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Posts Tagged ‘Holy Spirit’

God Picks Up The Broken

12 Jul

(Act 4:13Act 4:13
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.  

WP-Bible plugin)  “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

It wasn’t long before this that Peter wept bitterly for denying He knew the Lord (Luke 22:62Luke 22:62
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.  

WP-Bible plugin).  His testimony was ruined as he cursed and swore in front of all those people who wanted to connect him to Jesus (Matthew 26:74Matthew 26:74
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.  

WP-Bible plugin).  He hit rock bottom in his relationship with God.  He probably couldn’t even stand to see his own reflection in the mirror.  But here we see a man transformed.  Here is a spiritual leader.  Here is a true follower willing not only to admit He knew the Lord Jesus, he was willing to lay his life on the line for Him.

Every one of us blows our testimony at some point.  We may say things to our spouses, children, friends or parents that we regret.  I’m sure Peter regretted what he said on the night of Jesus’ trial.  But God is in the business of picking up the pieces of broken lives and putting things back together again for His glory.  He can do the same thing for you and me even though we may hate ourselves for what we’ve said in the past.

Peter spent time with the resurrected Lord.  Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Today, we can spend time with the resurrected Lord.  And in Christ, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit.  As we spend time with the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives today, don’t be surprised if those around you marvel and wonder.  Yes, let them see you have been with Jesus.

Renewed Thought – Our relationship with the Lord is about spending time with Him.  Don’t mistake what you do for Him with spending time with Him.

 
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The Spirit Helps Our Infirmities

22 May

(Romans 8:26Romans 8:26
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  

WP-Bible plugin)  “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

There are times when I just don’t know what I should pray.  I’ve been in situations and circumstances when I am at a loss for expressing words to the Lord.  I’ve had times when sadness overwhelms to the point where I couldn’t even express myself to God.  Have you been there before?  In the context of this verse, Paul, a man bound in a Roman prison is describing suffering, faith and hope.  We patiently wait for the Lord to deliver his creation from suffering.  We don’t see that hope.  We don’t always know how to express ourselves in the light of the hope we don’t see.  As we go through the suffering, we aren’t always sure what our prayer should be.  Sometimes we just don’t know.

But just as the Lord gives us hope to help us patiently wade through our sufferings, He also provides an Intercessor on our behalf.  Our fear doesn’t stop the movement of God.  Our doubts don’t stop the sure workings of His mercy.  Our loss for words never keeps the God of the Word silent.  The fervency of God on our behalf goes beyond anything we could ever imagine.  The expression of God to Himself on our behalf defies comprehension.  In the loneliness of our suffering, when we can’t even mouth the words to express the sadness, the Holy Spirit is there to express those things our humanity can’t.

Renewed Thought – Even when the suffering makes it impossible to pray, God makes it sure that prayer is never impossible.

 
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Promise Of An Eternal Harvest

10 May

(Rom 8:23Rom 8:23
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.  

WP-Bible plugin)  “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

“Firstfruits” is the first portion of something with an expectation of more to come.  In the Old Testament, firstfruits were the first portion of the harvest.  In Paul’s day, the Bible refers to the first converts in certain areas such as Achaia as the “firstfruits.”  (Romans 16:5Romans 16:5
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.  

WP-Bible plugin).  But God extends this concept from the physical to the spiritual within believers.  While we look around at creation and see the effects of sin and death even within ourselves, there is a promise of something better to come.  Too often we tend to view the spiritual as something unobservable.  We miss the point and overlook the tangible effects of the reality of God in the here and now.  As children and heirs of God, we have the privilege of the first portion of our inheritance working within us while we still dwell in these corruptible bodies.  The Holy Spirit energizes the Word of God in our spirit which produces holy activity in our soul where previously there was none.  God Himself works in us and through us!

As an act of worship, the children of Israel were commanded to bring the first portion of their harvest in sacrifice to the Lord.  Fausset tells us, “The whole land’s produce was consecrated to God by the consecration of the first-fruits…”  It was an act of honor and a reminder that the Lord God Himself owned the entire harvest.

(Proverbs 3:9Proverbs 3:9
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:  

WP-Bible plugin)  “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:”

Right now, the Holy Spirit works in you and me as children of God to produce a life that is consecrated and acceptable to the Lord.  We can now live a life that honors and glorifies the Lord.  Because we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17Romans 8:17
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.  

