Jesus prepared His disciples to receive the work of the Holy Spirit in John 16:5-7. He says: "But now I am going away to the One who sent Me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I've told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away because if I don't, the Advocate [Holy Spirit] won't come. If I do go away, then I will send Him to you."

As the disciples were so grieved about not having Jesus with them any longer, He redirected their thinking to the importance of the Holy Spirit coming into their world. He wanted them to know this was truly what was needed. Jesus was considering the future of His Church and to move forward they needed the Holy Spirit.

I don't know about you, but I can relate to their grief. I would love to have lived in a world with Jesus daily, walking with Him and watching Him work miracles – experiencing the peace He brought to the multitudes who followed Him. But Jesus said, "It is best for you that I go away because if I don't, the Advocate won't come." The Holy Spirit is that important to us!

We never really look for a lifeline until we need one, and a child doesn't learn to walk until they let go of their parent's hand. The disciples didn't understand their great need for the Holy Spirit until Jesus left them.

Jesus said, "And when He comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world's sin is that it refuses to believe in Me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see Me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged." John 16:8-11

Why is the Holy Spirit so important to us?

1. Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin. The world will be convicted of the sin of refusing to believe in Jesus – every other sin is second to this. Without knowledge of a Savior, they truly have no hope. He directs the world to Jesus and in gaining knowledge of Him, they will learn to walk with Him and live as He did - living in the righteousness of Christ. We are made victorious over sin and it can no longer rule us!

2. Holy Spirit will also lead us into a right standing with God our Father, showing us how to align with Him to receive His favor and love. Holy Spirit will lead us into all TRUTH, which is having all of Jesus, giving us access to the Father and the entire Kingdom of Heaven!

3. Holy Spirit prepares us for the day of the Lord, which is the coming day of judgment. The ruler of this earth has already been judged, and the Advocate is leading us away from the "judged one" and his ways (the ways of the world). He will lead us to our Redeemer setting us on the path of redemption and righteousness. We, who know Christ, reflect His glory. And He, who is Spirit, changes us to be more like Him – from glory to increasing glory we reflect His image (1 Corinthians 3:18).

A Vision of Fire

I saw a long line of angels, several hundred, in fact, traveling on a road heading toward a large, beautiful church. They were dressed in bright armor and carrying many weapons. It was a beautiful sight to take in.

I then saw a man from the church exit the building and walk toward the angels. He asked them why they were there. The lead angel replied, "We were sent here to help you fight the great battle." 

The man seemed dumbfounded, but smiled and said, "You are mistaken, sir, there is no battle at this church. This is a great church and there's no war for you to fight." The man was not a bad man by any means, but was just speaking honestly of the situation as he saw it – he was unaware of what was happening in the spirit-realm concerning the church.

Then I saw a line of demons marching toward the church from the other direction. The man had gone back into the church and did not see them approaching. I knew they had come to fight for the interests of the enemy of the church.

In the middle of this impending battle, the church itself was incredibly beautiful. It was simply the most beautiful church I'd ever seen. 

However, I saw what was about to happen and I was afraid for them. I knew there would, indeed, be a tremendous battle fought for the soul of this great church. It would be caught in the crossfire of the war between light and darkness.

As I stood feeling sorrow for the great church, I saw fire come upon it. In seeing the fire, I was made even more fearful for its safety. But then I saw the fire was sent from the Lord. It was sent to empower the church and to protect it in the midst of the battle it was facing.

Though it seemed, in the natural, the fire would greatly damage the church, it did not! I saw it had actually increased its beauty and its effectiveness. The church literally glowed with increased power!

The Fire of the Lord was the Holy Spirit and He came in great power to the church to empower it and increase its effectiveness to the nations. 

Before the Holy Spirit came to the church, I saw it was the man who was oblivious to the realm of the Spirit. But after the Fire of God came, they were awakened and made aware of the supernatural realm in a great way. Truly, they emerged from the fire with intense purpose, wisdom and glorified strength. They were sober and awake and had taken possession of the heart of the great Lion of God.

It's the Holy Spirit's job to guide us into truth and yet so many are afraid of Him. Without Him, we are powerless to even see the danger we are in, but with Him, we are made the victorious Bride of Christ! Through Him, we will learn the secrets of the Father's heart and with His help will open the door to righteousness for millions.

When we refuse the Holy Spirit, we live in darkness and in danger of the enemy's snares planned against us. But when we embrace Him, we are kept safe in the protection of the Fire of His Presence. Jesus said, "I chose YOU to come out of the world" (John 15:19) and live in safety and protection in the powerful presence of God!

In the person of the Holy Spirit, Jesus sent us our Advocate, Comforter, Encourager, and Counselor. Truly, HE IS the Holy Spirit, sent to make US holy.

Keep Looking and Moving Forward

In this day and hour, we are emerging from a time of apathy into a time of unparalleled joy. Truly, we are entering the days of the Father's great joy. He will liberate His Son's Bride and draw her into His heart reawakening in her the passion for His Kingdom and the King. God is moving His children closer and closer to His own heart. Embracing the Fire of His Presence increases our ability to take Him in, indeed, for Him to take us into Himself.

In His Spirit, we are made one with Him and walk in oneness with each other as well. We are being refined and redefined!

Literally, we are being freed from the bondage of the days we've left and are walking now in an unprecedented time. There is no previously set precedent for the days we live in; we are breaking NEW GROUND. 

A few days ago, I saw a dove on my front porch staring at the door to my house. It sat there as I watched it looking as though it were trying to tell me something. I felt like it was trying to tell me to follow it, then it flew away. Then, a few days later there was a fox at my back door. Yes, a fox. It was not afraid and sat looking at us as if it were trying to tell us something. When I put the two incidents together, I felt the Lord say, "Look ahead – don't look back!"

The dove (representing the Holy Spirit) was in the front of my house, but the fox (representing the cunning ways of the enemy) was in the back. We may not know what is in our future, but we know the Holy Spirit will be with us there.

Let's keep moving forward and experience the supernatural victories God has for us!