When you run a race, such as a marathon, it is your race to win or lose…without any help or encouragement. Living for Christ is different.

When Jesus left the earth after his resurrection, He told his disciples to wait for the “promise” He would send them from his Father. “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised” (Luke 24:49).

The Holy Spirit is called many things in the Bible, but his main role in your life is to be your “Encourager and Comforter” as you embark on your new journey with Christ (see John 16:7-15).

Without the Holy Spirit, living for Christ is impossible. With Him, you can do anything and everything through Christ! (Philippians 4:13).

Lessons two and three will show you how.

The Indwelling Holy Spirit

When you invited Jesus Christ to be your personal Savior and Lord, He actually entered your life–and He will be with you forever. You will never be alone! Ephesians 3:16-17 tells us, “… that He may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”

As your invited guest and Lord, Jesus desires to “settle down” in each “room” of your “house”. He brings warmth, light and music. Christ lives in you through the Person of the Holy Spirit. (Read the booklet, My Heart, Christ’s Home.)

Who is the Holy Spirit?

Even though the Holy Spirit is invisible, He is a real person–the Spirit of Jesus (John 14:16-21).

Read the following verses to find out more about the Holy Spirit:

Q Acts 5:3-4 _________________________________________________________

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Q John 14:16-17 _________________________________________________________

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Q 1 Corinthians 6:19 _________________________________________________________

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Yes, the Bible states clearly, that just like the Father, and the Son, the Holy Spirit is God! One God in three Persons.

The Holy Spirit will take each area of your life which you commit to Him and connect the pieces into an extreme picture of God’s best for you!

A New You

“Those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is going. A new life has begun” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

You are now a totally new creation just like this new butterfly, which was formerly a caterpillar.

You may not always feel…or act new. But in God’s eyes you are totally new!

The Father sees you as one whom his dear Son has purchased with the price of his own blood. You are his royal child! (Hebrews 2:9-11).

Ashley’s Story

“I always put my friends above God. In fact, my life revolved around my friends so much that I began to get involved in reckless behavior just to seem ‘cool’ to others.

“Pretty soon I got involved in drugs, sex and alcohol. My life got out of control, and I felt worthless, with no purpose other than to get ‘high.’ Then I even lost my friends, who called me ‘trash.’

“One day someone told me that Jesus Christ not only created me, but wanted to be my best friend. I couldn’t believe it at first. Later, I decided to ask Him into my life. Since then, God has given me a new purpose in life and helped me break my addictions. I now have many new friends, but the greatest of all is Jesus Christ. He accepts me for who I am, and tells me that ‘He will never leave or forsake me’ (Hebrews 13:5).”

No other friend loves you so much or will stick with you so closely (Proverbs 18:24). Jesus is totally loyal and faithful! (Proverbs 20:6).

More Like Christ

God’s extreme plan is to change you into Christ’s image (Romans 8:29). Jesus’ Spirit living in you has begun this change, and He will continue his work throughout your life (Philippians 1:6).

Q Whose work is it according to Philippians 2:13? _________________________________________________________

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Q What qualities do you look for in a friend? _________________________________________________________

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Temptation to Abort Your Mission

Once a space shuttle launches, it is too late to abort the mission without the potential of grave danger. Now that you have “launched” your life with Christ, you need to be aware of the danger of aborting your mission.

The lure of life’s pleasures will tug at you. Your own hormones and desires will crave to be fulfilled.

It’s important to remember that those temporary pleasures are not worth aborting your “mission” with Christ.

In Romans 8:32, Paul says: “Since God did not spare even His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, won’t God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?”

In other words, your heavenly Father loves you so much that He delights in giving you your heart’s desire. If you live for Christ and trust Him, you will experience…

• Extreme Joy
• Extreme Peace
• Extreme Love
• Extreme Confidence
• Extreme Hope
• Extreme Contentment

Read Galatians 5:16-23.

