(Acts 1:8) You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.

When we read about the life and ministry of Jesus, Paul, and the other New Testament apostles, we are struck by the overwhelming emphasis that they put on the presence, power, and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Today, many of us play down the direct experiences of the Holy Spirit. We are often reacting to fringe groups that misuse, and lack maturity in spiritual things. Which, I understand. 

Are you afraid of the Holy Spirit? 

This question might sound odd for some of us. 

Below are two reasons I believe many us are afraid of the ministry and experiences of the Holy Spirit. 

Reason #1 - This fear of the Holy Spirit is theological, as some of us insist that the many-faceted experiences of the Holy Spirit of the New Testament church is no longer relevant for us today. In other words, the experiences of the Holy Spirit was for the early church, but not for us now. 

Reason #2 - This fear of the Holy Spirit is experiential. We often relate the experience of the Holy Spirit with the weird and marginal abuses of emotionalism. Once again, for sure this exists. 

However, I believe some of us are often afraid of the Holy Spirit because we feel out-of-control. Many of us are very cautious and afraid of the free and sovereign ministry of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus told us, the Holy Spirit ministers like the wind, he blows here and there as he wishes. 

We cannot try to manage and control the Holy Spirit's ministry among us!

I think one of the underlying issues is that we do not spend much time deeply communing with the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. 

We talk about the Holy Spirit, but we only have shallow experiences with the Holy Spirit ourselves. 

We cannot be afraid of the divine ministry the Holy Spirit, because he reveals Jesus to us today. He guides and leads us through the twists in life. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is for our benefit.

Once we deeply live in relationship with the Holy Spirit, we will actually surrender our control issues. 

When we relationally commune with the Holy Spirit in prayer, we enter holy ground. We will feel safety, not fear. 

I encourage you to ask God to pour out the power of the Holy Spirit upon you. 

Don’t be afraid! 

Pray: “Come, Holy Spirit, come. I need you today more than ever. I open up my heart, fill me with your presence and power.