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Summer 2019

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the [Holy] Spirit of truth.” — John 14:16-17

What do you know about the One whom Jesus promised He would ask the Father to give us, in His absence? How much do you know about the Holy Spirit? Growing up, I can never remember being taught about the Holy Spirit. I knew His name because the pastor of the little mountain church I belonged to always ended the Sunday morning service with a benediction in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He was also mentioned at weddings when the bride and groom were pronounced joined together in the same three names, or when someone was baptized. But it wasn’t until I began studying the Bible in order to teach it that I increasingly got to know this One we refer to as the third person of the Trinity. I discovered He is not spooky, He is not an “add-on” or an optional extra in the Christian life. He is a divine necessity. Yet one misconception of who He is lingered in my thoughts.

When I received Jesus as my Savior, my assumption had been that the Holy Spirit was “assigned” to me. I thought He had come into my life because He had no option. I was now His “job”—His responsibility. My view of Him was that He was strictly professional, a perfectionistic stickler for details and Someone who would keep me in line until one day He would present me to the Father and say something like “Here she is. I’ve done My best to work with what I had.” This harmful misconception could have led me to living a lie, as I would have tried hard to impress Him. I could have burned myself out trying hard to earn His love.

Then one day, while reading my Bible, I was gripped by the following: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”¹ While I understand that Scripture is warning us not to intentionally, willfully sin, the word grieve caught and held my attention. I reflected on grief in my own life and knew I had experienced that emotion only when I deeply cared about someone or something. I grieved when my mother went to Heaven. I grieved when my husband followed her there about eight years later. I grieved when my father joined them both. And I realized that grief is a love word. I grieve because I love my mother and my husband and my father.

This realization turned the light on in my thinking as I realized that if I can grieve the Holy Spirit, it’s because He loves me. The Holy Spirit loves me! That was a profound, revolutionary thought. He’s not just a professional partner. He’s not just assigned to me. He doesn’t live within me because He has to—He lives within me because He wants to live within me. He deeply cares about what I do and who I become. When I do the right thing, He rejoices. When I do the wrong thing, He grieves. Not only is He spiritually and practically involved in my life, He is also emotionally caught up in who I am and who I am to become. What a difference that simple truth has made in my perspective. I can be myself with the Holy Spirit. I don’t have to be “on.” I can relax and be transparent with Him. I can trust Him completely because He truly loves me!

And the Holy Spirit loves you too! He cares deeply about what you care about because He cares about you.² It doesn’t matter how small or how large your concern is. He cares. He understands. He wants what’s best for you. He desires for you to fulfill your God-given potential. He wants to ease your burden, solve your problem, comfort your broken heart, bind up your wounds, bring you through the valley of the shadow, shower you with blessing upon blessing. And yes, He wants to make you holy—because He loves you! He will work all things—all things—for your good.³ So relax. Stop trying to impress Him. Stop working so hard to earn His love. Be open and honest and transparent. Live with the confidence that you are deeply, unconditionally, permanently loved by Him.

I cannot begin to express in words what He has meant to me during this past year. I have experienced His constant companionship. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that He has carried me through not just somehow, but triumphantly. So if you, too, are faced with a deadly disease…divorce…death…disaster, open your heart and life to the One who is Jesus in you.

For His Glory,

Anne Graham Lotz

¹ Ephesians 4:30
² 1 Peter 5:7
³ Romans 8:28

As the launch of Anne’s new book, Jesus in Me, approaches, the AGL Team invites you to saturate this new ministry assignment in prayer. We will keep you updated with specific requests so that we can pray together for the Holy Spirit Himself to guide our efforts, breathe His life into our promotion, and prepare readers for the launch in October. Click here to join.

In what surely was a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit, Anne was able to complete the three-day audio book recording of Jesus in Me in two days.

Christophe Zimmerlin flew from Europe to interview Anne for France 2 Public television. Their conversation was warm, energetic, and Christ-glorifying.

Anne’s longtime friend, Hall of Fame basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell, had just been forced to resign from the University of North Carolina after 33 years for the ludicrous charge of racism. Yet she hosted with courageous grace her annual picnic for friends, neighbors, Rachel-Ruth’s Bible study, and the men’s study that Danny established in Chapel Hill. Approximately 300 gathered on Sylvia’s front lawn to hear a testimony from former UNC All- American, WBA star, Sylvia’s assistant, and now head women’s basketball coach at Elon University, Charlotte Smith, who has been mentored by Sylvia. It was also Anne’s privilege to challenge everyone from John 11 to trust God when we don’t understand why. (Pictured left to right: Rachel-Ruth, Sylvia, Anne & Morrow; inset photo: Charlotte Smith)

Bible Study: Constant Companion

Have you ever felt lonely—even in a crowd? Without companionship? Especially when facing a death, or disease, or divorce, or some disaster? In the past three years, I have become a widow…and an orphan…while at the same time facing some of my life’s greatest challenges. Yet I have experienced the companionship of the Holy Spirit in a deep, vibrant relationship that has been a constant source of joy, peace, and comfort. It’s worth getting to know the One who is Jesus in me…and in you.

I. HIS COMPANIONSHIP BRINGS COMFORT

Read John 16:5-16
*From John 16:5-7, why did the disciples need comfort? Put their feelings into your own words.

A. COMFORT OF HIS PERSON

What pronouns—and how many—does this passage use in speaking of the Holy Spirit? What does this teach you about the Holy Spirit?
What do the following passages tell us about names in Scripture? Genesis 32:27-28; Matthew 1:21; Matthew 16:17-18

Click here for the Bible Study especially developed for this newsletter.

Anne’s Classic Bible Studies to Prepare You for the Fall

Special Price on Video Studies – Your Choice for $20 Each

Get into His Word using one of Anne’s classic Bible Studies. Each study has a DVD and Leader Guide. Participant guides may be purchased separately. We are offering each video study at a discounted price of $20 from August 1 – November 1, 2019.

PRE-ORDER NOW

Jesus in Me:
Experiencing the Holy Spirit as a Constant Companion

Available October 2019

In Je sus in Me, Anne draws on her rich biblical knowledge as well as her personal story—including her recent cancer journey—to help us understand that the Holy Spirit is not a magic genie, a flame of fire, or a vague feeling. He is a Person who prays for us, guides us in our relationships and decisions, comforts us in pain, and stays by our side at all times. In this simple, yet profound teaching, she explores seven key aspects of the Holy Spirit that will revolutionize how you understand and relate to this vital third Person in the Trinity.

Discover how to better love and rely on the Person of the Holy Spirit–and embrace how much He loves you.