God’s gift . . .

The Presence of The Holy Spirit

“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us,
not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.
He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 
He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior.”
Titus 3:4-6

Have you ever had just the right words to tell someone,
                                            and then wondered, where did they come from? . . . the Holy Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit is God’s power and energy sent to accomplish His will on earth . . . For many, the Holy Spirit is the silent or forgotten member of the Godhead . . . They look at Him as the least of the Trinity and pay little attention to the Spirit . . . But the Holy Spirit loves to work with the spotlight on Jesus, not Himself . . . The Holy Spirit’s whole purpose is to draw us to Jesus, and
to testify about Jesus . . . and He is happy to be in the background, just as long as the focus is on Jesus Christ . . . People who really listen to the Holy Spirit will always have a strong focus on Christ . . . Where the Holy Spirit is really working—it will look a lot like Christ. 

Jesus mentions the Holy Spirit as part of His encouragement to all that, no matter what we are facing, we can remember His words and know He is still in control by the influence of the Spirit, who is "helper," "counselor," "comforter," "advocate" . . . The Spirit comes from God in exactly the same way as Christ comes from God. 

The Holy Spirit calls us by the Gospel, enlightens us with His gifts, sanctifies and keeps us living the true faith . . . no denominational divisions, no church building to church building separations . . . when we believe, we are with Christ in unity through the Spirit—unity in THE ONE TRUE FAITH.  

Through the  work of the Holy Spirit, this one true faith embraces the process of becoming more Christ-like, sharing the  gift of salvation, and moving toward perfection in love . . . which includes forgiveness of sin, the resurrection, and life eternal. 
 

INSIGHT . . . 

So . . . Where does the presence of the Holy Spirit come from? 

The Gospels tell us . . . “When the holy day of Pentecost came 50 days after Passover, the followers of Jesus were gathered together in one place . . . All at once there was a sound from heaven . . . a sound like the blowing of a violent wind . . . and it filled the whole house where they were sitting . . . All the people present were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in languages they had never spoken, as the Spirit empowered them.” 

In that rush of wind . . . in those tongues of flame . . . as the Holy Spirit came and filled the disciples, the church of the living God was born . . . In that moment Christianity became more than Jesus’s life alone . . . it became life in everyone who receives the Holy Spirit and walks in Christ . . . it became life in you and me.  

For thousands of years, Christians have been inviting the Holy Spirit . . . to come to us, to move in us, to reveal God’s presence among us, and to minister through us with the Spirit’s power in the world. 

Have you invited the Holy Spirit into your world?

If ‘yes,’ where do you see the work of the Spirit in your life?

If ‘no,’ why not? . . . Stop and talk with God about this. 

The Holy Spirit . . . the same Spirit who was present when the very foundations of the earth were laid . . . the Spirit by whom our Savior was conceived . . . the Spirit that was with Jesus every day of His life on earth . . . that same Spirit came to be with the disciples . . . and to be with you and me. 

What’s hidden in our hearts becomes revealed to those around us with the gift of the Holy Spirit  . . . we begin to shine the Light of Christ from within our hearts and souls out to the world . . . shine His Light through the broken cracks of the human beings we are. 

Is the Light of the Holy Spirit shining through your life?

Do you feel Christ in your heart? . . . feel the Holy Spirit guiding your walk with God? When you believe in Christ, The Light—His Light—is there within you and we should not hide it . . . Are you letting the Spirit shine Christ’s Light through You?
 

INVITATION—TO TALK WITH GOD . . . 

Romans 8:26-30 explains . . .  “The Holy Spirit helps us where we are weak . . . For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for . . . But the Holy Spirit prays for us . . . God knows our hearts . . . He knows what the Holy Spirit is thinking . . . And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him”  

God chose you and me—yes, you!! . . . Christ was first and all those who belong to God, who God has chosen as His, are Christ’s brothers and sisters . . . all together we are the children of God. 

