Holy Spirit

For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 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 8:22-23 NLT

Key Thought


As...

 

But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

—Romans 8:10-11 NIV

Key Thought


Our physical bodies are mortal, finite, and temporary. We don't like to think about this fact or admit it to...

 

[In his revelation to John, Jesus said,] "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death."

—Revelation 2:11 NIV

Key Thought


I remember the old Wolf Brand Chili® commercials where we would see a steaming bowl of chili and a voice off-camera would say, "Neighbor, how long has it been since you had a big, thick, steaming bowl of Wolf Brand Chili®? Well, that's too long!"™...

 

So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.

—1 Corinthians 12:3 NLT

Key Thought


As we think of God as Father, Son, and Spirit, our minds quickly become overwhelmed. God is greater than our greatest thought and is more complex than our most insightful moment can help us comprehend. But there is a truth that I believe we can all understand. The Spirit will never lead us to...

 

Every part of Scripture is God-breathed [Spirit-inspired] and useful one way or another — showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

—2 Timothy 3:16-17 MESSAGE

Key Thought


As you open your Bible, imagine the Holy Spirit standing in front of soft clay or un-chiseled marble. As you read the Scriptures, the Spirit takes those...

 

[Jesus said,] "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks."

—John 4:23 NIV

Key Thought


Genuine worship involves the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised this kind of worship to the woman at the well in John 4. He poured out his Spirit at Pentecost, and the church was born. The early disciples were filled with the Spirit as they prayed and sang. We...

 

But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God's love.

—Jude 20-21 NLT

Key Thought


So much of our physical world is dependent on power. Yet the spiritual world is even more about power than the physical world. One of the great avenues of power — a place where power is available to...

 

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.

—Ephesians 6:18 NIV

Key Thought


The Holy Spirit is our constant assurance of our access to the heart of God. The Spirit intercedes for us and communicates our words and our emotions according to the will of God. As in all worship, the Holy Spirit fills us, is among us, and participates with us as we seek God...

 

At once I [John] was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.

—Revelation 4:2 NIV

Key Thought


The book of Revelation is a series of visions John received while worshiping in the Spirit on the Lord's Day! Rather than giving him a key to enter the gates of heaven, God sent the Spirit to bring him there in a vision. Think how much more powerful our weekly assemblies for worship would be if we would think of them as times...

 

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

—Ephesians 5:18-21 NIV

Key Thought


Worship with other believers is important. Shared worship releases the Holy Spirit. The...