Lynne Little Ministries - Higher Realm

Part Two - Breath, Wind, and Fire: Understanding the Third Person of the Trinity

• Lynne Little

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What's in a name? When it comes to the Holy Spirit, everything. Far more than an impersonal force, the third person of the Trinity possesses over 25 different names throughout Scripture—each revealing a unique aspect of His divine personality and work in our lives.

The Spirit is like breath—essential for life itself. Jesus demonstrated this fundamental truth when He breathed on His disciples and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." Without oxygen, every living creature would perish within minutes; similarly, without the Spirit's presence, spiritual life cannot exist. The wind analogy further illustrates how the Spirit operates with sovereignty and power beyond human control, creating effects that range from gentle refreshing to life-transforming power.

His designation as "Holy" Spirit emphasizes His absolute purity and goodness. Unlike His temporary empowerment of individuals in Old Testament times, today's believers experience His permanent indwelling presence—a profound shift that occurred at Pentecost. Though He won't depart from true believers, the Spirit's active presence can be diminished when grieved through sin or pushed away through indifference. Like a considerate guest, He won't force His way where He's not welcomed.

As the "Holy Spirit of Promise," He fulfills Christ's promise to the disciples, seals believers as God's own possession, and offers Himself to be received through faith. This divine seal of ownership stands in stark contrast to the mark of the Antichrist—we're either sealed with salvation or marked for separation from God.

Have you experienced the Spirit's transforming power? Through Christ and the Holy Spirit's work, you can move from spiritual death to eternal life with a simple prayer of faith. This isn't about behavior modification but a fundamental change in your spiritual nature—the real you, the eternal you, born anew by the breath of God.

Curious about how to cultivate a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit? Join us next week as we continue exploring His nature as the Spirit of God and the Spirit of the Lord.

Lynne Little:

You are listening to Higher Realm with Lynne Little. Our program highlights biblical strategies for moving through life's difficulties and finding your path to healing. We tackle issues particular to those who have experienced painful loss in any form. Lynen is the founder and president of Lynn Little Ministries and the author of Missing Lisa, apparent Grieves and Finding God in Death and Life A Passage Through Grief. Now here's Lynne.

Lynne Little:

Hello and welcome to the third episode of our series entitled the Present-Day Ministry of the Holy Spirit. Although we are emphasizing His ministry in our current experience, the Holy Spirit's influence has no limitations regarding time, because he is fully God, he is and was and ever shall be Now. Last week, we addressed two main assertions First, we established the fact that the Holy Spirit is God, fully God, and second, that he is also most definitely a person and certainly not an it. The third assertion is the subject of today's discussion, and it is this the Holy Spirit has many names which exemplify his many roles. These many and varied roles include that of comforter, advocate, teacher, friend and helper, to name a few.

Lynne Little:

The attributes of the Holy Spirit's matchless personality are showcased both in his various roles and by his many names. Were you aware that the Holy Spirit is known by over 25 titles and names in both the Old and New Testaments? Now, earthly speaking, sometimes a person's attributes are synonymous with their name. We can find many examples of proper names or nicknames that suggest a trait or a great accomplishment. People like Dietrich Bonhoeffer come to mind. The mention of his name evokes images of heroic resistance against oppressive regimes, in this case his resistance up to his death of the Third Reich. Does the name Dr Martin Luther King ring a bell? His name will forever be synonymous with civil rights. And how about Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern? Nursing Her name, as well as others such as Mother Teresa, exemplifies compassionate service to their fellow man.

Lynne Little:

Now, these examples merely illustrate the concept of the mention of a name evoking a trait or traits. So how is this relevant? As we study the names of the Holy Spirit, we'll soon automatically begin to associate all his roles with the mere mention of his name. Now, there are probably thousands of ways to categorize these names. What I have done is organize them in a way to maximize our understanding of the Spirit's notable characteristics, obviously without explaining every name, because time does not permit. Keep in mind that, as God, he's impossible to adequately describe.

