Holy Spirit

Verse
But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception.

— 1 John 4:6 msg

Thought
How do you know who has the true Spirit of God? John reminds us that they have to listen to the Spirit's authoritative messengers. Why do we trust the Scriptures? Because they are inspired by the Spirit (2...

 

Verse
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit ...

— Ephesians 1:13 tniv

Thought
When we first came to Jesus, Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit upon us, to live in us as God's gift, presence, and power within us (Acts 2:38-39; Titus 3:3-7). The Holy Spirit is also our proof that we are children of God (Romans 8:9). Here Paul adds another powerful...

 

Verse
With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it.

— Romans 9:1 nlt

Thought
As we have been seeing over the last several days, our assurance of truth about the message of Jesus is the Holy Spirit. Paul is sharing the most personal and convicting things in his heart about his love for the Jewish people, about the inclusion of Gentiles in the people of God, and about the message of Jesus for all people. He is not saying these...

 

Verse
I fell at his feet to worship him, but he wouldn't let me. "Don't do that," he said. "I'm a servant just like you, and like your brothers and sisters who hold to the witness of Jesus. The witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

— Revelation 19:10 tniv

Thought
The translators differ on whether or not the word "spirit" should be a capital "S" or a lowercase "s." The differences in this one passage are small. You see, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth — our assurance...

 

Verse
When the unbelievers got cantankerous and started bickering with each other, Paul interrupted: "I have just one more thing to say to you. The Holy Spirit sure knew what he was talking about when he addressed our ancestors through Isaiah the prophet..."

— Acts 28:25 msg

Thought
Paul had traveled all over the world and shared the message of Jesus. He is now under house arrest in Rome, awaiting a trial, and receiving guests. To his utter amazement — and I'm sure some consternation...

 

Verse
[Jesus said,] "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future."

— John 16:13 nlt

Thought
God, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work as one. Jesus sends the Spirit to us when we become his true followers (Titus 3:3-7). The Spirit guides us into the truth about Jesus and the will of God — both the truth about Jesus' ministry on earth and his ministry in the...

 

Verse
[Jesus said,] "But I will send you the Advocate — the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me."

— John 15:26 nlt

Thought
When someone suggests that things are "all about me" we are usually put off with their arrogance. Not so with Jesus. Jesus is the greatest message God has ever given about himself (John 1:14-18). Jesus is God's clearest way of speaking about himself (Hebrews 1:1-3). Faith in Jesus is the key to applying the...

 

Verse
[Jesus said,] "If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth."

— John 14:15-17 nlt

Thought
The translators have tried to capture the essence of the Spirit's identity revealed in the word Jesus used here to describe the Holy Spirit — Advocate, Comforter, Counselor, and Helper are terms used to translate the original Greek word "paraklaetos." Looking...

 

Verse
[Jesus said,] "I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative — that is, the Holy Spirit — he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid."

— John 14:25-27

Thought
In a world of chaos and uncertainties as well as trials and...

 

Verse
My dear friends, don't believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world. Here's how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ — the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person — comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with...