Indwelling Power of the Holy Spirit

There is profound depth in what we are given through the Holy Spirit. As an adult or older child, the choice to receive the Holy Spirit is ours—and it is extraordinarily powerful.

Jesus’ baptism was far more than an act of humility. It marked the moment the Spirit of God descended upon Him, fulfilling righteousness and foreshadowing what would come. He knew that after His death and return to the Father, the Holy Spirit would dwell in all who are baptized, serving as their guide and comforter.

Baptism matters deeply, and it can—and should—be renewed. Later in life, I had no one to baptize me, so I did it alone in my bathtub, through tears and repeated prayers. One day, on September 27, 2025, I knew it had taken hold. Now, every day, I feel when the Holy Spirit is pleased—indescribable sensations that only become real when the Spirit is active within you.

The Spirit moves like the wind, delights in music, and is most pleased when we immerse ourselves in Scripture and guide others with love. Its nature is pure love. It knows the mind of the heart—the Nous—which stands between the fleshly mind and the soul, and this is why God looks at the heart: it reveals who we truly are. There resides unconditional love, truth, and all our genuine treasures.

God’s Bible’s Creative Brilliance

I am placing this section here, between my personal reflections and the scriptural explanations that follow, to remind readers that I am not simply quoting God’s words—I am showing how those words confirm themselves through His astonishing creative brilliance.

If you look closely at the scriptures below, you will see deeper messages woven into everything I am sharing. This is how the entire Bible is designed: it confirms itself. There is profound brilliance in God’s creativity, and once you begin to see it, you will only see more of it. Then every song becomes a love song, and every story becomes a love story.

The Spirit hovering over the waters is the first mention of the Holy Spirit—the second reality introduced in the Bible—because that same Spirit that hovered over the waters came upon Jesus at His baptism and now comes to dwell in you. The gift of water is the water of life, which is the Holy Spirit.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:1-2 ESV)

Thank God, who breathed into man the breath of life:

“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” (Genesis 2:7 ESV)

It’s interesting that on some of the toughest days, God reminds me that I do not quit. My foundation of love gives me the strength to survive another day, winning in the love of God and the light of Jesus.

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1. Genesis 1:1-2
The Beginning
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Genesis 2:7
Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Isaiah 11:1-3
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;

Now mind Isaiah 11:1-3 and
John 15:5
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

2. Matthew 3:13-17
The Baptism of Jesus
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

3. John 14:26
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
(Also see Isaiah 11 for further prophecy of the Holy Spirit.)

4. Acts 2:1-13
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

John 3:5-8
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

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1. Rejoicing in Our Need and the Gift of Baptism

We can rejoice in our own need and the gift we receive through baptism given by the same one by whom John desired to be baptized. In baptism, Jesus gives us the kingdom so that we are given the righteousness of Christ.

2. John’s Perplexity at Jesus’ Baptism

When Jesus appears at the Jordan River to be baptized by John, John is perplexed. He questions Jesus, saying,

But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

John had just told the crowds that his baptism was only with water, but the Messiah’s baptism would be far greater:

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

3. The Promised Cleansing and Indwelling Spirit

This greater baptism fulfills Ezekiel 36, where God declares:

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

This is the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire that John both announced and longed for—a baptism only Jesus could give after undergoing His own baptism of suffering:

But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!

“Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

4. Jesus Bears the Sins of the World

By submitting to John’s baptism, Jesus took the sins of the world upon His shoulders so that He could carry them to the cross and bury them in His tomb. In essence, He repented for our sins so He could pay their debt with His death.

Jesus would die for the sins of the world and be raised for our justification. Only then could He baptize us into His death and resurrection:

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5. John’s Humility Despite His Greatness

John knew his need deep in his bones. His faith longed for the baptism Jesus would bring because John was a sinner who knew his shortcomings.

Yet there was little anyone could point to as failure in this locust-eating honey badger of righteousness. Jesus Himself declared:

Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

If anyone—apart from Jesus—could have claimed sufficient righteousness to skip baptism, John had the strongest case. But that was not his approach. He clearly told Jesus he needed the righteousness that would come through Christ’s baptism.

6. No Righteousness by the Law Alone

Why? John knew that no law can give life and there is no righteousness by the law:

Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on the law.

John lived the law more faithfully than anyone, yet still knew his failings. He understood that true righteousness and life would come only through the Messiah’s baptism. He knew the great blessings God promised, and it awakened deep longing in him. Nothing could be more precious.

7. The Necessity of Baptism

So is baptism necessary? John the Baptist—the last of the Old Testament prophets, the greatest man born of women, the honey badger of righteousness—thought so. He would have given anything to receive what Christ now offers to us and to our children in baptism.

Fortunately, we can rejoice in our own need and the gift we receive through baptism given by the same one by whom John desired to be baptized.