Lynne Little:

Today, we'll focus on the following names. The first is simply the Spirit, next, the Holy Spirit, third, the Holy Spirit of Promise and finally, the Spirit of God or the Spirit of the Lord. The first name, the Spirit, is frequently translated from the Hebrew word ruach or the Greek word pneuma. Both mean breath or wind, and also spirit. The spirit as breath is beautifully exemplified in John 20, 22, when Jesus breathed on his disciples and said receive the Holy Spirit. The idea of breath being necessary to life demonstrates the crucial life-giving role of the Spirit. For who can live without breath? I frequently use the following illustration to poke holes at the illusion of our self-sufficiency If God decided one day to cut off oxygen, in a few minutes every living creature all over the world would cease to exist. Oxygen is the great equalizer.

Lynne Little:

But in addition to breath, jesus uses the analogy of wind to explain the Spirit's role in an individual moving from spiritual death to spiritual life. This is otherwise known as being born again. In John 3, 5-8, Jesus said "Truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water, and here he's referencing natural birth and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to Spirit. So you shouldn't be surprised at my saying you must be born again. The wind blows where it pleases, you hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it's going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. Two of these mentions in the passage reference a person. In both cases, spirit is designated with a capital S.

Lynne Little:

In equating the Holy Spirit with wind, Jesus is also making this point. Just as we have no control over the wind, the Spirit is not ours to control either. Think for a moment of the dynamics of the wind and its power, ranging from a gentle zephyr breeze that refreshes and cools us to the tremendous power unleashed in a tornado. This enormous range of power is very much characteristic of the Holy Spirit, and just as with wind, though we cannot see it, we witness its effects and never doubt that it exists. The greatest demonstration of power in this context is, of course, the changed life. In John 6: 63, we read," it is the Spirit who gives life. The wind or breath of God finds its personification in the person of the Holy Spirit. And just as God in creation blew his breath into Adam and gave him physical life, so likewise the Spirit gives life to mankind in the born-again experience. And who could forget the mighty wind that blew through the upper room on the day of Pentecost? This wind, the Spirit, this breath of God moved upon men and women so powerfully that they turned the known world upside down. That they turn the known world upside down.

Lynne Little:

I've always enjoyed the wind and a fresh breeze. Storms are fascinating to me, seeing the power unleashed trees bending in a gale and a fresh scent of rain. The vintage Sesame Street song Windy Day captures the attitude of the wind and how it makes me feel. After my daughter had passed, it was so healing for me to be in nature, being closed in felt smothering, and I was always seeking a breeze not always available in the heat of South Florida. Not always available in the heat of South Florida. One day a realtor was helping me look for an apartment and I kept rejecting one after the other because they were in an area without a breeze. Finally, he took me to an apartment complex and showed me a penthouse on the top floor. He entered the front door, walked to the sliders and threw them open. The breeze was so terrific it violently slammed the front door. He looked at me as if to say well, is that enough breeze for you? But breeze for me was just a physical representation of my desire for the wind of God, the wind to refresh and cleanse and soothe and puff my troubles away.

Lynne Little:

The second designation we'll explore is the title the Holy Spirit. This characterization is self-explanatory he is holy. He is the purest of the pure, he is sacred, hallowed, worthy of our respect, and he is also perfect, that is to say perfectly good. Several passages in the Word of God underscore this trait of holiness. You may recall the story in Psalms 51: 11, where we see King David begging God don't cast me away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit away from me. Your presence and take not your Holy Spirit away from me. David had been involved in adultery and committed murder as well. He recognized that his actions were in total cross purposes to the holiness of the Spirit. He begged that the Spirit would not be taken from him permanently, because he knew that holiness and unholiness could not coexist. A similar sentiment is repeated in Isaiah 63: 10, where Israel's sins were so egregious that quote their rebellion vexed or troubled the Holy Spirit. Unquote.

