Holy Spirit

[God] said, "Without question these are my people, children who would never betray me." So he became their Savior. In all their troubles, he was troubled, too. He didn't send someone else to help them. He did it himself, in person. Out of his own love and pity he redeemed them. He rescued them and carried them along for a long, long time. But they turned on him; they grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned on them, became their enemy and fought them.

—Isaiah 63:8-10 MESSAGE...

 

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.

—Isaiah 61:1 NIV

Key Thought


God's servants in every era, including now, are empowered by the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit produces holy fruit in their lives (Galatians 5:22-23), shapes their hearts, and guides their efforts toward...

 

"As for me," God says, "this is my covenant with [the Israelites]: My Spirit that I've placed upon you and the words that I've given you to speak, they're not going to leave your mouths nor the mouths of your children nor the mouths of your grandchildren. You will keep repeating these words and won't ever stop." God's orders.

—Isaiah 59:21 MESSAGE

Key Thought


The book of Isaiah furnishes so much language and imagery of the Messiah and the coming new covenant of...

 

"What sorrow awaits my rebellious children," says the LORD. "You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins."

—Isaiah 30:1 NLT

Key Thought


In the time of Isaiah, God's people were in a very difficult predicament politically and militarily. They saw making alliances with foreign governments their only hope for survival. Why is it that we, the people of God, so easily forget that God is our only hope for...

 

[After the return of the people of Judah from Babylon, this is what the LORD said about them,] "They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the LORD of Heaven's Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the LORD of Heaven's Armies was so angry with them."

—Zechariah 7:12 NLT

Key Thought


God had told his people to "show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress...

 

Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.

—Galatians 6:8 NLT

Key Thought


We have to make a choice. There are only two possibilities: Either we will choose to live out of our sinful nature, or we will choose to live to honor and please the Spirit of God within us. To do the first, we need no real commitment — we will...

 

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

—Galatians 6:1 NIV

Key Thought


Spiritual people are those who live under the influence of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:25). They then "Spirit-naturally" produce the Spirit's fruit in their lives (Galatians 5:22-23). When "someone is caught in a sin," then these spiritual people should help restore that...

 

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.

—Galatians 5:25 NLT

Key Thought


We are given new life — born again into a new kind of life (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:3-7) in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Since the Spirit is the source of our new life, then shouldn't we ask the Spirit to take the lead in every part of our lives? Absolutely!

Today's Prayer


O Father, I want you to take the lead in...

 

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

—Galatians 5:22-23 NLT

Key Thought


We don't have the personal power to produce holiness through our own efforts. God's miracle of transformation happens in us when we yield to the Spirit's leading in our lives. Christ-likeness takes shape in us through the daily work of the Spirit...

 

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves.

—Galatians 5:16 NLT

Key Thought


What has the most influence in my life? Who guides my steps? What determines the values by which I live? Whose voice and whose words are most important to me, whether I am making my day-to-day decisions or making long-range plans? The issue is quite simple: If the answer to those questions for each of us is not the Holy Spirit, then we...