You are reading in subchapter 3.6 of chapter 3 in the free, global online book, Fellowship With God in the Sixth Path. Navigation at the top and bottom of each page, allows you to open the table of contents, visit the home page, ask questions or share your story. The arrow at the top right takes you to the next chapter.
In this subchapter, many works of the Holy Spirit will be presented in an acrostic to help you remember what the Holy Spirit does in the Post-Pentecost believer. Then, at the end of this subchapter, I will pray through the acrostic with you... to help you to learn to walk by the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit does many, many things. Forty works of the Holy Spirit are described in this book, Fellowship With God in the Sixth Path. That is a lot to remember. So, this subchapter presents an acronym to make it easy to remember twenty eight of them. The acronym is WWW J CHRIST L P.
The Works of the Holy Spirit
Works of the Holy Spirit were presented from the scriptures in previous subchapters of this chapter 3. The Holy Spirit indwells us. He is an inner witness that God is within us (subchapter 3.2). From subchapter 3.3, the Holy Spirit prophesies, preaches, teaches, testifies, speaks through us and provides words for witnessing. He convicts unbelievers of sin, reminds us of scripture, leads, warns and intercedes (prays for us). He can be resisted by and lied to by man. From subchapter 3.4, the Holy Spirit provides power to hope, comprehend truth, guard the Gospel and be God's witness. From subchapter 3.5, the Holy Spirit regenerates, renews, sanctifies, gives life, brings joy, peace and true confession. He is a conduit for gifts of God's love and a seal of our identity as being God's precious purchased possession.
I arranged all of these works in an acrostic. The acrostic may be easily remembered with the simple acronym WWW J CHRIST L P.
Why an Acrostic?
Even though I meditated on God's word regularly, I had trouble remembering the many things that the Holy Spirit does. His activities are important to remember if we are to walk by the Spirit, recognize the realities of life and then be able to teach those realities to others. So, I made a list of the Holy Spirit's activities from scripture. But, even though I had this list, I still didn't remember it very well. Then, I asked our Lord to give me an acrostic to make His workings easy to remember. I prayed over this for several days. The result was WWW J CHRIST L P.
To Walk by the Spirit: Is it worth a half hour?
My ability to memorize words is average. But, since I was very familiar with each working of the Holy Spirit, it only took me twenty minutes to memorize the acrostic. It may take you half an hour if you are less familiar with His works.
But instead of suggesting that you memorize the acrostic by wrote memorization, I am going to suggest something else. Something easy and pleasant. I suggest that you PRAY the acrostic as you experienced in subchapters 1.1 and 1.2. Take each work of the Holy Spirit and offer praise and thanksgiving with requests for specific people. As you PRAY the acrostic it will take roots in your heart. As you pray this acrostic over days or weeks, you will essentially memorize it through prayer.
Once you memorize it, you can praise and meditate on the workings of the Holy Spirit as you are going to sleep, waiting in line, being persecuted for your faith and etc. The acrostic will make it easier for you to walk by the Spirit and to lead others to walk by the Spirit. If the scriptures are prohibited by law or you are imprisoned for your faith, these truths will be hidden in your mind so your spirit may feed on them. Walking by the Spirit is not a focus on living by rules but involves interaction with the Holy Spirit. Walking by the Spirit is the focus of subchapter 4.7.
If you don't know how to PRAY the acrostic, I will show you. In the next few sections I will explain the acrostic. Then at the end of this page I will PRAY the acrostic with you. That section is titled PRAY the Acrostic.
WWW J CHRIST L P
The basic letters of the acrostic are WWW J CHRIST L P . The phrase... WWW Jesus Christ Loves People makes it easy to remember. The letter J stands for Jesus. L stands for love. P stands for people. WWW Jesus Christ Loves People. It's simple!
Each letter of the acrostic stands for one or more workings of the Holy Spirit. The acrostic focuses on workings which help us to walk by the Spirit. Twenty-eight workings are represented by the acrostic.
The Phrase
Here is the phrase in a graphic format:
WWW
Jesus
C
H
R
I
S
T
Loves
People
The Skeleton of the Acrostic
Here is the skeleton of the acrostic:
W
W
W
J
C
H
R
I
S
T
L
P
Again, the catch phrase to make it easy to remember is WWW Jesus Christ Loves People. As I said before, each of the letters in WWW J CHRIST L P represents one or more workings of the Holy Spirit. And each working of the Holy Spirit was explained from the scriptures in subchapters 3.2 through 3.5. A brief description of each working is provided farther down this page.
So, here is the acrostic with the workings of the Holy Spirit that are associated with each letter:
WWW
Warns
Witness (Inner Witness)
Words for witnessing
J
Joy
C
Conduit for God's love
Convicts unbelievers of sin
Comprehension
Confession (true)
H
Hope
R
Regenerates
Renews
Reminds us of scripture
Resisted (Holy Spirit can be resisted.)
