“Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:14

We are God’s children, purchased by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. As His children we have an inheritance awaiting us. As God’s sons and daughters we have eternal life and access to His presence. We have all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus.There is a time when all this will be realized in full. Our faith will become sight. That day is coming, but until then we have been given a guarantee: the Holy Spirit.

There was a time in my Christian walk where I didn’t recognize the Holy Spirit in my life. When I thought of being “filled with the Spirit”, my own life wasn’t what came to mind. However, being the guarantee of my inheritance in Christ, it’s pretty important to see Him for what He is. What I didn’t realize was that the Holy Spirit, like everything else in the Christian life, is not earned but received. I don’t have to be a “super Christian” in order to qualify. Luke 11:13 says our Heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. Even if I don’t feel or sense Him, I can be assured of His presence because of what God has said. As I believe more and more of His reality in me, I experience Him more and more. It’s incredible to think about how even in the most mundane parts of life, that the Holy Spirit is in me and leading me, even in the times I don’t really see how.

This past year I’ve been thinking a lot about what direction God has for me in the near future. Some decisions that seemed like they needed to be made, but all I could seem to hear from Him about it was either silence or “wait”. It’s hard to do nothing when you are really looking for clear direction, but something in me kept saying “just trust Me”. A situation recently came up that may be God’s answer. I think that this time of waiting on Him really taught me a lot about being led by the Spirit. I felt like I couldn’t hear from God, but He gave me the grace to trust that He was speaking to and leading me.

There is more that can be said of our purchase, inheritance, and redemption, but for right now I’d like for you to take some time to meditate on and thank our Father for His generous gift and and guarantee which is the Holy Spirit.

-Ethan Carriger