Tag: comforter

A Supernatural Strength Unique to Christians Alone

John 20:22
And with that He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

It was the evening of the first day of the week. The disciples, fearing the Jews after the crucifixion of their Master, were meeting behind locked doors. With the appearance of Jesus, they were at once at peace. But then a greater thing happened, Jesus gave them the Holy Spirit. All that had been gathered in the room in fear suddenly began a supernatural life which is unique to Christians alone. They were sent forth to continue the work that Jesus had been sent to do by His Father.

As the New Year begins, how many of us are sheltering ourselves away from the world? How many of us are letting our fears hold us back from doing the work that Jesus was sent to do? Do we not recognize that the same power that was given to the early disciples is also given to us?

Let us begin our new year under the guidance of Our Comforter, the Holy Spirit. He has been given to us to instruct us and empower us to do the work of the Father. He has been sent to supernaturally strengthen us. He comes along side of us to provide the power and protection that we need to overcome the enemy, the world around us and even our own flesh, all of which are trying to bring us down.

We can be sure that we will encounter some failure. In all likelihood, our failures will come from the fact that we have turned once again to rely on our own strength. We must be continously aware that our own strength will never be enough to meet the demands and challenges of this world. Our strength must come from the Lord, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit that He gives us.

Let us take hold of what has been promised to us. Let us surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let us commit to joining Our Precious Savior in doing the work of the Father in the new year.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing Your Holy Spirit to come along side of us to be our counselor. We praise the name of Jesus who defeated all evil when He died on the Cross so that we could defeat the evil that comes against us. We pray that you will teach us to accept our utter failure without Christ. Help us to realize our best will never be good enough until we are cleansed by the blood of Our Savior and receive His Holy Spirit into our lives. Help us Father to build our lives on the Rock that is Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit embolden and strengthen us to do the work of the Son. We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.

The Treasure That is Ours Through the Cross

John 16:8
And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin and of God’s righteousness and of the coming judgment.

Jesus instructed His disciples that the Holy Spirit would come to them after He departed the earth. He let them know that the Holy Spirit would be their counselor. He taught them that the Holy Spirit would convince them of their sin and reveal to them the penalty for sin that is required by a righteous and holy God. He also let the disciples know that the Holy Spirit would be their comforter. He taught them that the Holy Spirit would be with them to show them the need for their Redeemer and the value of the gift of salvation.

We received Jesus’ teaching about the Holy Spirit in the Holy Word of God. We have been taught through the Bible of the role of the Holy Spirit in inspiring us with the promise of Almighty God to forgive our sins if we confess them before Him and repent. As we go through the process of asking for forgiveness, the Holy Spirit will remind us that the only reason that Our Heavenly Father can forgive us is because Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our sins and that had Jesus not become sin for us, Almighty God in His righteousness could not forgive our sin.

Let us praise the Lord for the work of completion that the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives. Let us celebrate anew each time that the Holy Spirit leads us to relish and savor the gift that we have been given. Let us rejoice and give thanks each time that the Holy Spirit begins a new work in our hearts so that we may fully value the treasure that is ours through the Cross.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to convict us of the folly, fault and filth of our sins. We thank You for the Holy Spirit who leads us to Your Son, Jesus. We bless the name of Jesus for He is the only way that we can avoid the penalty of separation from You for all eternity because of our sins. We pray, Lord, that we will be forever mindful and eternally thankful for the Holy Spirit that You have provided to be Our Comforter and Our Counselor. We ask all these things in the name of Our Holy and Righteous Lord, Jesus Christ.

An Infallible Resource to Overcome Our Frailties

Deuteronomy 30:16
If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.

Who does not wish to live and be blessed in the land where they dwell? Almighty God placed these desires in all of our hearts and provided simple instructions for us to attain them – obey My commandments.

All simple and easy enough, right? Well, our all knowing, sovereign God added an interesting wrinkle for us to deal with. He gave us free choice. He allows us to find the unique purpose and plan that He has for our lives through the choices that we make. Unfortunately, more times than we would like to admit to we make the wrong choices. In the flesh, we are ill equipped to make the right choices all the time.

Knowing the inherent weakness in our flesh, our all loving and merciful God included an infallible resource to help us overcome our frailties. He provided through our acceptance of His Son, Jesus, as Our Savior, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit provides us with supernatural assistance in making our choices. The Holy Spirit provides us with gentle urgings toward the path of obedience and clear stop signs when we are veering off the path.

