In Psalm 51:12 David said to the Lord, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit" (ASV). As a believer we should always have a willing spirit for the things of the Lord and for the things of the church. Often, however, we are not willing in the things regarding the Lord's interest. We must be poor in spirit and willing in the things of the Lord's interest.
In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul expresses a number of points concerning marriage. Then in verse 40 he says, "But I think that I also have the Spirit of God." The Spirit of God here is the indwelling Spirit.
A normal believer should have the Spirit of joy (Heb. 1:9; Acts 13:52; Rom. 14:17). We should have the Spirit of God in a joyful way. The Spirit of God is the oil of joy (Isa. 61:1; Heb. 1:9). Therefore, we must be happy people, joyful all day long. We should be able to give thanks to God in everything (Eph. 5:20; Col. 3:17).
A God-fearing person should have the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of God (Isa. 11:2-3). If you have the Spirit of God, you must realize that the Spirit has many aspects. The Spirit is full of wisdom and instruction, full of counsel and might. Counsel refers to the way to do the right thing, and might refers to the strength to do the right thing.
The Spirit is also the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of God. Isaiah joins knowledge and the fear of the Lord together. Only the fear of God keeps us from being lawless. We must have the fear of the Lord and knowledge. The more knowledge we have, the more fear of God we should have.
If you are a person who has the Spirit of God, you will be wise, full of understanding, and full of instruction. You will also be a person who always has the proper way and the strength to carry things out. As a person who has the Spirit of God, you will not be a foolish or careless person, not fearing God. Instead, you will be very knowledgeable, yet full of the fear of God.