Lynne Little:

It is important here to make a distinction between the Holy Spirit's influence in the Old Testament as compared with the New. Men and women of old, such as King David and the prophets, were able to perform great exploits as the Holy Spirit came upon them. He did not at that time indwell them, for they were unregenerate. Christ had not yet been given. At times the Holy Spirit would overshadow and empower these men and women to complete the task at hand, but he did not indwell them. By contrast, the Holy Spirit came to inhabit believers at Pentecost. He indwells those who have become born again, those who, through Christ, have passed from spiritual death to spiritual life.

Lynne Little:

The Holy Spirit doesn't depart from us, as King David's lament exemplifies. As King David's lament exemplifies, because he dwells within us. However, the Spirit will not actively make his presence known where he is not wanted or when he becomes grieved. We sacrifice our intimacy with him and essentially short-circuit his power in our lives when we grieve him. Ephesians 4:30 admonishes believers not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. We know the sins of mankind are grievous to God in the form of the Holy Spirit, in the form of the Father and in the form of the Lord Jesus. And, if we're honest, sin grieves us as well. We grieve when we sin and miss it. Thankfully, according to Scripture, when believers miss it, we have an advocate, jesus, who is able to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But the Holy Spirit cannot be made a party to sin. It grieves him. But we also grieve the Spirit of God by our indifference, when we push him away or hold him at arm's length. The Holy Spirit is gentle and also gentlemanly, and he will not push in where he's not wanted. Instead, he quietly removes the sense of his presence. There have been times where I knew I had grieved him and would repent in tears because I sorely missed his kind companionship.

Lynne Little:

Next, he is also known as the Holy Spirit of Promise, and there are three facets to this designation. First, his arrival was promised. Second, we are sealed with his promise. And third, we are to receive his promise. His arrival was promised by none other than the Lord Jesus. He made this promise in his last and final sermon to his disciples before he was sent to the cross. No-transcript. The promise was made good on the day of Pentecost in the book of Acts, Chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples as they were waiting in Jerusalem. Interestingly, the Holy Spirit came in the form of a mighty wind and fire.

Lynne Little:

In the Apostle Peter's sermon explaining this phenomenon in Acts 2, verse 33, he refers to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of promise. The promise was delivered and then believers were sealed. Ephesians 1.13 tells us this. Sealed. Ephesians 1.13 tells us this and you also were included in Christ.

Lynne Little:

When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, when you believed, you were marked in him with a seal the promised Holy Spirit. Well, what does that mean? In ancient times, a seal was a mark indicating that a letter or message was closed or completed. When the king or leader wanted to show an identifying mark with his letter, he would seal it with a wax imprint of his ring. The Holy Spirit likewise shows that the believers belong to the Lord. His presence in their lives is the seal.

Lynne Little:

It is interesting to reflect that we are sealed with a sign so overwhelmingly positive. We are sealed with a sign so overwhelmingly positive. We can't help but contrast that with a terrible seal or the imprint that the Antichrist will afflict people with in the end times. The contrast could not be clearer. We're either sealed with salvation or sealed with separation from God, and then, finally, we are to receive this promise.

Lynne Little:

In Galatians, chapter 3: 14, we are admonished to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit through faith. This experience is restricted to believers only, as the Apostle Peter makes clear in Acts 2.38 when he states Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now we are going to discuss at length how to do that exactly in the next few podcasts, but meanwhile I want to ask you one question have you been born again by the power of the Holy Spirit? Through Christ and through the power of the Spirit, the real you, the one who lasts forever, the eternal, you can go from spiritual death to spiritual life with one simple prayer. Would you pray that with me?

Lynne Little:

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus. I believe he died on the cross and carried my sins and was raised to life again on the third day. Jesus, I invite you to come into my heart, forgive my sins and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, change my nature from death to life. Jesus, I confess you as my Lord and Savior. Amen. If you prayed that prayer, would you drop us a line at lynnelittleministries@ gmail. com. Next week we will continue our discussion with the final terms the Holy Spirit of God and the Spirit of the Lord.

Lynne Little:

Until next time, blessings and restoration For books, resources or to make a tax-deductible donation go to lynnelittleorg.