Holy Spirit

For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

—Galatians 5:17-18 NIV

Key Thought


Our flesh, our sinful nature, is at odds with the Spirit of God. Our flesh and the Spirit are at war. So we must yield to the Spirit's leading rather than doing whatever we want. Our desires can...

 

For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.

—Galatians 5:5 NIV

Key Thought


Waiting is hard. Waiting for something or someone special is incredibly hard. Waiting for our transformation to be like Jesus, full of righteousness and grace, is impossibly hard without the gift of the Holy Spirit. But with the Spirit, we eagerly hope and expect to see all that God has prepared for us and all that he will transform within us...

 

In the days of Hagar and Sarah, the child who came from faithless connivance (Ishmael) harassed the child who came — empowered by the Spirit — from the faithful promise (Isaac). Isn't it clear that the harassment you are now experiencing from the Jerusalem heretics follows that old pattern?

—Galatians 4:29 MESSAGE

Key Thought


Those who do not understand the way of the Spirit and who do not recognize the gift of the Spirit have criticized and sometimes even harassed...

 

Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."

—Galatians 4:6 NIV

Key Thought


We have been adopted by God — we are children of the One who paints every sunset! To help us celebrate this incredible blessing, God has sent the Holy Spirit to live within us and to cry out with us, "Abba, Father." Abba — this simple, two syllable Aramaic word for father — was used by babies to call out...

 

Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.

—Galatians 3:14 NLT

Key Thought


What breaks down the barriers between cultures and nations and races? The presence of God's Holy Spirit within us. We sense a commonality, we feel a shared bond, and we celebrate the unity of the Spirit that exists because each of us has God's presence — the...

 

So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?

—Galatians 3:5 NIV

Key Thought


God's Spirit is given to those who believe, and God's power is displayed in those who believe. We don't make the Spirit come to us — the Spirit is God's gift to followers of Jesus. We cannot make God's power happen in our lives — his power is released through the work of the Holy Spirit in those who...

 

How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

—Galatians 3:3 NLT

Key Thought


Try harder! Be better! Achieve more! Seek perfection! These are all messages that we hear every day in our competitive world. In fact, these admonitions can help in many areas of our lives. However, there is one area that they do not help: becoming holy like God! Yes, we need to obey God. Yes, we...

 

I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?

—Galatians 3:2 NIV

Key Thought


Most of us love lists. We can check things off our lists and show we've completed our tasks. If we don't complete our list, we feel like we deserve any negative consequences. The Holy Spirit, however, is not something we deserve. The Spirit is a gift Jesus gives to those who believe in him — those who trust in and...

 

[Paul wrote,] For by God's grace, I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit. So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God.

—Romans 15:15b-17 NLT

Key Thought


There are moments when we recognize that we are in the center of God's will, doing what he would have us do, exactly when...

 

And after [the Jewish leaders in Rome] had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: "The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet ..."

—Acts 28:25 NLT

Key Thought


Jewish leaders in Rome come to visit Paul while he is under house arrest. He shares the good news of Jesus with them. Some believe this message, but some reject it. This situation leads to disagreements among the leaders. But...