Q What does Galatians 5:16-18 say about this warfare? _________________________________________________________

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Choosing to listen to the Holy Spirit and follow his leading will always be the right choice!

Q According to Galatians 5:16-23, contrast the two different lives:

The “Filling” of the Holy Spirit

The Bible says: “So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing your sinful nature craves” (Galatians 5:16).

The word “filled” means to be directed and controlled. A basketball player voluntarily puts himself under the control of his coach. He does this so he can play his best…and win the game.

The player is not a robot. But he freely chooses to let his coach direct him, because he wants to play well…and win!

Q What does Ephesians 5:18 say? _________________________________________________________

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A New Way to Think

God’s extreme plan for you is to mold you into the image of Christ. This life-long process is the work of the Holy Spirit…as you give Him control of your life (Romans 8:29).

The Holy Spirit will gradually conform us into the image of Christ as we submit ourselves to Him. Of course, we will never be totally like Christ until we are with Him in Heaven.

The circle on the left depicts a Christian who has given his/her life to Christ, but has chosen to rule his/her own life. All activities, interests, desires, and choices are self-directed, leading to a life of frustration and defeat (represented by the arrows). Galatians 5:19-21 describes the Christian who has self at the center of his life.

The circle on the right depicts a Christian who has put Christ as the focus of his life. All activities, interests, desires, and choices are directed by Christ resulting in harmony with God’s plan. This is the abiding life, which results from being obedient to the Word of God. Galatians 5:19-23 describes the vast difference in a Christ–directed life and a self-directed life. The key to yielding your life to the Holy Spirit is “think right.”

“…I plead with you to give your bodies to God…When you think of what He has done for you, is that too much to ask?” (Romans 12:1).

It is God’s great love for you that should be your motivation to trust the Holy Spirit completely with your life (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

Todd’s Story

“For three years I had been consumed with the desire to join the elite club for ‘cool’ guys in my high school…the ‘Mavericks’. Before coming to Christ, I would have ‘sold my soul’ to have been asked to join. Although I was a Christian, I thought it would still be okay…even though it was a drinking club.

“I begin to seriously think about going all out for Christ, and putting aside things that were self-destructive. Finally I decided to make a decision by the end of the week.

“It was during that week that I got asked to join the Mavericks! I immediately knew that the stakes were high, and that Satan was trying to derail my decision. I didn’t give him the pleasure: and turned my life completely over to God. God gave me true freedom…and an awesome life!”

Just as you came to Christ by faith for the forgiveness of your sins, you must by faith ask the Holy Spirit to control your life. When you think of what He has done for you…and how much He loves you…is there any other choice?

In response to Christ’s love for you, simply pray the following:

“Dear Lord, I want You to change my life from being self-centered into one that is Christ-centered. I confess my sinful thoughts and actions, and give You, Holy Spirit, control of my life right now.”

If you sincerely spoke those words to your Lord, you are ready for extreme living!

Q What does this commitment mean to you? _________________________________________________________

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You are now ready for the Holy Spirit to connect the other pieces of the “puzzle.” In the next lesson you will see how trusting his Word empowers you with the extreme power of God Himself!

So…How Welcome is Jesus in Your House?

Are you afraid that Jesus will take all the fun out of your life? Do you keep Him out of the main rooms of your “house”, perhaps in the garage?

Jesus will not force himself into any room in your house–but He will patiently work in your life to prove that He can make every part of your life totally extreme!

Don’t blame yourself when your emotions lead you to deliberately sin and disobey God. Although you may suffer the pain and consequences of those decisions, God has ways of transforming your cocoa beans into chocolate.

He will take you just as you are…and begin re-weaving the strands in your life…when you come back to Him in confession and repentance.

Spend some time thinking about how much Jesus loves you, and what He did for you on the cross.

If you haven’t made Him feel welcome, now would be a good time to tell Him you want to change that!

Q What did you tell Him? _________________________________________________________

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