Today is Pentecost, when the Christian church celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

That we worship one God, in three separate yet unified persons, is one of the great mysteries of Christianity.

Many main-line denominations place their emphasis on God the Father and God the Son, leaving the Holy Spirit to the Pentecostal traditions. However, the Trinity is inseparable. One in three; three in one, not two-out-of-three or some other ratio.

God sent His son into the world to accomplish our salvation. That done, Jesus ascended back to the Father, leaving the Holy Spirit as our guide, our interpreter, and our comforter to reside with us and within us on our faith journey in the world.

There’s just one little catch…we must invite Him to join us as we walk, and we must welcome Him into our heart each new day.

In the devotional guide by Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, one of this week’s readings included this passage:

The faith of many people begins to falter when apprehensions enter their thinking, and they forget the meaning of God’s assurance— they forget to take a deep spiritual breath. The only way to remove the fear from our lives is to listen to God’s assurance to us.

Life in this world, as it was in Bible times, is filled with danger. Many walk with apprehension and fear in their hearts everyday. That is why we need the Holy Spirit.

When I begin to become overly stressed and fearful, I will try to remember to take a deep spiritual breath by praying, reading the word and opening myself to the leading of the Holy Spirit, in the hope that my faith will be fired up anew to see me through whatever lies before me.