Holy Spirit

I pray that out of [the Father's] glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ...

—Ephesians 3:16 NIV

Key Thought


Years ago, a good friend made a graphic similar to the "intel inside"® branding on computers. It read, "Spirit Inside!" Yes, the power within us that moves us in the direction of Jesus is the Holy Spirit. So one of the greatest things we can do to empower those we love to live for Jesus is to pray Paul's...

 

[Jesus] is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.

—Colossians 1:28-29 NIV

Key Thought


Paul's ministry was powered by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit was the energy that so forcefully worked in Paul. And this Spirit-energy propelled Paul to work for people to achieve the goal that the Holy Spirit...

 

Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God's Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us. By his Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge — a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete.

—2 Corinthians 1:20-22 MESSAGE

Key Thought


"Yes"! Jesus is God's way of saying "Yes" to every promise...

 

Then I [John] heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."

—Revelation 14:13 NKJV

Key Thought


Jesus talked about the Holy Spirit as the Comforter and promised the Spirit's abiding and comforting presence within us (John 14-16 ASV). Jesus' word for the Holy Spirit also could be translated as Advocate, Helper, and Counselor...

 

Again [Jesus] said, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you." Then he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

—John 20:21-22 NLT

Key Thought


We are here on purpose. What we have been given and the time in which we live are not accidents, luck, or the achievements of our own hands. God has formed us, Jesus has called us, and the Holy Spirit indwells us for such a time as this. Just as surely as God sent Jesus by the miraculous...

 

[Jesus said,] "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere — in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

—Acts 1:8 NLT

Key Thought


Power. Spirit. Witnesses. Everywhere. Four simple words that stand for one simple truth that has changed the world for Jesus countless times throughout history. With our ability to travel and with almost instantaneous...

 

Then I [John] saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into every part of the earth.

—Revelation 5:6 NLT

Key Thought


I have lived my life away from the overt persecution of the church. Sure, we face a more covert pressure and ridicule, but I've never faced...

 

As for us, we can't help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation — a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth.

—2 Thessalonians 2:13 NLT

Key Thought


God roots our salvation in his never-ending circle of grace. Our hearts respond with trust in God's message about Jesus. God's grace releases the power of...

 

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

—1 Thessalonians 5:23 NLT

Key Thought


Yesterday, we were reminded of the Spirit's power to help us overcome sin, including strongly rooted sin and addictive sin. Today, we see a prayer from Paul for new followers of Jesus. These people had been convicted by the Holy Spirit and made holy by the Holy Spirit when they...

 

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

—Romans 8:13 NIV

Key Thought


"Try harder!" That's the dominant message a lot of folks hear out of religion, especially as religion deals with chronic misbehavior and addictive sin. Yet nearly all of us know from experience that trying harder is only part of what we need. Oh yes, many do need more passion to live for Jesus, but simply...