Holy Spirit

[Luke wrote about the disciples in Jerusalem after Peter and John were threatened and then released from prison:]  While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God's Word with fearless confidence.

—Acts 4:31 MESSAGE

Key Thought
I love the phrase "fearless confidence"! In the face of threatened persecution from the very same people who put Jesus to death and who made the disciples...

 

[Jesus said,]  "I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. ... When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."

—Luke 12:8; Luke 12:11-12 NIV

Key Thought
Jesus gives us two incredible promises. First, he assures us that if we publicly...

 

[In his revelation to John, Jesus said,]  "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

—Revelation 3:6 NIV

Key Thought
The Holy Spirit wants us to know the Lord's will. The Spirit wants us to know and live the Lord's truth. But for the Spirit's message to make a difference in our lives, we have to open our ears and our hearts. More than merely listening to the words spoken, the Holy Spirit wants us to listen for the heart of God in his commands and...

 

Then the Spirit of the LORD came on me [Ezekiel], and he told me to say: "This is what the LORD says: That is what you are saying, you leaders in Israel, but I know what is going through your mind."

—Ezekiel 11:5 NIV

Key Thought
The Spirit of the Lord brings us the message of God. The Spirit inspired God's messengers to convince us and convict us with God's truth. In this instance, God's Spirit speaks through Ezekiel and reminds God's people that he knows what they are thinking — God...

 

[In his revelation to John, Jesus said,]  "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: 'I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive — but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.'"

—Revelation 3:1-2 NLT

Key Thought
Jesus knows us...

 

But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us.

—Galatians 5:5 NLT

Key Thought
Righteousness is a key element of God's character. Since we can't achieve or acquire righteousness on our own (Romans 3:19-25), Jesus came to earth, died, and was raised from the dead to make righteousness and justification possible for us (Romans 3:22; Romans 4:25). A crucial part of our power to live righteously before God, however, is still the...

 

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

—2 Timothy 1:6-7 NIV

Key Thought
We are timid because we are fearful. We fear failure. We fear danger. We fear risk. We fear mistakes. But as Jesus' parable of the talents reminds us (Matthew 25:14-30), playing it safe out of fear in matters of faith is highly displeasing to...

 

And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

—Romans 5:5 NIV

Key Thought
When our son was small, and we were new parents, we couldn't imagine loving anyone else like we loved him. In our limited experience, it was intimidating to think about having another child because we wondered if we could love another one the same way. The amazing thing about love, however, is that the more you love...

 

A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.

—Romans 8:2 MESSAGE

Key Thought
Life as a follower of Jesus — as a person "in Christ" — is enabled by the new power that is in operation within us. That power is the Holy Spirit, the strong wind of heaven that clears the air and frees us from bondage to sin and death. Romans 8 is the great...

 

[Jesus said,]  "The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don't make anything happen. Every word I've spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making."

—John 6:63 MESSAGE

Key Thought
We can't make life happen. We can live with purpose, but life happens by grace. We can't will genuine life into being, and we can't work hard enough to make it happen. We can assemble the pieces of a great life, but Someone greater has to step in and breathe life into those...