Not really home…

We recently moved home. That house was truly home. We raised our kids there. We prayed there. We laughed there. We wept there. We prayed loud, and at time quietly. We danced there and invited the Holy spirit to fill every room. And He did. We invited Him to move, and He did. He was in everything. He was manifest and we loved Him presence.

And when it was time, we moved. The other day we went to the house to gather some things we had left behind. As I entered it struck me how strange the house was. It was not home. It was not a place I would stay, feel free in, sing in, enjoy being in. It was not home anymore.

And why was this? Because it was not fully available to me.

And that is how the Holy Spirit is. He looks for home. He looks for a place where He will be free to move, to lead, to inhabit. Romans 8:11 says But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

The Holy Spirit dwells in a home. Dwelling is so different from just being there. Dwelling is different from visiting. Dwell means to take total occupancy; to fill; to possess. Remember He is the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. He cannot just ‘be there’. He MUST DWELL. He wants to give life to our mortal bodies. But He can only do this when He is dwelling! When He has total occupancy; when He is not sharing space with another.

Many Christians have the Holy Spirit, but He knows where is home and where isn’t. He knows where He is welcome and where He isn’t. He knows where He can express Himself and where He can’t. He wants to be free. He needs to be free to work wonders where He abides. And just as I had felt in that house, where I held back; He holds back too. He keeps quiet too. When we are just simply houses and not homes, then He will not manifest the power and glory and might of our God. He will remain quiet, until we make Him feel at home. Think about it. Is He at home in your heart? Are you His home? Do you make Him feel welcome?

What will make Him feel welcome? What will make Him have total occupancy? Well, when we love God; when Jesus is our Lord and King; when we love our neighbors as ourselves; when we are obedient to the word of God; when we are hungry for God; when we have His light living in us; when we are desperate to be holy and righteous. All of these will make the Holy Spirit welcome.

Linda Faith
Linda faith is the Editor in Chief of Jewels Magazine. She has authored eight books. She is a prolific writer and powerful speaker, inspiring many women to be all God has called them to be. She is the founder of Joy Women’s conference which reaches out to empower, inspire and motivate women in their faith walk. She was a software developer before she started writing.