I
Indwells
Intercedes
S
Sanctifies
Seals
Speaks through us
T
Teaches
Testifies
L
Leads
Life
Lied to (Holy Spirit can be lied to)
P
Prophesies
Preaches
Peace
Perseverance
Brief Explanation of the Acrostic
Below is a short explanation of the acrostic. For each work of the Holy Spirit a subchapter reference is provided so that you may find more information about each work if you wish. If you follow the references you will be see quotes of the scriptures which reveal each work of the Holy Spirit.
WWW
Warns 3.3
Witness (Inner Witness) 3.3, 3.2
Words for witnessing 3.3, 3.4
The Holy Spirit warns us to listen to Him when He speaks to us. He bear witness within us that we are God's children and puts words into our minds to bear witness of Him to others.
J
Joy 3.5
Joy comes through the Holy Spirit, even in times of trouble.
C
Conduit for God's love 3.5
Convicts unbelievers of sin 3.3
Comprehension 3.4
Confession (true) 3.4, 3.5
God's love pours into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts unbelievers of sin, provides power to comprehend, confess and bear witness to Christ.
H
Hope 3.4
The Holy Spirit provides power to hope.
R
Regenerates 3.5
Renews 3.5
Reminds us of scripture 3.3
Resisted (He can be resisted.) 3.3
Just as Mary was pregnant with Jesus by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18), those who believe are reborn (regenerated) of the Spirit (John 3:5-6) and are transferred from the Domain of Darkness into the Kingdom of the Son (Colossians 1:13). The process of spiritual decay is reversed as the Holy Spirit operates within us to make us new (renew). The Holy Spirit reminds God's children of the words of Christ. But both believers and unbelievers can refuse to listen to the Holy Spirit.
I
Indwells 3.2
Intercedes 3.3
The Holy Spirit dwells within every child of God. He intercedes (prays) for each child to the Father.
S
Sanctifies 3.5
Seals 3.5
Speaks through us 3.3
The Holy Spirit sanctifies us at regeneration and thereafter to make us acceptable to God. He is a seal in us, identifying us as those who belong to God. Then, in the eternal state, Jesus' name will be written on our foreheads (Revelation 22:4). The Holy Spirit speaks through us in words bearing witness to God, so we do not need to be anxious as to what to say to those who oppose Christ.
T
Teaches 3.3
Testifies 3.3
The Holy Spirit teaches us what to say to those who oppose Christ (Luke 12:11-12). He teaches us about all things (1 John 2:27) and testifies about Jesus.
L
Leads 3.3
Life 3.5
Lied to 3.3
The Holy Spirit leads the children of God, gives life to them and can be lied to.
P
Prophesies 3.3
Preaches 3.3
Peace 3.5
Perseverance 3.4
Prophesies and preaching are actions of the Holy Spirit working through men. The Holy Spirit provides power for inner peace and perseverance as He guards what has been committed to us.
PRAY the Acrostic
Please PRAY the works of the Holy Spirit acrostic with me. As you pray you will have fellowship with God. He will give you insight and understanding into the spiritual realm. As you read, make my prayers your prayers. You may offer other prayers as well. I have prayed for you... that He will bring you into deep fellowship with Himself through these prayers.
Some of my prayers may seem strange to you if you are not familiar with the Endorsed Prayers from scripture which were presented in chapter 4. If you are familiar with the Endorsed Prayers, you will recognize them in my prayers below. You will see that the Endorsed Prayers and the Workings of the Holy Spirit are deeply interrelated.
WWW
Warns
Witness (Inner Witness)
Words for witnessing
Oh Lord, my Lord... thank you that your Holy Spirit will warn me when I am in danger of breaking fellowship with You. Please soften my heart so that I may understand and do Your will. I thank you for the inner witness of Your Spirit within me that makes me to know that I belong to You. Your warnings are one such inner witness. It is such a relief that you will give me the words to bear witness to you. It is not up to my human mind figure out what to say. I see, oh Lord, that making disciples is a supernatural act, performed by You through those who are called by Your name and are willing to bear the yoke of Christ. We receive your words for witnessing by asking for them as Paul did in Ephesians 6:19.
J
Joy
Father in Heaven, I thank you for the joy of the Holy Spirit which comes not only in times of prosperity but in times of affliction. I have Your joy as I receive Your word and walk with you in Your Spirit, bearing Your Yoke, doing Your business. I also have the joy of seeing the beauty of your creation and Your love in the saints.
C
Convicts unbelievers of sin
Conduit for God's love
Comprehension
Confession (true)
My Lord, when I was an unbeliever your Holy Spirit convicted me of sin. Your love has been poured out in my heart through Your Holy Spirit. Through Him I receive comprehension of Your words. Through Him I can confess my true and sincere confession of my faith in You. Father, there are so many things that I once thought I did on my own. But now I see from your word that it is You, the Son or the Holy Spirit doing them in me. Your word tells us that our son said "apart from me, you can do nothing" (John 15:5). And it was Jesus who asked You to send the Holy Spirit into me. You deserve all praise.
