Tony Evans - The Power of the Holy Spirits Names

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

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The Power of the Holy Spirits Names

Copyright 2022 by Tony Evans

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97408

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-7962-7 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-7963-4 (eBook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022939209

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I want to thank my friends at Harvest House Publishers for their long-standing partnership in bringing my thoughts, study, and words to print. I particularly want to thank Bob Hawkins for his friendship over the years, as well as his pursuit of excellence in leading his company. I also want to publicly thank Kim Moore and Jean Bloom for their help in the editorial process. In addition, my appreciation goes out to Heather Hair for her skills and insights in collaboration on this manuscript.

CONTENTS

T he Holy Spirit is the most misunderstood, marginalized, misused, and underappreciated member of the Trinity. On the one hand, Hes ignored, and on the other hand, Hes illegitimately sensationalized. Both extremes cancel or limit His work in and through Gods people. Thats why its important for us to not only know the Holy Spirit more but as He really is.

The Spirit has a central role in the life of the believer and the empowerment of the church, with the distinctive task of making the reality and truth of God experienced in both. And because He possesses emotions, intellect, and will, He is to be related to on a personal level. Hes to be known , not merely considered a force or power to be manipulated or used. Although Hes nonmaterial, intangible, and invisible, He is nonetheless real and relational.

As with the other two members of the Trinity, one of the best means to understand, appreciate, and benefit from the person of the Holy Spirit is to explore the names and attribute descriptions Hes given in Scripture. They explain how He lives those roles in us, through us, and for us.

My first goal in this book, then, is to identify, explain, and illustrate the Holy Spirit and His work through those descriptions and names. By the way, while some of the Holy Spirits names and descriptions are not always capitalized as proper nouns as I writejust as they arent in Scripture or at least in some Bible translations or paraphrasesthey are nevertheless as significant to our study as if they were.

A second goal is to show believers how to relate to the person of the Holy Spirit in a more personal and intimate way. And a third goal is to help us learn how to take full advantage of all the Spirit offers for our physical lives, our emotional lives, and most importantly, our spiritual lives. When we grasp how to do this, His availability can be maximized for our personal and collective growth and impact.

When we come to know the Spiritagain, not only more but as He really iswe can more intimately tap into the unique ways God reveals Himself to us. Thats why we all need to understand that to the degree we take the person and work of the Holy Spirit seriously is the degree to which we will experience more of God.

J ust two months after my wife of nearly 50 years passed, I was scheduled to film a Bible study in Sedona, Arizona. In the years prior to her becoming ill, Lois and I had enjoyed traveling to various places around the country for me to film these studies. It gave us some much-needed time away in beautiful locations while also allowing me to work. I had come to look forward to these trips because she was with me.

But this journey would be different. This filming would be difficult. This act of faith, on my part, would take everything I had in me to carry out.

Id counseled enough people over my four decades as a pastor to know I needed to go. I needed to follow the same advice Id given to so many others over the years. I had to create new experiences that would enable me to heal during this time of grieving rather than get stuck in an emotional loop. But Id also counseled enough people to know that doing so is never easy. And the full realization of this truth hit me as I walked down the airport corridor to catch my flight that very first time without Lois.

I walked alone. I pulled my luggage alone. My head hung down, and my heart joined it. And as I moved forward, I grew even more discouraged and depressed to the point that tears welled up in my eyes. I didnt want to go without her. I didnt want to create new experiences if Lois wasnt going to be in them. Nor did I feel like teaching on the Bible at that moment in time.

But I would soon find out that, even though I walked alone, I wasnt alone. The Holy Spirit was with me. And like the Holy Spirit knows to do, He met me right where I was with just what I needed to keep going.

As I walked slower and slower by the step, a middle-aged couple Id never seen before approached me. I didnt know them at all but, as I found out later, they listened to me on the radio. And while people often approach me in airports to say hello or to tell me they listen to me on the radio, these two were different. They didnt say any of that at the start. They didnt tell me their story. They didnt ask for a photo. They simply asked if they could pray for me.