Everybody, what is going on? You know what time it is. You're listening to join the Journey podcast with your host, Emma, daughter.

Thanks for joining. How familiar are you with the Holy Spirit? Depending on how you grow up, you may or may not be used to the spirit being talked about.

In today's Devo, Austin talked about the spirit like this. He said,

when someone puts a down payment on their home, they're promising the lender that they will

pay more in the future and it will be far more than the down payment. Ephesians 114 tells us that

the Holy Spirit is similar. It is a guarantee or down payment of our inheritance or salvation. When we see the

spirit at work, he says, it's just a small taste of the goodness that is to come when Christ returns.

As Garrett and I talked about in the bonus episode, Austin makes a great point. The Holy Spirit is

evidence of the riches God has bestowed, or said differently, presented with honor

to those who are his. He has given believers gifts, and one of those gifts is the Spirit of God.

Now, there is a lot I could talk about here, specifically regarding the Trinity. But for our time

together today, I want to zoom in on verses 13 through 14 and focus on

the spirit. And I know that the second I said the word spirit, some of y'all lean in, some get really

curious or skeptical or excited or feel uncertain or just neutral. And that's okay. We're all at a

different spot. So as we talk about

verses 13 and 14, I'd encourage you to ask yourself how you think about the Holy Spirit. The other day,

I was reading one of my theology textbooks in preparation for this episode, and there were some

great reflection questions, and I just started asking myself things like, do I think of the Holy Spirit

as a person? He is God, but is distinct from the Father and the Son. Or do I think of the Holy Spirit

as a person or some sort of presence or force? Have I ever been aware of the Holy Spirit's

movement in my life or the Spirit's empowering? Why or why not?

When was the last time? Do I ever have a sense of the Spirit's pleasure or displeasure when I speak,

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