Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
— James 4:5
According to James 4:5, the Holy Spirit came into our hearts as a Permanent Indweller. It says, “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?”
The Greek word for “dwelleth” is katoikidzo, a compound of the words kata and oikos. The word kata carries the idea of settling down, and the word oikos is the word for a house. Taken together, the new word means to take up residency or to dwell in a house. This word carries the idea of residing permanently. In other words, this word would never describe a transient or one who came to live in a place only temporarily. This is the picture of a person who has settled into a home with no intention of ever leaving.
*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]
In other words, when the Holy Spirit came to live in you, it wasn’t for a short period of time. When He came, He came to stay. From the moment you made Jesus your Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit made your heart His permanent home. He has, so to speak, hung His own pictures on the walls, moved His furniture in, and settled down into a nice, big comfortable chair. He has no intention of ever moving out to leave your heart vacant while He finds somewhere else to live.
Think of that! The Holy Spirit doesn’t come only to visit occasionally. Your heart is His home. Meditate on this truth, and determine to live each moment of the day with a deep sense of awareness of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence. Welcome His fellowship; talk to Him; and yield to Him as He prays through you and gives you guidance and direction. A deeper realization of the Permanent Indweller who lives on the inside of you will help you stay on track and continually move forward in your walk in Christ!
MY PRAYER FOR TODAY
Holy Spirit, I am so thankful that my heart is Your home! I worship You for taking up residency inside of me! The thought is almost too glorious for my mind to comprehend! I welcome Your fellowship. Teach me how to talk with You, yield to You, and cooperate with You as You pray through me, giving me guidance and direction every day. I ask You to please open my understanding to a deeper realization of Your permanent indwelling so I stay on track spiritually and continually move forward in my walk in Christ!
I pray this in Jesus’ name!
MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY
I am thankful to declare that the Holy Spirit is not a guest who occasionally comes to visit me. He moved into my recreated spirit to permanently abide with me. He regenerated and renovated me, and He brought His power and glory along with Him when He moved inside me. I am the permanent home for the Spirit of God.
I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!
QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER
- Since your heart is the home of the Holy Spirit, what do you need to do to make Him feel more comfortable there? What changes do you need to make to accommodate His holy presence?
- So many times I’ve heard songs that invite the Holy Spirit to come and visit us, but that isn’t even scriptural! He lives inside us. We are not a temporary place He comes to visit. Can you think of songs that might be unscriptural along these lines that we sang with all of our hearts in the past, not realizing we were singing unscriptural songs?
- A guest in a hotel doesn’t have many rights, but when you live in a house permanently, it becomes your home and you have rights there. What kind of rights does the Holy Spirit have as a Permanent Indweller in your heart?
