Scripture:
Mark 1:12-13
The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
Observation:
After Jesus is baptized by John, the Spirit of God that descended on Him like a dove, then led Him in to the wilderness to be tempted.
Application:
Being Spirit-led and Spirit-filled are sometimes confusing topics. In our current Christian culture there are differences in opinion and theology on who is filled and who is not. Some say we are filled at salvation, others say it is at baptism, others say it is a second baptism after the water one. I believe that we are filled with the Spirit the second we repent of our sins and trust Christ as our savior. Some believe that the proof of being Spirit-filled is speaking in tongues or exercising another type of supernatural gifting. Others believe being Spirit-filled is most evident in charity and loving neighbors as ourselves. Still others believe the greatest test of being Spirit-filled is obedience to the Word of God. I would tend to agree with that.
All this aside, I think we learn a few valuable lessons from studying Jesus’ experience with the Holy Spirit in Mark 1. A few things…
-The Holy Spirit is affirming and comforting. The presence of the Spirit at Jesus baptism is connected to the voice of the Father affirming the Son. The Holy Ghost is not a “Ghost” to be afraid of as a believer, but rather to be welcomed and submitted to.
-The Holy Spirit comes upon us. We aren’t born with the Holy Spirit. We haven’t always had the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person of God that comes upon us and fills us. We have a vacancy in us that can only be filled with Him. We aren’t ok or complete without Him. A spiritless person is not ok.
-The Holy Spirit leads us into difficult situations. Jesus is led by the Spirit into 40 days of fasting, starvation, pain, and temptation. We must not assume the Spirit leads us towards easy and comforting environments. Our comfort comes from His presence, not the environment around us.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for the affirmation He gives, the Life He gives, and the guidance and presence in even the most difficult of environments and situations.