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Jesus taught that His giving of "another Helper" whose presence with His own, would be permanent, not intermittent (John 14:16 NKJV ). The promised Helper is not received by the world:
John 14:17 ""the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him,[ for He dwells with you and will be in you.]"
To unbelievers the Holy Spirit is unseen, unsought, unwanted. They reject the "Spirit of truth." Even when they come under conviction they do not know it comes from the Holy Spirit. It is only when conviction leads to repentance and reception of Jesus as Saviour and Lord that they come to know the Helper the Spirit of truth.
It is to those who are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ that the Spirit comes (1 Peter 1:18-19 ). The born again ones love the new life in the Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17 ). They live by a new principle: "What the Spirit of truth cannot be involved in, I have no business in." Implementing this life change is possible by yielding to the Holy Spirit as Helper.
Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is living in us. The fellowship of the Spirit makes the love of Jesus real to us in nearness, blessing, and help. Living in the commanded Holy Spirit fulness, He becomes involved in all that we do (Ephesians 5:18 ), including our worship (Ephesians 5:19-21 ), and our family relationships (Ephesians 5:22 - 6:4 ); in our work (Ephesians 6:5-8 ); and in our employment of others (Ephesians 6:9 ). The whole of our life is to be under The divine Helper, the Spirit of truth is not a silent nor passive partner. His name "Helper" (paraclete) means one called to the side of another to help. He is the resourceful Spirit of God. By His involvement in all our life He is making Jesus Lord of all.
The Holy Spirit comes actively into your business when you practice the kind of reception of Him that unquestionably places Him in full control of you, your goals, and what you produce.
In Galatians 5:16, New Living Testament version, we read, "So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit, then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves". Business can be a hot-house for nurturing the cravings of the old sinful nature that are the opposite of the new life in the Spirit (Galatians 5:17 ). Selecting the walk of the Spirit is putting yourself into the place of victory over the flesh, and places you in the way of God's blessing and fruitfulness that reveals the Lord Jesus (Galatians 5:22-23 ).
The kind of prosperity that glorifies God is achieved by surrender to the control of the Spirit. By living your life in the Spirit you and your business prosper as a lighthouse for God in the darkness of the business world. Following the Spirit produces a spiritual standard for successful business that makes any material success pleasurable for yourself and pleasing to God. A Holy Spirit baptism gives power for service (Acts 1:8 ). This baptism launches you into a new lifestyle that draws upon the resources of the Spirit for every day demands. Living in the Holy Spirit produces a new breed of business persons who become vehicles of expression of the Kingdom of God.
Keeping in step with the Spirit is achieved by yielding obedience to the Spirit (Galatians 5:25 ). The young army recruit learns to keep in step by listening to the drum-beat. You keep in line in your business by obeying the heartbeat of the Spirit. To be out of step by disobedience will result in disruption, disappointment in your life and business, and the conviction of God's disapproval which can then lead to the termination of the business. By this time the departure of God's blessing has been realised and a sense of personal dissatisfaction has settled upon you and the business.
How can you be sure your steps are those of the Spirit? By taking steps that are good and righteous, there will be the witness of peace in your heart. Also these steps will bring joy to you and others. God is delights when your steps have the impress of the kingdom of God in the Spirit (Romans 14:17 ). God can prosper walking in harmony with the Spirit. To walk in the control of the Spirit will involve you totally, calling on every aspect of your life, emotional, physical, mental, spiritual. It will be a submission that lets Him determine all values and standards. Possible only as you allow the Spirit to bring you totally under the Lordship of Christ.
When you receive a new person into your business, they are put through a process of orientation. This is reversed when you receive the involvement of the Holy Spirit in your business. You, of necessity, have to get to know His ways and will. It is said in
That is to say He revealed to Moses His character, but Israel learned by what God did, that is, by His actions and behaviour. The first is preferable, and you can know the Spirit of God through fellowship and communion. The second can be painful when you get to know God by corrective actions. God the Spirit would have you conduct business in God's way of ‘agape' love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ). Here is an interpretive summary:-
Exercising patient kindness to those in your employ, and those you do business with. Acting in humble courtesy, making no boastful claims or demands. Avoid irritability, and keeping records of personal injuries. Never glad about anyone receiving injustice - delights in truth prevailing. Hears and sees with fair appraisal, hopes for the best, and is enduring.
What a business concept! Will it work in today's business world? Who has such love to practice? It is a startling concept because "agape" love is the way God loves. It is effective and transforming in today's world. There are excellent Institutions for good that exist because of it. Every believer can operate in ‘agape' love in every part of their lives because the Holy Spirit is in them pouring out His love through them (Romans 5:5 ). Lack of fulness and its use cannot be attributed to God's Spirit, you can know the surpassing love of Christ and all God's fulness (Ephesians 3:19 ).
His will is good for you and your business. In every circumstance His will is acceptable, nothing could be more perfect for you than the will of God (Romans 12:2 ). Conforming to this world is to court disaster. The way to overcome pressure to conform, is to let your mind be transformed and renewed by the Spirit. With the renewing of the mind the world's thinking is rejected by refusing to conduct business in the style nor in the manner of this present age. Instead, doing what God wants in your business, presents a foretaste of "the powers of the age to come" (Hebrews 6:5 ).
