Pastor John in pursuing daily joy in God, how important is the permanently abiding and

indwelling Holy Spirit in me?

And if indwelling is important, how do I explain my own personal, fluctuating experience

of joy in God when the source of my personal joy, the Holy Spirit, is constantly, personally,

present in me at all times?

That's a really good question, because its premises are right.

Amy, we do have the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is sovereign, he's God, and so why isn't

he producing his fruits in me as fully as they could possibly be produced?

That's a really, really good question, and one of those fruits is joy, peace, patience.

And if you go to the book of Ephesians, there are clues that, in fact, the Holy Spirit

doesn't govern us that way, Ephesians 5-18, be filled with the Holy Spirit, clearly signals

their gradations of fullness, and that means I think gradations of his control, that

he is willing to let himself be more or less resisted.

He says in Ephesians 4-30, do not grieve the Holy Spirit.

So the Holy Spirit is willing to let himself be grieved by certain attitudes that we

have.

That doesn't mean that the Holy Spirit is ceased to be God, that he somehow ceased to

have the power to sanctify us.

It means that he has his sovereign reasons for why he would be willing to be grieved by

us.

And chapter 1 verse 17 of Ephesians, it's just amazing how many of these are in Ephesians.

It all prays for saints that the eyes of our heart would be opened to know or calling

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