Tag: Holy Spirit

Created, Prepared and Sent to Testify

John 3:30
He must increase, but I must decrease.

John the Baptist had the perfect understanding of His relationship with Jesus Christ. He knew that he was a sinful man who was created, prepared and sent to show the way for the One from Above who was coming to save the world. He understood that he had no power and that all the power belonged to Jesus. Most importantly, John was completely satisfied with his place and the work assigned to him.

From the life of John the Baptist we get a great model for bringing others to salvation. It is our job to bring others to Christ. It is not our job to save them. The saving work of the Cross will be done by Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We also learn from the words of John the Baptist the model for our spiritual maturation. We must increase our life in Christ as we allow our life in the flesh to decrease. We must allow our new man to rise and our old man to die. We do not lay down what we are called to do in the flesh, but instead come in complete harmony with the work of the beloved One who dwells within us.

Let us free ourselves from the idea that our job is to save others. Let us introduce others to Jesus and let them see the impact of His presence in our lives so that they are drawn to Him. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to prepare the hearts of those around us so that they will be open to receiving their Savior King, Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Holy Word which lays out the models for our lives through the lives of Your servants spoken of in the Bible. Help us, Lord, to understand the depth of the teachings that come from each of Your precious servants. Open our eyes, Lord, so that we may surrender our lives completely to Your Son, Jesus. Help us, Lord, to live our lives in such a way that others are drawn to Your Son. As we give up our lives in the flesh for our lives in Christ, bring others to us to be introduced to Jesus. May our living testimonies affect the world. We pray that we see many around us surrender their lives to the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. We ask all of these things in the name of Our Divine Deliver, Jesus Christ.

Surrendering to a Life of Service to Almighty God

Acts 26:19
And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven.

The apostle Paul was brought before the Judean Monarch, King Agrippa, to defend himself and his gospel. In his defense, he told the king why he was doing what he was doing, “I obeyed the vision from heaven.” Paul was not driven by a well thought out plan based on practicality or his own competence. He went out and proclaimed the gospel against all hindrances imaginable, many of which could not be overcome without the hand of God. He also went where God told him to go at the time that God told him to go.

Paul is our model for following visions. When urged by the Holy Spirit to do so, we should move forward without regard for our own capabilities for God always provides what is needed to complete His good work. Just as important, we should not rush ahead in consideration of our current skills and circumstances. We should only move when and where the Holy Spirit urges us to move.

While we are not likely to have a vision for our lives delivered to us in a dramatic encounter with Jesus like the apostle Paul did, we are all called to respond to the plan that Almighty God has willed for our lives. If we are diligent in seeking “our vision”, it will be revealed to us in a manner that will be sufficient to guide us and inspire us to pursue our vision. It will be given to us when the way has been prepared in advance for our success.

Let us seek God’s will and plan for our lives. Let us obey the urgings of the Holy Spirit as we fully surrender to a life of service to Our King.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You allowing us to serve You. We rejoice in knowing that we will serve You for all eternity. We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us to seek and discover Your plans for our lives. We ask that You teach us how to turn to You alone for our direction. We ask that You teach us how to wait on You to prepare the way before we move. We ask all these things in the name of Our Wonderful Counselor, Jesus Christ.

Learning to Live in Dependence on Christ

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

When we accept our salvation, we join Jesus Christ in crucifixion. Just as He accepted death on the Cross to wash away our sins, we accept the crucifixion of our own flesh in order to set aside our old nature and take on the nature of the One who dwells within us.

Our new nature rises through the indwelling spirit of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, to bring us victory over our sin stained flesh. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we find ourselves mortified by the sin in our lives. By the grace, that is not of ourselves, we are made fully aware of our iniquities. We even can find comfort in knowing that what once ruled over us is now under control.

Unfortunately, our flesh does not go without a fight and the enemy will ramp up his efforts to turn us away from our new life in Christ. But rest assured, Our Savior put sin to death on the Cross and ushered in His endless grace for those that accept His gift of unconditional love. Even though our flesh will call us to go back to our old nature, we are equipped to overcome that call. If we learn to live in dependence upon Our Savior, we are freed to lead holy lives. By faith, not in ourselves, but by faith in Jesus Christ, we are able to relinquish our old lives in the flesh in exchange for our new lives in spiritual union with the One who loved us so much that He was willing to die for us.

Let us live by faith in the Son of God. Let us learn to live in victory over the callings of our flesh. Let us rejoice in knowing that sin in our lives was put to death on the Cross.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the new lives that You have given us through the sacrifice of Your Son on the Cross. We exalt the name of Jesus who shed His blood for all men. We rejoice in knowing that we are conquerors over our flesh through the endless flow of grace provided by Our Savior. We pray, Lord, that You will hold us steadfast in Your grace. We ask, Father, that You will give us the wisdom to toss aside any claim to our own merit and the strength to take hold of, and never let loose of, the faith in Christ that sustains us as heirs to Your kingdom. We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord, Our King, Our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Our Wonderful Counselor Stands Ready to Meet Our Every Need

John 16:31
Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?