As we learn to listen and respond to the Holy Spirit, our life choices come more into alignment with God’s commandments. The good and right way become more clearly defined in our minds and hearts. Ultimately, our choices will be the same as God’s choices for us. Ultimately through our obedience, we will experience the blessed life that God has set aside for us.

Let us rejoice in knowing that God has provided a Comforter to come along side of us to aid us in making our life choices. Let us heed the urgings of the Holy Spirit as we position ourselves through obedience to receive all the blessings that Our Heavenly Father promises us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the blessings that You promise us if we are obedient to You. We confess our sins that separate us from You and repent of them so that the blessings that have been set aside for us can be released. We rejoice in knowing that You have provided victory for us over our sins through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus. We bless His name. We thank You for providing supernatural assistance for us as we make our life choices. We pray that You will open our ears to hear the urgings of the Holy Spirit. We ask for the grace to respond in obedience. We ask all these things in the name of the Lamb without blemish, Jesus Christ.

Finding Joy in Unhappy Circumstances

2 Timothy 2:3
Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

There is no happiness in suffering. No sane person chooses to suffer. But even when we are under the heaviest of burdens, it is possible to maintain the joy in our lives. For to suffer for Christ’s sake is to have joy in all things. To embrace Our Comforter during the times of our suffering is to have constant joy in the midst of our trials. If we continuously seek the comfort of Our Savior as our suffering goes on, our joy will increase even though our happiness may be in decline. Through it all, our resolution to suffer for Christ’s sake will become stronger and our love of God and Jesus Christ will grow.

If we view our suffering in any other way than through the will of God, our lives are guaranteed to be roller coaster rides with many highs and many lows. On the other hand, if we keep our focus on Jesus through our suffering, our lives will be on steadied paths toward completed sainthood in heaven for all eternity. Our lives will be filled with joy even in unhappy circumstances. The world will know us by our peace through Jesus Christ.

Let us seek the joy of Christ in every event in our lives, whether they be easy or challenging. Let us seek the peace of Our Comforter in all of our trials. Let us endure in accordance with the promises of Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to overcome the suffering that the world brings us. We bless the name of Jesus for bringing us joy even when everything around us in the world brings some level of unhappiness. We pray, Father, that the Holy Spirit will strengthen us to endure our trials so that our love for You and for Our Savior, Jesus, becomes greater with each moment that we endure our suffering. As we find joy in Christ, we pray that our example will make others strong and mature in their relationship with You. We ask all these things in the name of the One who suffered for us, Jesus Christ.

The Power and Protection We Need is at Hand

John 20:22
And with that He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

It was the evening of the first day of the week. The disciples, fearing the Jews after the crucifixion of their Master, were meeting behind locked doors. With the appearance of Jesus, they were at once at peace. But then a greater thing happened, Jesus gave them the Holy Spirit. All that had been gathered in the room in fear suddenly began a supernatural life which is unique to Christians alone. They were sent forth to continue the work that Jesus had been sent to do by His Father.

As the world seemingly spins out of control, how many of us are sheltering ourselves away from the carnage? How many of us are letting our fears hold us back from doing the work that Jesus was sent to do? Do we not recognize that the same power that was given to the early disciples is also given to us?

Let us loosen ourselves from our fears under the guidance of Our Comforter, the Holy Spirit. He has been given to us to instruct us and empower us to do the work of the Father. He has been sent to supernaturally strengthen us. He comes along side of us to provide the power and protection that we need to overcome the enemy, the world around us and even our own flesh, all of which are trying to bring us down.

We can be sure that we will encounter some failure. In all likelihood, our failures will come from the fact that we have turned once again to rely on our own strength. We must be continously aware that our own strength will never be enough to meet the demands and challenges of this world. Our strength must come from the Lord, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit that He gives us.

Let us take hold of what has been promised to us. Let us surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let us commit to joining Our Precious Savior in doing the work of the Father.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing Your Holy Spirit to come along side of us to be our counselor. We praise the name of Jesus who defeated all evil when He died on the Cross so that we could defeat the evil that comes against us. We pray that you will teach us to accept our utter failure without Christ. Help us to realize our best will never be good enough until we are cleansed by the blood of Our Savior and receive His Holy Spirit into our lives. Help us Father to build our lives on the Rock that is Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit embolden and strengthen us to do the work of the Son. We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.

