Mensa Otabil - The Spirit of God Lives in Us (09/28/2025)
One of the most awesome truths, profound as it is, that you can ever encounter in the scriptures is the fact that God lives in us. The Spirit of God dwells in the believer, and so we look at 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 19: «Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?»
This is one of the most fundamental truths of the New Testament. The Holy Spirit makes His abode in the believer; the Spirit of God lives in us. It is a thought that seems too fantastic at times. We may say it casually, but when you really think about it, it is indeed a marvelous idea that the Spirit of God lives in me and in you. If Christ is in you, the reality of God’s presence in us is incredibly important. We know that God lives in heaven; we are very much aware of that. He resides in a realm called heaven, which is a spirit realm. We also know that God lives and works on the earth, but throughout the history of mankind, God has related to us in various ways.
When you read your Bible, you find that in the beginning, He was with man in the Garden of Eden; the presence of God was in Eden. Then, frequently we see God’s presence in various locations. Moses saw God’s presence in a burning bush; God dwelt or manifested in that burning bush. Later, God revealed Himself on Mount Sinai. As you continue reading the scriptures, you realize that God showed His presence on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant in the tabernacle. When the temple was built in the days of Solomon, God’s presence was seen on the mercy seat in the Ark of the Covenant and in the temple. However, something dramatic occurred when Jesus Christ died: the curtain that separated God’s presence from the rest of the people was torn open. From that time, God no longer lives in Eden; He doesn’t dwell on Mount Sinai, nor does He reside in a burning bush or in a temple made with hands. He lives in us; we are the dwelling place of the Spirit of God.
This Spirit of God that Moses saw and marveled at in the burning bush now lives inside you, the believer in Christ Jesus. Our bodies may not seem like the most perfect locations for God, but guess what? The Bible says the new temple of God is your body. The way for this to happen is for the Holy Spirit to come and live in us, requiring us to allow Christ Jesus to enter our hearts. When that happens, God’s dwelling place shifts from the Garden of Eden, from Mount Sinai, from the tabernacle, and from the temple to you. Your body is the temple of the Living God. Because He lives in us, we belong to Him, and He belongs to us. The important thing is that He is not far away; He lives in us, not outside of us.
Think about it: the awesome God, the creator of the universe, dwells inside you if Christ is in you. I am Pastor Mensa Otabil; Shalom, peace, and life to you. We are about to enter a very important season on our church’s calendar: a season of consecration and prayer, without fasting. We call it 40 Days of Power. It starts on the 25th of June and ends on the 3rd of August. We trust God that in these 40 Days of Power, the heavens will be open over our lives, and we will enjoy heaven on earth. Join us, and let’s experience tremendous spiritual growth.