The apostles spent three years with Jesus. Yet when He was ready to leave them, He had to take a lengthy amount of time explaining to them who He was. When He completed His explanation, He posed a question to them, “Do you now believe?”

Are we not just like the apostles? Even though we have spent years in prayer, years in the reading of the Word, years in worship and years in serving God, we manage to lose our sense of who Almighty God really is and the certainty of all the promises that He has given us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Sadly, as if Jesus Christ left the earth and left us to our own wiles, we turn toward the world for answers. We somehow find ourselves overlooking that our all-sufficient Lord provided us with a Wonderful Counselor who stands ready to supply our every need.

Let us be reminded that Jesus promised that His Holy Spirit would be with us and would comfort and guide us. To believe otherwise is to have a complete lack of faith. To believe otherwise is to deny what Jesus said He came to earth to do. “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Let us take courage as Jesus commands us. Let us believe fully in the promises of Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the comfort and guidance that You provide through Your Holy Spirit. We bless the name of Jesus who came to earth so that we may have peace and we may overcome the tribulations of the world. We pray, Father, that Your Holy Spirit will help us to dig deep into our relationship with You. May we dig so deep that we never again turn to the world for counsel without having gone to You first. Help us, Lord, to believe for more than we can imagine is possible through our own efforts. Teach us how to wait on You for Your good and perfect timing in all things. We ask these things in the name of the One that is with us until the end of the age, Jesus Christ.

Don’t Let Worldly Logic Steal Your Intimacy with Christ

John 8:19
Then they asked him, “Where is your father?” “You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”

During the time of Jesus, the collaboration of one or more witnesses was required to establish the truth in any matter. The Pharisees were taunting Jesus, insinuating that He had no witness to the truth that He was the Son of God. They were blindly calling for a testimony in the flesh to confirm a divine truth.

With pity and patience, Jesus convicted them of their own shortcoming. He pointed out to them that He was all the proof that they needed that He was the Son of God. He emphasized that if they could not see that He was who He said He was, they would never know His Father. This was a claim that enraged the self-righteous Pharisees.

If we try to have head knowledge of who God is and define our relationship with Him without a relationship with His Son, we will end up in the same place as the Pharisees. If we try to use our own logic and the testimony of what the world offers to determine our relationship with Almighty God, we will miss out entirely on having an intimate relationship with Our Creator.

Fortunately, Our Creator is completely aware of our weakness. Through His grace, His loving kindness and His mercy, He provides the Holy Spirit to leads us into an intimate relationship with His Son, Our Savior. If we follow the supernatural guidance and urgings of the Holy Spirit and surrender completely to a relationship with Jesus Christ, we will experience the unimaginable peace and joy of an eternal relationship with the Father and the Son.

Let us quit trying to define God by our own logic. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us dig deeply into our relationship with Our Creator. Let us truly discover who God is by developing an intimate relationship with His Son.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to know You through Your Son, Jesus. May we learn to reject the need to define You and our relationship with You by the world’s standards. We pray that our minds will be transformed by the Holy Spirit so that we will come to know you intimately through our relationship with Your Son. We ask all these things in the name of the brightness of Your glory, 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.

Tuning In the Voice of God

John 16:13
But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.

Our Heavenly Father has given all of us Christians the Holy Spirit to teach us the Truth. The Holy Spirit takes us beyond head knowledge of God into a personal relationship with Our Creator. If we submit to the urgings of the Holy Spirit, we will not only learn about Our Savior, but we will learn to relish and savor all things that glorify Jesus Christ.

Additionally, we will find that the Holy Spirit goes before us as a guide. He clears our path of obstacles as He opens our understanding. He leads us on the path that we should follow. He makes things plain and clear for us as never before.

In order to profit from this awesome gift of the Holy Spirit, we must train ourselves to listen for God’s voice in our lives. Listening to God is an acquired gift. It is a byproduct of discipline and obedience. We must set aside time to tune into God’s voice. The tuning comes from setting aside time for prayer, reading the Word, and meditation on the Word, as well as, personal praise and worship. When we are obedient in all these things, God will reveal Himself to us in all aspects of our lives.

Let us turn off the world and tune in to the Holy Spirit. Let us learn to listen for the urgings of the Holy Spirit in all matters. Let us be diligent in following the path that the Holy Spirit lays out for us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit to guide us in all truth. We rejoice in knowing that the Holy Spirit will speak to us if we learn to listen for His voice. Help us, Lord, to overcome the voice of our flesh. We pray, Father, that You open our ears so that we can hear You at all times. We ask that Your Holy Spirit help us to overcome the distractions of the world so that Your voice is not drowned out. We beseech You, Father God, that You would strengthen us so that we can be diligent in the small things that we need to do to prepare ourselves to hear Your voice. We ask all these things in the name of the way, the truth and the life, Jesus Christ.