Receive the Holy Spirit

John 20:22
And with that He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

It was the evening of the first day of the week. The disciples, fearing the Jews after the crucifixion of their Master, were meeting behind locked doors. With the appearance of Jesus, they were at once at peace. But then a greater thing happened, Jesus gave them the Holy Spirit. All that had been gathered in the room in fear suddenly began a supernatural life which is unique to Christians alone. They were sent forth to continue the work that Jesus had been sent to do by His Father.

As the New Year begins, how many of us are sheltering ourselves away from the world? How many of us are letting our fears hold us back from doing the work that Jesus was sent to do? Do we not recognize that the same power that was given to the early disciples is also given to us?

Let us begin our new year under the guidance of Our Comforter, the Holy Spirit. He has been given to us to instruct us and empower us to do the work of the Father. He has been sent to supernaturally strengthen us. He comes along side of us to provide the power and protection that we need to overcome the enemy, the world around us and even our own flesh, all of which are trying to bring us down.

We can be sure that we will encounter some failure. In all likelihood, our failures will come from the fact that we have turned once again to rely on our own strength. We must be continously aware that our own strength will never be enough to meet the demands and challenges of this world. Our strength must come from the Lord, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit that He gives us.

Let us take hold of what has been promised to us. Let us surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let us commit to joining Our Precious Savior in doing the work of the Father in the new year.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing Your Holy Spirit to come along side of us to be our counselor. We praise the name of Jesus who defeated all evil when He died on the Cross so that we could defeat the evil that comes against us. We pray that you will teach us to accept our utter failure without Christ. Help us to realize our best will never be good enough until we are cleansed by the blood of Our Savior and receive His Holy Spirit into our lives. Help us Father to build our lives on the Rock that is Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit embolden and strengthen us to do the work of the Son. We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.

The Power and the Presence of Holy Spirit

John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Why would we miss the opportunity to seek the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives? He has been sent to us by the Father in the name of His Son, Jesus. There is no consultant on earth with those credentials. Why would we seek others or rely on our own thinking when such a resource has been given to us?

No matter how intelligent we might be, the teachings of the Bible will remain a mystery to us without the influence of the Holy Spirit to aid us. Our understanding is no better than the early listeners to Jesus’ parables who “did not have ears to hear”. We cannot be disciples of Jesus Christ without the gift of the Holy Spirit.

It is the work and business of the Holy Spirit, to teach, interpret, and explain all things to us which Christ had taught to His disciples. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to make the Bible plain and easy to for us to understand. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to draw us to and instruct us in all things necessary for salvation. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to prepare us to teach what we have learned to others.

Let us seek the fullness of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the meaning of the Holy Scriptures and how we should apply them to our lives. Let us prepare ourselves to share what we have been taught with others.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to be Our Helper, Our Comforter and Our Guide on our journey of sanctification. We pray that the Holy Spirit will instruct us in all things necessary for our salvation. We ask, Lord, for the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives help us to interpret Your Holy Word. May Your teachings become easy for us to understand and apply to our lives. May the Holy Spirit show us how to share this precious gift with others. We ask all these things in the name of the power of God in our lives, Jesus Christ.

Our Advocate, Our Comforter, Our King

Hebrews 4:16
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

The buddy bench has shown up in children’s playgrounds at elementary schools. It is a bench placed on the edge of the play area. It serves as a silent summons for help or support. When a child needs a friend, he or she sits on the buddy bench. When a child feels left out or left behind, he or she sits on the buddy bench. When a child longs for a helping hand, a listening ear, an empathetic soul, he or she sits on the buddy bench. This precious playground seat carries no stigma nor shame; it merely issues an unspoken invitation for comfort.

As we approach the new year, how many of us are already in need of comforting support? As we find ourselves burdened by broken relationships, financial challenges or perhaps trouble at work, whom among us would not like to look up in the center of our day’s activities and see a buddy bench where we could go to find the aid that we need.

Fortunately for all of us, the buddy bench has been in place for us throughout our days on this earth. In every challenging time or moment in our lives, we have the infallible mercy seat of Jesus Christ to turn to. Our Savior King is waiting on us to turn to Him for all of our present needs. His seat summons us to come with our burdens. We are graciously invited to the mercy seat where grace reigns. We can go to His throne with boldness. There is no stigma or shame in seeking His aid. In fact, it is quite the opposite. God is glorified when we go to His throne to seek the comfort of the Advocate that is there for us, Jesus Christ.

