Discover how the Holy Spirit works in cooperation with believers. Learn how to partner with Him through a free heart, so His presence can remain and transform your life.
🕊️ Holy Spirit Blog Series
In our last article we looked at Episode 3 – The Ministry of the Holy Spirit in Believers, where we explored how the Holy Spirit guides, strengthens, and transforms those who yield to Him.
Now in this new episode we move from what the Spirit does for believers to how believers cooperate with the Spirit. Because even though the Holy Spirit is fully able to act, His work in our lives depends on our willing partnership.
The Spirit Comes Down and Remains
John 1:33 says:
“And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain…’”
Take note: the Spirit came down and remained.
Jesus wants to live His life in us to be Himself in us. But because we continue to grieve the Holy Spirit, we do not allow Him to remain. When He is grieved, His presence does not stay.
They said, “The Spirit came down and remained.” But with us, the Spirit often comes, yet does not remain. To remain, He needs your cooperation.
How the Holy Spirit Works in Cooperation with Believers
Everything the Holy Spirit does in your life depends on your cooperation and partnership with Him.
Everything Jesus was to His disciples – the Comforter, the Teacher, the Guide, the Friend – the Holy Spirit now is to us. The Holy Spirit teaches, reminds, and helps us understand the truth and brings Jesus’ words alive in our hearts (John 14:16–17, John 14:26, and John 16:13–14).
The Holy Spirit speaks what Jesus wants you to hear and reveals what Jesus wants you to know. He glorifies Jesus through your life.
But remember, even though He is all these things, He won’t force Himself on you. He waits for your cooperation – your willingness to listen, obey, and walk with Him every day.
Even though He’s your Helper – just as Jesus said – He can’t help you unless you let Him. If He’s your Teacher, He can’t teach you unless you cooperate with Him.
And that means one thing: we can’t afford to hold on to offenses or sin.
If you hold a grudge against someone, you’ve already grieved the Holy Spirit. And when He’s grieved, His power and activity in your life are short-circuited.
Why? Because the Holy Spirit needs a free and open heart to fully express Himself through you.
David understood this when he said in Psalm 66:18, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” So, what have you been praying for? The Holy Spirit has the answer. But for Him to move in your life, He needs your cooperation – your partnership.
The Holy Spirit and Bible Reading
There is an inseparable union between the Word and the Spirit. The Spirit always leads in prayer, preaching, teaching, conversation, and counsel. The Spirit of God will never move you apart from the Scriptures.
The Holy Spirit is the Teacher, and the Holy Bible is His tool for teaching us.
If the Holy Spirit is to teach you, you must first play your part by letting go of deep hurts and bad feelings toward others. You must also plead the Blood of Jesus over your sins before reading the Bible.
Do not be surprised if the Bible feels lifeless when you read it while holding a grudge. When you harbor offense, you are reading mere words, not the living Word. Scripture is literature, but when it is inspired by the Holy Spirit, it becomes the Bible. It carries authority only when the heart is free.
It is the heart that transforms what you read.
Here’s how the process works:
- What you read is taken into the heart.
- The heart refines it, like gold passing through a furnace.
- The refined word unites with the Spirit of God.
- It then becomes an instrument — of healing, blessing, salvation, and deliverance.
But if your heart is filled with grudges, pain, or hatred, the Word cannot enter. Only one thing can occupy the heart at a time. When hatred is there, nothing else can dwell.
When your heart is free, without hatred or offense, the Word can enter, be refined, and join with the Spirit of the Father, becoming a living instrument in your life.
How the Holy Spirit Works in Cooperation with Believers: What You Need to Do
So what do you need to do now?
Let go of your past. Whether you were right or wrong doesn’t matter. From God’s perspective, you have no right to hold on to offense.
Once you let go in your heart, it’s settled. When your heart releases it, you’ve made peace with God. Because the Holy Spirit wants to be Himself in you.
Next Episode Preview – Episode 5: Living in Step with the Holy Spirit
In our next episode, we will go even deeper into the journey of partnering with the Holy Spirit. If Episode 4 helped you understand the importance of cooperating with Him, Episode 5 will show you how to walk in step with His guidance every day.