Welcome, Holy Spirit (#022)

Many people know Pastor Benny because of his book Good Morning, Holy Spirit. I received the two-fold blessing of helping him pull the book together as well as watching the unfolding relationship he had with the Holy Spirit which formed the basis of the book. He interacted with the Holy Spirit in the same way you and I relate to our friends. It was intimate; it was a companionship.

He told me about a meeting he attended when Kathryn Kuhlman ministered. During the meeting, she sensed someone had grieved the Holy Spirit, and she began crying— much like we might do it someone hurt a close friend or family member.

“Please don’t grieve Him,” she pleaded. “He’s all I have.”

Pastor Benny told me that, in that moment, something unlocked in him. He sensed that if the Holy Spirit really is our Helper— the One Jesus sent to that we wouldn’t be alone— then the Spirit probably has a personality. The Spirit can relate and think and feel and sense delight and even grief.

A quick study of Scripture revealed this to be true.

💛 Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:21).

💛 We’re told not to put out the Spirit’s fire (1 Thessalonians 5:19), which infers we can also “fan into the flame” (see 2 Timothy 1:6).

💛 We don’t have to worry about what we will say in a situation, because the Holy Spirit will speak through us (Matthew 10:19-20).

💛The Spirit knows the mind of God and will share God’s purposes with us (1 Corinthians 2:11).

And, yes, the Spirit can be grieved, just as Kathryn Kuhlman said that night in the worship service. For that reason, Paul encouraged us not to grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).

Pastor Benny’s intimacy with the Holy Spirit goes back to the morning he woke up after traveling home from Kathryn Kuhlman’s meeting…

When he was living with his parents, he found himself exhausted after that trip. He had been riding, long hours, in a bus. He laid in his bed, sleeping soundly through the evening.

He awoke the next morning, and the words came from his mouth, “Good morning, Holy Spirit!”

In that moment, the Spirit of God entered his bedroom and made Himself known. The same intense presence he felt in the meeting was now on him in his bedroom. The glory, to use the language from the Old Testament, filled the place (2 Chronicles 7:1). This happened not only that first day, but it occurred every subsequent morning for over a year.

A few days earlier he had watched “Ms. Kuhlman,” as he refers to her talk about her intimacy with the Holy Spirit. He now experienced it himself.

Pastor Benny’s routine became:

⏰ Wake up

⏰ Greet the Holy Spirit

⏰ The Holy Spirit makes His presence tangibly known

⏰ The two fellowship together for 8-10 hours

Furthermore, the Holy Spirit taught Pastor during this time— just as Jesus promised in John 14:26 (NIV): “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.”

We read a similar statement in John 15:26-27 (NIV):  

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”

During those days in his bedroom, the Holy Spirit visited with Pastor Benny and revealed the reality of Scriptures, as well as the character of Jesus. He didn’t just learn stories and theological concepts— though he certainly did learn those things. More than that, He began to truly know God.

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For more on the upcoming book, go to www.LifeOfFreedom.site/7 — where you can reserve your copy today.