H
Hope
Oh Lord, my Lord, it is by the power of Your Holy Spirit that I have joy, peace and hope. Thank you Father that you do not leave my emotions to me and my power to prevail emotionally. Thank you that you care about how I feel. Thank you that You do not leave me in the depression of my carnal state. I cast all my concerns on You as I pray. You said "In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).
R
Regenerates
Renews
Reminds us of scripture
Resisted (Holy Spirit can be resisted.)
Lord of the universe, You have given me a new life as your child through the regeneration of rebirth. Thank You for giving me the gift of being born again as Your child. I could not bring this to pass on my own. I could not have chosen to be your child. You made this decision that all who trust in You will be granted the status of sonship. You could have made us only servants but You made us sons. And after regeneration, Your Holy Spirit continually works in us to renew us... to make us new, progressively conforming to the image of Your Son. Create in me a clean heart oh Lord. Your Holy Spirit reminds me of scripture to draw me to imitate the Son and follow Him, wherever He may go. But I know that I can resist your Holy Spirit's leading. Father soften my heart so that I don't grieve your Holy Spirit.
I
Indwells
Intercedes
I praise you Father for sending the councilor, the Holy Spirit, to be "in" those who are called by Your name... to remind us of everything that our Lord Christ said and to teach us about all things. Of the Son you said that "it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me." So, Your Son and the Holy Spirit live within me. What a gift... that You, a perfect and holy God, should condescend to take up residence in deeply flawed people of flesh, blood. Yet we were cleansed by the blood of Christ. At the request of the Son, You sent the Holy Spirit to dwell permanently within me... a cleansing which we received "by grace and through faith."
The Holy Spirit intercedes for me with prayers which I don't understand. He knows what to pray when I don't know what to pray. So, petition is always made for me before my Father. What greater intimacy could You have provided for your children in this present age than to place the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of the ecstasy to come when we Christ's bondservants sit on Christ's throne with Christ, with His name on our foreheads, seeing His face and ruling the earth with Him forever.
S
Sanctifies
Seals
Speaks through us
Oh Lord forgive me! For what I once though was to be from me was to be from You. Once I thought that I was responsible to purify myself... that I identified myself as being Yours. That I prepared words to make disciples. But no! Your Holy Spirit, whom You sent into me at the request of the Son, does these things. The Holy Spirit sanctifies me. He seals me. He is the identification that I am Yours. He speaks through me as a witness to the believing and unbelieving. Deliver me from the plague of self faith. All praise belongs to You, my Creator, Savior, King, Master, Judge, Father, Brother and Intimate Spouse. All praise!
Note: You may read more about believers as the bride of Christ in 2 Corinthians 11:2, micro-subchapter 4.3j and the section titled "The Name" in subchapter 6.1.
T
Teaches
Testifies
The life You have provided us with in this age is a supernatural life that only You could bring to pass. You interact with creatures of flesh and faith in love and intimacy to fill us with your thoughts and truth. You teach us about all things so that we are not dependent on man for teaching. We learn directly from your Holy Spirit. He teaches us "concerning all things" as you have written in 1 John 2:27. Your Holy Spirit teaches us what to say to those who oppose Christ as Luke recorded in Luke 12:11-12.
Your Holy Spirit testifies by signs, wonders, works and gifts (Hebrews 2:3,4). He communicates in the invisible spiritual realm with testimonies about the Christ (John 15:26). He testifies "that we are children of God" (Romans 8:16). Indeed all the world, both believers and unbelievers, recognize us as Your disciples by our love, which is You in us (John 13:35). Your Holy Spirit guides my conscience (Romans 9:1). I thank you for entering into such an intimate union with us in this age, as a foretaste of the Paradise to come.
L
Leads
Life
Lied to (Holy Spirit can be lied to)
I thank You my Father, for You have not left me to figure out my way through life on my own. We cannot find your will by use of human reason. We are led by a person in the spiritual realm. You sent Your Holy Spirit to live within us, to lead us. He leads our spirit from within. He gave us life at regeneration (rebirth). He sustains life in the now. He is not a rule that we can disobey. He is a person whom we may disobey and try to deceive. But He is not deceived by our disceptions. He is within.
P
Prophesies
Preaches
Peace
Perseverance
Oh Lord, I have been mistaken in many of my days. I have thought that Your truth had come to me from humans who had greater understanding than I. But no... when the preacher preached a truth that my soul desperately needed, it was Your Holy Spirit who preached those words through that preacher. When a prophet prophesied, it was Your Holy Spirit who gave Him the message. Righteousness, joy and peace are things that we have in You, Holy Spirit. I thank you. Those good things in our soul came from You and the Holy Spirit guards them. Every good thing in us is from You. Glory to Your name!
Conclusion
I have prayed for you. I have prayed that our Lord will reveal His invisible workings so that you may understand His work in the spiritual realm around you. I have prayed that He will teach you how to pray... what to talk about when you talk to God. Are ready to learn a little more each day about walking by the Spirit? Then click the arrow at the top right of this page to open "Daily Devotional Prayers to Walk by the Spirit". You will see how to interact with God in the spiritual realm... how to bear the yoke of Christ... how to walk by the Spirit.