Let us go boldly to the mercy seat in our times of need. Let us confidently accept the invitation to draw near to the Throne of Grace. Let us rejoice in knowing that our all-sufficient Lord is waiting for us to take a seat of comfort beside Him.

Let us also be mindful of those in the world that do not yet know Our Savior King. Let us be ready to provide a buddy bench for them.

Prayer
Heavenly Father we thank You for the mercy seat that You have provided for all men. We rejoice in knowing that we have a Comforter that waits to hear from us. We bless the name of Jesus who insured that our every need will be met when He died on the Cross for us. We come to you boldly and confidently to receive the merciful pardon of our sins, the grace that we need to purify our souls, as well as, all that is required for our daily needs. We ask all these things in the name of Our Advocate, Our Comforter, Our King, Jesus Christ.

Rejoice and Give Thanks for the New Work in Our Hearts

John 16:8
And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin and of God’s righteousness and of the coming judgment.

Jesus instructed His disciples that the Holy Spirit would come to them after He departed the earth. He let them know that the Holy Spirit would be their counselor. He taught them that the Holy Spirit would convince them of their sin and reveal to them the penalty for sin that is required by a righteous and holy God. He also let the disciples know that the Holy Spirit would be their comforter. He taught them that the Holy Spirit would be with them to show them the need for their Redeemer and the value of the gift of salvation.

We received Jesus’ teaching about the Holy Spirit in the Holy Word of God. We have been taught through the Bible of the role of the Holy Spirit in inspiring us with the promise of Almighty God to forgive our sins if we confess them before Him and repent. As we go through the process of asking for forgiveness, the Holy Spirit will remind us that the only reason that Our Heavenly Father can forgive us is because Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our sins and that had Jesus not become sin for us, Almighty God in His righteousness could not forgive our sin.

Let us praise the Lord for the work of completion that the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives. Let us celebrate anew each time that the Holy Spirit leads us to relish and savor the gift that we have been given. Let us rejoice and give thanks each time that the Holy Spirit begins a new work in our hearts so that we may fully value the treasure that is ours through the Cross.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to convict us of the folly, fault and filth of our sins. We thank You for the Holy Spirit who leads us to Your Son, Jesus. We bless the name of Jesus for He is the only way that we can avoid the penalty of separation from You for all eternity because of our sins. We pray, Lord, that we will be forever mindful and eternally thankful for the Holy Spirit that You have provided to be Our Comforter and Our Counselor. We ask all these things in the name of Our Holy and Righteous Lord, Jesus Christ.

Maintaining the Joy in Our Lives

2 Timothy 2:3
Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

There is no happiness in suffering. No sane person chooses to suffer. But even when we are under the heaviest of burdens, it is possible to maintain the joy in our lives. For to suffer for Christ’s sake is to have joy in all things. To embrace Our Comforter during the times of our suffering is to have constant joy in the midst of our trials. If we continuously seek the comfort of Our Savior as our suffering goes on, our joy will increase even though our happiness may be in decline. Through it all, our resolution to suffer for Christ’s sake will become stronger and our love of God and Jesus Christ will grow.

If we view our suffering in any other way than through the will of God, our lives are guaranteed to be roller coaster rides with many highs and many lows. On the other hand, if we keep our focus on Jesus through our suffering, our lives will be on steadied paths toward completed sainthood in heaven for all eternity. Our lives will be filled with joy even in unhappy circumstances. The world will know us by our peace through Jesus Christ.

Let us seek the joy of Christ in every event in our lives, whether they be easy or challenging. Let us seek the peace of Our Comforter in all of our trials. Let us endure in accordance with the promises of Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to overcome the suffering that the world brings us. We bless the name of Jesus for bringing us joy even when everything around us in the world brings some level of unhappiness. We pray, Father, that the Holy Spirit will strengthen us to endure our trials so that our love for You and for Our Savior, Jesus, becomes greater with each moment that we endure our suffering. As we find joy in Christ, we pray that our example will make others strong and mature in their relationship with You. We ask all these things in the name of the One who suffered for us, Jesus Christ.