As we align our lives with the Spirit, we experience a freedom unlike any other. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). This freedom is not for pursuing our own desires but for living as we were created to—reflecting God’s holiness (1 Peter 1:15-16), serving as vessels of His love (Romans 5:5) and walking boldly in His plans (Ephesians 2:10). The Spirit breaks the chains of sin that entangle us (Romans 8:2), silences the crippling fear of man (2 Timothy 1:7) and ignites within us a courage to live for His glory alone (Acts 4:31).

The Holy Spirit is also God’s promise—a foretaste of heaven. As Paul writes in Ephesians 1:14, the Spirit is “a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.” He is a divine down payment, a constant assurance that God is with us now and will be with us for eternity (John 14:16). His presence is a sacred reminder that we are chosen, cherished and equipped by God for a life that points to Him (1 Peter 2:9).

The Holy Spirit’s invitation is personal and profound. He calls us to be filled with Him (Ephesians 5:18) and transformed from the inside out (2 Corinthians 3:18). This is not a one-time decision but a daily rhythm of dependence; it’s a continual yielding to His gentle prompting and sovereign guidance (Galatians 5:25). Through the Spirit, we come to know: 

• the fullness of God,
• the boundless depths of His love, 
• the immeasurable riches of His grace, 
• the eternal wonder of His divine purposes, 
• the transformative power of His resurrection, 
• the unshakable assurance of our adoption as His children and 
• the fullness of His truth and heavenly wisdom (Romans 8:14-17, Ephesians 1:17, Philippians 3:10, John 14:17).

Far surpassing mere intellectual knowledge, this precious understanding is nurtured in the quiet, sacred moments we spend with Him sitting in His presence, waiting patiently and allowing the Holy Spirit to gently shape our hearts as He lovingly unveils the very essence of God to us (1 Corinthians 2:10-12). 

Let us not grieve or quench the Spirit by keeping Him at a distance, but instead, invite Him to be at the center of our lives (Ephesians 4:30, 1 Thessalonians 5:19). Yield completely to His presence, letting Him guide, fill and transform you. Step boldly into the life God has created you to live: a life that glorifies the Father, exalts the Son and depends on the Spirit to further His kingdom on earth. The sacred treasure that awaits you is beyond imagination.

MAKE ROOM for Him. He is the treasure. He is the prize.