Holy Spirit

VerseClearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This "letter" is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.

— 2 Corinthians 3:3 msg

ThoughtImagine how differently we would live in God's family if we viewed our community of believers a letter written by the Holy Spirit, to bless the community in which we live and the gracious God who redeemed us. What's more...

 

VerseThe Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

— Job 33:4 tniv

ThoughtWhile these words are spoken by one of Job's critics, they echo the truth of Scripture. We are made by God: intentionally, purposely, and personally (Ps. 139:13-16). God puts his breath in us and we live. God's creativity is the handiwork of the Spirit — the same Spirit who hovered over creation waiting for God's creative word to begin creation (Gen. 1:2). This understanding should...

 

Verse[Peter said,] "Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, ready for action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him."

— Acts 10:38 msg

ThoughtThe Bible talks about the Holy Spirit as the promised gift of God. While there are many amazing things about this gift, one of the most amazing is that the gift of the Holy Spirit, this anointing from...

 

VerseI am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him [the Holy One] remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit — just as it has taught you, remain in him.

— 1 John 2:26-27 tniv

ThoughtWe live in a world of competing voices, many of them deceptive. How do we filter these voices and know the truth...

 

VerseBut you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.

— 1 John 2:20-21 tniv

ThoughtJesus had promised that the Holy Spirit, whom he called the Comforter (Counselor or Advocate depending on the translation), would come and lead us into all truth (John 16:13). The Spirit, who inspired the writing of the Scriptures (2 Tim. 2:16-17), is...

 

VerseHere'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 God. This is the spirit of antichrist that you heard was coming. Well, here it is, sooner than we thought!

— 1 John 4:2-3 msg

ThoughtToday, many speculate on the human identity of the antichrist...

 

VerseRemember how you were when you didn't know God, led from one phony god to another, never knowing what you were doing, just doing it because everybody else did it? It's different in this life. God wants us to use our intelligence, to seek to understand as well as we can. For instance, by using your heads, you know perfectly well that the Spirit of God would never prompt anyone to say "Jesus be damned!" Nor would anyone be inclined to say "Jesus is Master!" without the insight of the Holy...

 

VerseBut I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

— 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 tniv

ThoughtCan we recognize when someone is teaching the truth or when...

 

VerseDear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.

— 1 John 4:1 nlt

ThoughtOccasionally, we hear someone say something, preach something, or teach something that doesn't sit well in our hearts. We have a nagging feeling that something just isn't quite right with what they are saying. The Holy Spirit within us gives us what I call "the greasies"...

 

VerseWhatever happens, as citizens of heaven live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together with one accord for the faith of the gospel.

— Philippians 1:27 tniv

ThoughtAt first glance, we are not sure whether the word "Spirit" in this passage should be capitalized or not. Yet as we've read these past few days, the love we share for each other...