Holy Spirit

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

—Hebrews 4:12 NIV

Key Thought​

The Holy Spirit guides and strengthens Christians in multiple ways (e.g., Romans 8:13-14, Galatians 5:16-26), including through Scripture. The Holy Spirit inspired Scripture and uses Scripture to teach, rebuke, correct, and train us so we can be useful to...

 

So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear [God's] voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness ..."

—Hebrews 3:7-8 NIV

Key Thought​

God has spoken to the hearts of his children over the centuries inviting them back into relationship with him. These Spirit-inspired messages came in many and various forms, but the clearest came through Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-3). Through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, God speaks to...

 

So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.

—Hebrews 2:3-4 NLT

Key Thought​

Some things are simply more important than others. And the most important things of all are Jesus and our response to him. The message of...

 

[Jesus said,] "But when you are arrested and stand trial, don't worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit."

—Mark 13:11 NLT

Key Thought​

What an incredible promise! We are never alone, even when we are under the threat of persecution and martyrdom. We have the Holy Spirit of God within us. We are not abandoned in trial or torture. The Spirit who bore witness to Jesus through...

 

[Jesus said,] "David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."'"

—Mark 12:36 NIV

Key Thought​

Jesus tells us that David's great Psalm 110 is Spirit-inspired. And that Psalm speaks to the greatness of the Messiah — the greatness of Jesus! He is Lord. Lord of the nations. Lord of all. Lord of even David. He will rule. He will triumph. And the power of David's testimony is the...

 

[Jesus:] "I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences." He told them this because they were saying, "He's possessed by an evil spirit."

—Mark 3:28-30 NLT

Key Thought​

What was the power behind Jesus' ministry? Some critics say it was deception. Some skeptics say it was people's imagination. Some even attributed his power to demons and the devil. It's...

 

The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him.

—Mark 1:12-13 NLT

Key Thought​

Jesus' time in the wilderness was not an accident. It was not an afterthought. Jesus was compelled to go into this time in the wilderness. He had no place to hide in this wild and rugged place. In this wilderness, a harsh place we call the desert, God's Son had to depend upon God...

 

The moment [Jesus] came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God's Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him.

—Mark 1:10 MESSAGE

Key Thought​

Winning the Super Bowl, winning the World Cup, winning Wimbledon, winning the British Open, winning the Daytona 500, and winning the World Series are considered lifetime achievements for those involved in the respective sports. Yet none of these victories even approaches the significance of the moment in today's verse...

 

[John the Baptizer:] "I baptize you with water, but [Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

—Mark 1:8 NIV

Key Thought​

Jesus was and is directly involved in sending the Holy Spirit to his followers. He did it when initiating the dawn of the church with the coming of the Spirit that first Pentecost (Acts 2:33-39). Jesus also poured out the Spirit into the hearts of everyone who came to him in faith and baptism (Titus 3:4-7). Paul taught that the gift of the...

 

Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

—Psalm 51:11 NIV

Key Thought​

This desperate cry for God's forgiveness is from King David to God in David's deep sorrow for his sin with Bathsheba. The king before David, Saul, had blatantly disobeyed God and sought to rationalize his sin. God took his Holy Spirit from Saul (1 Samuel 16:14). So David's cry is understandable: In the Old Testament, God's Spirit normally didn't come to dwell in his people...