Day Three - Perfect Peace

These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.

~John 14:25-28

Let’s take a look at the role the Holy Spirit played during the creation of man. We read, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). The Holy Spirit is the One who actually formed Adam and breathed life into his nostrils. Job 33:4 states, “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” The Holy Spirit not only formed and breathed life into Adam’s nostrils, He also formed and breathed life into you and me. Psalm 139:13 says, “You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.” In fact, the Spirit of God formed everything we see, for Proverbs 26:10 says, “The great God who formed everything…” The creation we experience was manifested because the Holy Spirit established the creative desire of the Father. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit working together to create man that we may abide perfectly in and through Them forever!

Let’s take a look at some of the different names used for the Holy Spirit in scripture. He’s called:

• Holy Spirit (96 times)
• Spirit of the Lord (28 times)
• Spirit of God (26 times)
• Eternal Spirit (Hebrews 9:14)
• Helper (4 times by Jesus in John’s Gospel)
• Comforter (used throughout the Amplified Bible)
• Holy One (Psalm 78:41)
• The Lord (2 Corinthians 3:17)
• Spirit of truth (4 times)
• Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9; 1 Peter 1:11)
• Spirit of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:19)
• Spirit of counsel (Isaiah 11:2)
• Spirit of knowledge (Isaiah 11:2)
• Spirit of might (Isaiah 11:2)
• Spirit of understanding (Isaiah 11:2)
• Spirit of wisdom (Isaiah 11:2)  Spirit of the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2)
• Spirit of your Father (Matthew 10:20)
• Spirit of glory (1 Peter 4:14)
• Spirit of grace (Zechariah 12:10; Hebrews 10:29)
• Spirit of judgment (Isaiah 4:4)
• Spirit of burning (Isaiah 4:4)
• Spirit of life (Romans 8:2)
• Spirit of love (2 Timothy 1:7)
• Spirit of power (2 Timothy 1:7)
• Spirit of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)
• Spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10)
• Spirit of revelation (Ephesians 1:17)
• Spirit of holiness (Romans 1:4)
• Spirit of the Holy God (4 times in Daniel)
• Peace! (John 14:26; Gal. 5:22; Rom. 8:6; Mark 4:37)

The Holy Spirit is truly amazing! Next to our salvation through Christ, He is the best gift we will ever receive. A.W. Tozer shares…

The Holy Spirit is not enthusiasm…He is a Person. Put that down in capital letters—that the Holy Spirit is not only a Being having another mode of existence, but He is Himself a Person, with all the qualities and powers of personality. He is not matter, but He is substance.…The Holy Spirit has will and intelligence and feeling and knowledge and sympathy and ability to love and see and think and hear and speak and desire the same as any person has…All that the Son is the Holy Ghost is, and all that the Father is the Holy Ghost is, and the Holy Ghost is in His Church. What will we find Him to be like? He will be exactly like Jesus. You have read your New Testament, and you know what Jesus is like, and the Holy Spirit is exactly like Jesus, for Jesus was God and the Spirit is God, and the Father is exactly like the Son; and you can know what Jesus is like by knowing what the Father is like, and you can know what the Spirit is like by knowing what Jesus is like. ( A.W. Tozer, A Treasury of A.W. Tozer (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, Inc., 1980) pp. 290- 296.)

When Jesus stood up from the stern of the boat and spoke to the storm all around them, “Peace be still,” He released the peace He carried (Mark 4:37). When Jesus instructed His disciples and said, “when you enter a place let your peace come upon it” He was speaking of the Spirit of God that He gave them when He released the disciples to go and preach the Kingdom of Heaven and heal the sick (Matthew 10:13)! The peace of God is the Holy Spirit. Thus, when Jesus stated, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you” He was referring to the Holy Spirit. The peace that Jesus was giving to mankind was the assurance and truth of the Kingdom of God being present and alive within our lives. All of the attributes, character and nature of God are yours through the Holy Spirit. As you draw near to Him He will draw near to you and His peace will become your peace. Striving, fear, self-reliance and self-promotion will end! All performance disappears, because peace becomes a friend not an achievement. Jesus was the Prince of Peace because He was One with Peace! Step into your perfect peace today; step into a friendship with Peace and allow Him to live through you.

Written by Dave Carlson

Discussion Questions:

What is the name of the Holy Spirit? What does this say about Him?