Entertaining the Spirit: Welcoming the Indwelling Joy in our Lives

As believers in Christ, we have been given an incredible gift. The God of highest heaven has made our hearts His home. The Holy Spirit has taken up residence within us and will never leave. Isn't that staggering to think about?

Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him" (John 14:23). In Christ, we not only have a home in heaven, but heaven has made a home in us. The Spirit of God fills our souls, bringing warmth, joy, and the very presence of our Father.

Richard Sibbes, a Puritan theologian, describes the Spirit's dwelling in us as a counselor in times of doubt, a comforter in times of distress, a guide in our daily lives, and a solicitor to fulfill our duties (The Works of Richard Sibbes, 5:414). Before the Spirit brings us to heaven, He brings a taste of heaven to us. It is our duty and joy to welcome and entertain this glorious guest in our hearts until we reach our eternal home.

So, how do we entertain the Spirit? Richard Sibbes offers four pieces of counsel that can help us in our spiritual hospitality.

Hear His Voice

The Spirit, like the best of guests, desires to speak with us. He speaks most clearly and authoritatively through the pages of Scripture. The Bible is the Spirit's living and active word (Hebrews 4:12), and if we truly listen, we can hear His voice within its pages.

However, Sibbes warns us against selectively hearing the Spirit's words. We must not shape His message to fit our desires but humbly receive the uncomfortable truths He reveals. The Spirit's words are meant to convict, heal, and transform us. If we only seek to hear what we want to hear, we are not truly hearing His voice.

Additionally, Sibbes cautions against reading the Bible superficially amidst the busyness of life. Our distracted minds can drown out the Spirit's voice, preventing us from truly hearing and receiving His guidance. We need to create moments of quiet and stillness, free from distractions, to allow the Spirit's voice to sink deep into our souls.

Heed His Motions

Closely related to the Spirit's voice are His motions or promptings within us. These motions are spiritual promptings to apply specific parts of Scripture to specific areas of our lives. When we sense the Spirit's promptings, we are being invited to experience more of His presence and power.

However, we often fail to heed these motions. Sibbes laments that many holy motions kindled within us quickly die due to a lack of resolution (The Works of Richard Sibbes, 5:428). We may feel convicted or inspired during a sermon or teaching, but once we leave the gathering, we forget and fail to act upon what we felt.

To truly entertain the Spirit, we must turn His motions into holy resolutions. When the Spirit suggests something good to us, we should immediately resolve to act upon it. We can share our experience with a trusted friend, discern if the motion was genuinely spiritual, and make a plan to work out the Spirit's promptings in our lives.

Hate His Enemies

If we truly want to entertain the Spirit, we must close every door to sin. Sibbes compares entertaining the Spirit while welcoming His enemies to a host who shows more regard and favor to the enemy than the honored guest (The Works of Richard Sibbes, 5:419). Holiness begins with good spiritual hospitality.

We need to be aware of the sins that we may consider lesser but are significant in the eyes of God. Gossip, impure thoughts, greed, bitterness, and judgment are just a few examples of the enemies that can hinder the Spirit's work in our lives. We need to be vigilant and actively resist these sins, remembering that the Spirit is grieved when we entertain His enemies.

Having His Grace

Entertaining the Spirit also means welcoming Him in His various offices. His primary office is to glorify Jesus (John 16:14). As we entertain Him, we allow Him to lift our eyes to Christ and experience the fullness of His grace.

Even when we fail and grieve the Spirit, we need not wait to entertain Him again. We don't have to work our way back to His welcome. We can entertain Him right now by simply agreeing to have His grace.

To entertain the Spirit is to experience true happiness. Sibbes describes it as the happiest condition in the world, where the soul becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit (The Works of Richard Sibbes, 5:432). When the Spirit and His motions are welcomed and entertained, we find happiness in life, in death, and for all eternity.

The deep and lasting happiness that comes from entertaining the Spirit is a foretaste of heaven's joy. It is a gift given to us as believers. So, let us hear His voice, heed His motions, hate His enemies, and have His grace. Let us welcome and entertain the indwelling Spirit of joy in our lives.