WP-Bible plugin), the promise of a spiritual harvest in eternity in unimaginable, limitless, and forever.

Renewed Thought – “I am not what I might be, I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I wish to be, I am not what I hope to be. But I thank God I am not what I once was, and I can say with the great apostle, “By the grace of God I am what I am.” – John Newton

 
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My Joint Witness

13 Apr

(Romans 8:16Romans 8:16
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:  

WP-Bible plugin)  “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”

Do I “feel” saved today?  Sometimes we struggle in our soul because our emotions don’t always line up with reality.  Sin can get in the way of our perception of God’s grace.  We are bombarded with thoughts contrary to God in everything we read or watch.  Sometimes we hurt those we love.  Sometimes we say the wrong thing.  Sometimes we hang out with the wrong crowd.  These things can cause us to doubt who we really are in Christ.  When we yield to temptation, guilt builds.  Living without repentance causes us to be overwhelmed with guilt.  Worst yet, an unrepentant life sears our conscience and withdraws our heart from the closeness and dependency on God.

Have you ever felt God was distant from the reality of your everyday life?  It’s these times when I feel far away from God (or I think that God is far away from me) that the joint testimony of God Himself brings me back to an awareness of who I really am.  “Beareth witness with” comes from the Greek word summartureō which means, “to testify jointly, that is, corroborate by (concurrent) evidence.”  The Holy Spirit testifies, agrees and confirms with my spirit that I am a child of God.  In those dark times when I don’t allow the Word of God to work in me, when I fail to yield to the Holy Spirit’s guidance under grace, when I resist crying out “Abba, Father” in dependency on Him, God Himself is still on my side.

You may not “feel” saved today.  But praise God your salvation doesn’t depend on your feelings.  He is there for you, testifying on your behalf, proving that you are still a child of the Living God.  If you truly are a child of God through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, you are still saved no matter how you feel.  Jesus Christ is still your Advocate, the Holy Spirit is your Joint-Testifier, and the Father…well…He’s still your Father.

Renewed Thought – The Spirit gives us the power to live a life that is death to self.  The Spirit leads us to live a Life that is not our own.  We are lead out of bondage into the freedom to be who we really are – alive unto God!

 
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Led By The Spirit

01 Apr

(Rom 8:14Rom 8:14
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  

WP-Bible plugin)  “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

It’s common to hear Christians say, “I was led by the Spirit to _____.”  The blank is filled with anything from finances to career decisions to family direction.  For some it means they were “led by God” to purchase a new house or car.  Others may believe they were meant to give money to a church or a mission.  I’m not discounting the will of God in dealing with any of these things.  But when I began to really see what this verse was saying, being “led by the Spirit of God” becomes so much more and so much of a bigger issue.

What am I being “led” towards that confirms I am one of the “sons of God?”  The answer is in the preceding verse where it says that “through the Spirit” I am to “mortify the deeds of the body.”  The goal is to produce Christ’s life in my life.  To mortify is to put to death.  God wants the activities performed by my body generated by following the desires of the flesh to die.  But at the same time He wants me to physically remain alive to serve Him.  Now that’s confusing…unless I start to see it from God’s perspective.

It’s through my identity with Christ that I find the answer in all of this.  Paul already covered this ground in Romans 6 when he wrote, “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:” (Rom 6:8Rom 6:8
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:  

WP-Bible plugin).  Spiritually, I am identified with Him in His death on the cross.  That where my flesh was nailed 2,000 years ago.  I am dead and He is alive.  I am led away from myself and towards the cross.  This is why grace is so powerful in the life of a believer.  In Galatians 5:18Galatians 5:18
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.  

WP-Bible plugin God tells us “But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.”  My flesh will take me back to a system of performance while the Spirit takes me to grace.  My flesh will plead for itself to live while the Spirit takes me back to the cross where my flesh is crucified.  My flesh will lead me to rely on my emotions to make it through the tough situations today.  The Spirit will lead me to an empty tomb where I find resurrection life and the ability to make it today by His power not mine.

Renewed Thought – I know I belong to God not because I do good works.  But rather I belong to God because His Spirit leads me away from a self-life by the cross and towards life in Him by His resurrection.

 
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