Holy Spirit

Verse
"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams."

— Acts 2:17 tniv

Thought
So much hand wringing goes on to determine when the "last days" will occur. Yet the prophecy of Joel 2 begins to be fulfilled in Acts 2. The events happening are the beginning of the "last days"! Since the coming of the Holy Spirit that first Pentecost after Jesus' death, burial...

 

Verse

When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force — no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

— Acts 2:1-4 msg

Thought

The image of "tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them" (language of...

 

Verse

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, "Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus."

— Acts 1:16 tniv

Thought

The crucifixion of Jesus was not an accident. The passion of Christ was part of God's plan from the beginning (1 Pet. 1:20). The Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms all...

 

Verse

At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way."

— Luke 10:21 nlt

Thought

All too frequently, we pursue the wrong things hoping that they will make us happy. Real joy, however, comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When...

 

Verse

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD's favor has come."

— Luke 4:18-19 nlt

Thought

Luke makes clear that Jesus is conceived through the Holy Spirit in Mary's womb, anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism, empowered by the Holy Spirit into and through his wilderness...

 

Verse

"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days."

— Joel 2:28 tniv

Thought

Throughout the Old Testament, God's Spirit would come upon special leaders or agents of God's will to do his work. Most of the time, the Spirit's presence would be temporary, to help with a pressing issue, need...

 

Verse

When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.

— Psalm 104:30 tniv

Thought

Psalm 104 praises God as creator and sustainer of the earth. One of the dimensions of his providential care has to do with the work of the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit that is hovering above the primordial chaos before creation waiting for the Father's word to begin the work of creation is even now the Father's partner in bringing blessing to our world. When we pray...

 

Verse

"Yes, weep and grieve until the Spirit is poured down on us from above And the badlands desert grows crops and the fertile fields become forests."

— Isaiah 32:15 msg

Thought

Throughout the Old Testament prophets, there are statements made about the coming of a new day for God's people. It will be a day of healing, victory, and joy. It will be a time when bad things are made right and even the land will be healed of harshness, desolation, and unproductivity. And the key sign...

 

Verse

"As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD.

— Isaiah 59:21 tniv

Thought

Isaiah 59:1-16 is one of the most crushingly sad chapters in the entire Bible. God is frustrated and heartbroken that his people are in such blatant rebellion and...

 

Verse

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

— Matthew 28:18-20 tniv

Thought

All authority! No one else can contradict, raise questions, or cast doubt. Jesus speaks with the...