Expert: Thurman C. Petty, Jr. - 4/15/2011

Question
Awhile ago I had these thoughts that christians were weird and brain washed and I thought even though they are good people what if they are being brainwashed by a evil spirit because they act diffrent. I was later very sorry and upset. I am now working on my relationship with god. Did I blaspheme the holy spirit?

Answer
Dear Jim,

No. The fact that you were sorry and upset shows me that you did not blaspheme the Holy Spirit. You see, the Spirit is the One who convicted you and brought sorrow to you when you discovered that you had been wrong. Notice these texts about the Holy Spirit (the Comforter) from the bible. Jesus is talking:

(King James Version)
John 15:26  But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:...

John 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
John 16:8  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
John 16:9  Of sin, because they believe not on me;
John 16:10  Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
John 16:11  Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
John 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
John 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.
John 16:14  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.

You see, the Holy Spirit convicted you of sin, and He is drawing you into a closer relationship with God. And now, you say, you are working on your relationship with God. Just how should you go about this?

The Holy Spirit draws you into a relationship by first convicting you of sin, as I’ve already pointed out. But what shall you do with the sin?

1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

When God forgives, He forgets, and you should forget too. Satan will try to remind you of the sins and make you feel guilty about them. That guilt does not come from God, so take it to Jesus by asking God to take it away. Don’t listen to the doubts of the enemy.

After you’ve confessed your sins and God has forgiven you, you need to let Him speak to you and teach you the things He wants you to know. Remember verse 13 above: the Spirit “will guide you into all truth.” How does He do this. Through your reading the Bible. God has stored all the truth that He wants you to know in the message of the Bible. And when you study the Bible, asking God to reveal His will to you, the Spirit will reveal to you the truth He wants you to know.

2 Pet 1:21  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Spirit inspired the men who wrote the Bible what they should say. He gave the message, and the prophets wrote the message down in their own words.

Strange as it may seem, the Bible is God’s word in human language written by humans like you and me. God mixes the divine and the human so that we’ll be able to understand divine truth.

It was the same with Jesus: He was divine, he took upon Himself human nature, that through the human nature He could show us that which is divine—things that we couldn’t see otherwise.

So to build a relationship with God you must:
  1. Allow the Holy Spirit to teach you and bring you into contact with God.
2. The Holy Spirit does this as you prayerfully study the Bible, God’s word in man’s language.
3. Then you will want to talk with God to tell Him about your troubles and ask Him for the things you need. That’s called prayer.

But prayer doesn’t have to be formal or anything like that. There is a place for that kind of prayer, but when you talk to God in prayer, you can talk to God like you talk to a friend. He hears what you say and even what you think. So you can sit on a hillside or in your room and talk out loud to Him. Or you can sit on the bus or drive your car, or even at work or in the classroom, you can talk to Him in your head. It’s awesome to realize that you can go the throne of God whenever you want, and know that He hears you!

Jim, I’m so happy for you. I’m going to put you on my prayer list so I can remember you in prayer. I recommend that you spend much time in reading the Bible. Reading the Bible is so important to the Christian. It would be very difficult to maintain a saving relationship with God without it. And learning about God and His requirements for you would be nearly impossible without some connection with God’s Holy Word.

Actually, if you watch for Him, you’ll find Jesus Christ in almost every passage of the Old and New Testaments. Sometimes He’s known as the Creator (cf. John 1:1-4, 10, 14); sometimes He’s known as “the Angel of the LORD” (Ex. 3:1-14; cf. John 8:56-58); sometimes He’s known as the “servant” (Isa. 52:13-53:12); and sometimes as the Messiah. Often He’s behind the scenes, working through those who live according to His will.

If you have difficulty understanding the Bible, there are many aids available to help you do this, (see list below). But above all, read your Bible for yourself, and pray that God will help you understand it.

Feel free to write me at my e-mail address. I’d be glad to help you find answers to other questions as well.

Stay close to Jesus.

Thurman C. Petty, Jr.
PettyPress@gmail.com
www.PettyPress.com (20 Books; 42 Bible Study Guides; more)

Sources of Bible study aids and answers for your questions:
Mail order Bible lessons: Amazing Facts Bible Lessons, PO Box 1058, Roseville, CA 95678
Telephone questions answered: 3ABN 1-800-752-3226 (pastoral dept., ext. 1)
On-line: Bibleinfo.com; Itiswritten.com (Bible studies/Discover Bible Guides)
Television networks: HOPE Channel (Direct TV #368); 3ABN (Dish Network #9710)