Holy Spirit

Verse
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,...

— Ephesians 5:18 tniv

Thought
We will all live "under the influence" of something or someone. Shortcuts to living a full life nearly always involve living "under the influence" of some addictive substance or behavior. God's antidote is far more than a call to stop addictive behavior: it is a call to live "under the influence" of God's holy presence alive within us, the Spirit of the...

 

Verse
Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.

— 1 Thessalonians 5:19 nlt

Thought
Have you ever been in the mood to kick up your heels, have some good ol' clean fun, and whoop and holler a little bit, but have found yourself in a formal situation where such behavior would not be tolerated? We feel stifled in such moments. Have you ever wondered how many times you've forced the Holy Spirit into a similar situation — stifling his efforts to encourage, empower, inspire, comfort, thrill, convict...

 

Verse
Don't grieve God. Don't break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't take such a gift for granted.

— Ephesians 4:30 msg

Thought
The first time I read this verse about grieving the Holy Spirit from "The Message," I was stopped dead in my tracks. Yet the more I thought about this paraphrase of the passage, the more I was convicted that the emotion, passion, and straight forward language is...

 

Verse
Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God's mercy to us.

— Hebrews 10:29 nlt

Thought
Sin can become so engrained that it can lead us to spurn grace, treat as unimportant the sacrifice of Jesus, and insult the Holy Spirit who brings us God's mercy while empowering us...

 

Verse
Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

— 1 Thessalonians 4:8 tniv

Thought
The Scripture are not a collection of nice sayings left for us to ponder and do with what we wish. They claim to be the message from God shared through human beings and inspired by the Holy Spirit. They are not meant for our entertainment. They are not meant solely for our instruction. Instead, they are meant to...

 

Verse
[Stephen said,] "And you continue, so bullheaded! Calluses on your hearts, flaps on your ears! Deliberately ignoring the Holy Spirit, you're just like your ancestors. Was there ever a prophet who didn't get the same treatment? Your ancestors killed anyone who dared talk about the coming of the Just One. And you've kept up the family tradition — traitors and murderers, all of you. You had God's Law handed to you by angels — gift-wrapped! — and you squandered it!"

— Acts 7:51-53...

 

Verse
And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

— Romans 8:23 nlt

Thought
For most of us, the gift of the Spirit living within us is a calming reassurance of God's love and of our future glory. Even in our...

 

Verse
For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

— Romans 8:16-18 nlt

Thought
The new way of God in the Spirit means that we are not only God's children, but that we are also joint heirs with...

 

Verse
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father."

— Romans 8:14-15 nlt

Thought
"She wanted a mother. She wanted me to be her mother. And I wanted to be her mother, but it could not be." My wife, Donna, said these words with tears in her eyes as she thought about precious Gladys, a nine year old...

 

Verse
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation — but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

— Romans 8:12-13 tniv

Thought
Two things capture my attention. The word "obligation" — I don't owe my fleshly nature anything! It will die. It will rot. It will turn to dust. If I live by the mandates of its addictions and...