#1 BE BORN AGAIN
38 Peter replied, “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. (Acts 2:38)
#2 ACKNOWLEDGE THAT HE IS A PERSON
The Holy Spirit is not a force or a feeling, He is a person.
He has a mind (Romans 8:27), will (1 Corinthians 12:11), can feel emotions (Ephesians 4:30), and can be lied to (Acts 5:3).
We must acknowledge that He is a person and treat Him as such.
#3 ACKNOWLEDGE HE IS WITH YOU
The Holy Spirit is not a reward for being a good Christian………He is the only way you can become one. He will faithfully abide with you at all times. By acknowledging this, you will be accepting the truth that God is with you in every situation. It is difficult to develop friendship with a person whose existence you don’t acknowledge.
#4 BELIEVE THE WORD OF GOD OVER FEELINGS
While it is true that God can manifest His presence in a tangible way (2 Chronicles 5:13-14), we must let our faith rule over our feelings. There may be seasons in life where you don’t feel His presence, or it may feel like He is a million miles away, but we have to believe the Word of God even if we don’t “feel” anything. The Word says that He is always with you, so you must believe it over your current situation.
#5 DON’T BE LEGALISTIC
Sometimes we get a little legalistic in the way we approach God. There is no way for you to muster up a relationship with God based upon your own righteousness, but we can have connection with God because of the blood of Jesus. There is no special prayer, special posture, special song, or special religious practice in you to build your relationship with the Holy Spirit. It is simple faith, obedience, and acknowledgement.
#6 DON’T GRIEVE HIM
We can grieve the Holy Spirit by our actions (Ephesians 4:30). Knowing that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) we have to live our lives in reverence of Him. Our actions directly affect Him. When you decide to act in rebellion against God, think about what you are doing with the Holy Spirit’s hands, eyes, mouth, and so forth. You are dragging the Holy Spirit along in your sin and it can hinder you building trust with God. Whatever you do, don’t grieve Him.
#7 OBEY HIM
There was one common factor in those who were referred to as God’s friends in the Bible: Obedience. You cannot go any further from fellowship with God unless you obey HIm. Jesus’ disciples, whom He called friends, faithfully listened to Him and obeyed Him. If you want to be God’s friend, the most important step is obedience.
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