When Jesus Knocks You Off Your High Horse

Acts 9:4
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

Saul thought he was doing everything right. He was on fire for his spiritual cause. Unfortunately for Saul, his cause was grounded in his own reasoning without a foundation of faith in Jesus and without the direction of the Holy Spirit. Saul rightfully could claim an “A” for effort. But he was not being accused by Jesus Christ for his efforts, he was being challenged for the self-driven misdirection of his efforts.

Just like Saul, all of us will face a day when the Lord challenges us. As with Saul, Our Lord has grounds to accuse us. While Jesus may not have grounds to challenge us for persecuting His church, He probably will have a strong case for challenging us on the grounds of our obstinacy in following our own will and not fully surrendering to the call of Our Lord on our lives.

While Saul surrendered his old life and became Paul, the apostle, we may have hung closer to our old nature than the new one that Jesus has for us. While we may not have been strongly challenged yet, at some defining point, like Saul, we will all be strongly and directly challenged by Jesus to denounce our old lives and accept our calling as His disciples.

Let us set aside our own plans. Let us seek God’s plan for our lives. Let us submit to God’s plans for our lives with the same fervor that Paul did.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for drawing us to Your Son. We praise You for setting aside a perfect plan for our lives in Your kingdom here on earth and in heaven. We rejoice in knowing that we will serve You for all eternity. We pray, Lord, that we will not be directed by our own ambitions, but be led by Your Holy Spirit. We claim Your promise that through Your Holy Spirit, Your strength will be perfected in our weakness. We beseech You, Father, that You grant us a double portion of Paul’s fervor for proclaiming Your Good News to the world. We pray these things in the name of our Blessed Hope and Assurance, Jesus Christ.

We Are Not Capable of Proper Examination of Ourselves

Psalm 139:23
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

It is hard to understand, but we are in many ways strangers to ourselves. We may hate sin and we may repent of all the sin in our lives, yet our natural eye is unable to see the depths of our iniquities. Our human nature with its sin stained flesh is simply incapable of making an unbiased assessment of the darkness within us. We must do as the psalmist did. We must ask God to search our hearts and reveal to us everything that is displeasing to Him.

Jesus Christ died on the Cross so that we could stand blameless before the Father. To prepare us for this time, the Holy Spirit dwells within us to guide us through the sanctification process. The Holy Spirit takes us beyond the carnal limits of our own understanding. Inspired by the light of Our Savior, we are allowed to see the full depth of the darkness of our sin and the full height of our potential in Christ. Rest assured that we would never properly examine ourselves without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Let us report for full inspection in humble recognition of our need. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will search our hearts. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to uncover every speck of darkness in our hearts, especially those that we do not see ourselves. Let us faithfully repent of what is revealed to us so that we may live in the fullness of a life in Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for making us righteous through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus. We thank You for providing the grace that we need and the ever present assistance of the Holy Spirit so that we may submit to the transformation process from sinner to saint. We pray that You open the gateways of our minds so that we may see and repent of all of the shackles of sin on our lives. We pray that we may see and grasp the fullness of your plans for our lives as revealed to us by Your Holy Spirit. We ask these things in the name of the purifier of our souls, Jesus Christ.

Head Knowledge Alone Will Not Develop Our Intimacy with God the Father

John 8:19
Then they asked him, “Where is your father?” “You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”

During the time of Jesus, the collaboration of one or more witnesses was required to establish the truth in any matter. The Pharisees were taunting Jesus, insinuating that He had no witness to the truth that He was the Son of God. They were blindly calling for a testimony in the flesh to confirm a divine truth.

With pity and patience, Jesus convicted them of their own shortcoming. He pointed out to them that He was all the proof that they needed that He was the Son of God. He emphasized that if they could not see that He was who He said He was, they would never know His Father. This was a claim that enraged the self-righteous Pharisees.

If we try to have head knowledge of who God is and define our relationship with Him without a relationship with His Son, we will end up in the same place as the Pharisees. If we try to use our own logic and the testimony of what the world offers to determine our relationship with Almighty God, we will miss out entirely on having an intimate relationship with Our Creator.

Fortunately, Our Creator is completely aware of our weakness. Through His grace, His loving kindness and His mercy, He provides the Holy Spirit to leads us into an intimate relationship with His Son, Our Savior. If we follow the supernatural guidance and urgings of the Holy Spirit and surrender completely to a relationship with Jesus Christ, we will experience the unimaginable peace and joy of an eternal relationship with the Father and the Son.

Let us quit trying to define God by our own logic. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us dig deeply into our relationship with Our Creator. Let us truly discover who God is by developing an intimate relationship with His Son.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to know You through Your Son, Jesus. May we learn to reject the need to define You and our relationship with You by the world’s standards. We pray that our minds will be transformed by the Holy Spirit so that we will come to know you intimately through our relationship with Your Son. We ask all these things in the name of the brightness of Your glory, Jesus Christ.