God cares about our trials here on earth . . . He has given us the Holy Spirit to share the load and help carry our burden . . . the Holy Spirit comes alongside us in our weakness, providing strength, guidance, and His comforting presence . . . and one of the ways the Spirit helps us is through praying to God for us.

Wow . . . the effectiveness of our prayers doesn’t depend on us . . . Even when we don’t know what we need  . . . When we pray in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit goes to bat for us, intervening to the Father on our behalf . . . Through faith, trust, and reliance on the Spirit, we receive God’s strength to help us in our weakness. 

When we have the Holy Spirit, we have all that is needed
 to be all that God desires us to be.
(Aiden Wilson Tozer)  

Pray now . . . allow God to open your mind to what He wants you to hear,
what He wants you to believe,
and what He wants you to do with your life.  

Remember . . . God needs to be your primary source of wisdom and direction for your life . . . He does that through the Holy Spirit. 

What is God calling you to do or say right now in this moment?

What is the next step of faith that God is pointing you to?

What thoughts/feelings/pain do you need to lift up to God in prayer? 

ILLUMINATION . . .

The Lord can do amazing things with our memories . . . clarity, understanding, reminders of joys and sorrows, transformation . . . helping us to grow and mature with new understanding . . . It’s the Holy Spirit whispering in your ear, in your subconscious, allowing you to remember where God has touched your life and continues to touch your heart and soul. 

Pause and reflect for a moment . . . in your mind, put picture frames around the things that have brought you joy in your life and see what pictures they bring forward . . . if even for a moment, let the Holy Spirit speak deep within you. 

What do these moments show about you?  

What makes your heart glad?  

What is God telling you, or reminding you of? 

Look at what is already in your life with new eyes, new ears, and a new heart for God . . . Let the Spirit open your heart and soul to God’s direction, shaping, listening, and discerning as you continue to nurture your relationship with God through prayer. 

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely
with joy and peace because you trust in him.
Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit”
Romans 15:13 

INSPIRATION—PRAYING THROUGH MUSIC . . . 

Inspiring music may fill the soul with heavenly thoughts,
move one to righteous action, or speak peace to the soul.
(Ezra Taft Benson)

I encourage you to take time to listen to any or all the songs below . . . there is no right or wrong style of music—it is what speaks to you . . . listen to the melody and the lyrics and feel the response of your heart to what God wants you to hear . . . and I do understand that music doesn’t speak to everyone . . . and that is okay too.
 

♪♬♪ Current . . . Holy Spirit You are Welcome Here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71ompcWWwZk&list=RD71ompcWWwZk&start_radio=1

♪♬♪ Traditional . . . Spirit of the Living God

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYfzcYohWZg&list=RDJYfzcYohWZg&start_radio=1 

INTO EACH DAY AHEAD . . . 

The life of God in the soul of a believer
is the continual inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit.
(John Wesley) 

Through the events of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit now dwells among us and in us . . . The Holy Spirit is God Himself acting in this world and in our lives . . . He draws us by His grace to the Father . . . He intercedes with us and within us, helping us to pray . . . The Holy Spirit teaches and admonishes us when we read Scripture. and He gives us the gift of discernment so that we can have the mind of Christ and think about things that are informed by godly wisdom . . . and the Spirit applies and nurtures the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, and assures us of our forgiveness and our adoption as the Children of God.  

The Holy Spirit is a healing spirit.
When the Holy Spirit is present, anything is possible.
(Reinhard Bonnke) 

We have Christ’s promise that the Spirit now lives in us, and we now live in the Spirit . . .
So, we say the prayer originally written over 1500 years ago . . .

“Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts, the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in us the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and we shall be created,
and You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, Who, by the light of the Holy Spirit
did instruct the hearts of the faithful,
grant that by the same Holy Spirit, that we may gain wisdom, truth, and guidance,
and ever enjoy Your comfort, compassion, encouragement, and support. —Amen.

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