Holy Spirit

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26).

Prior to Jesus’ crucifixion, He prepared His disciples for His departure; comforting them that the Holy Spirit would come to them. Can you imagine their confusion? Their frame of reference for the Holy Spirit was the Holy Spirit anointing individuals for divine work. The names Elijah and Elisha certainly came to mind. But them? “Dazed and confused” might have described the disciples as they listened to Jesus tell them about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would be their Helper. God the Father would send Him in Christ’s name. The Holy Spirit would teach them “all things” and bring to their remembrance all that Jesus said to them. Holy. Spirit. Isn’t that what God knows each of us needs? So, He sent Him, a who, not a what, to live in us. Are we treating the heavenly presence who abides in us as a welcomed, Holy guest?

I praise You, God the HOLY SPIRIT, sent in Christ’s name, to be with me forever. 

Want to deepen your understanding of the Holy Spirit? Check out Debbie’s Bible study, Listen UP! 31 Points Every Christian Should Know About the Holy Spirit. This study will help you understand the Holy Spirit’s role in the Christian life and respond to His leading and presence. Click HERE to listen. 

Have you ever felt uncertain about what to do? I have. Probably one of the most challenging times was when I was 29 years old and received a letter from M.D. Anderson saying I had stage 1a ovarian cancer. The oncologist I was seeing agreed that it would be wise for me to get a second opinion. When I did, I was told I did not have cancer. In spite of the second opinion, my oncologist’s advice was to follow M.D. Anderson’s diagnosis and have a hysterectomy.

We had one child, but wanted more. If we followed M.D. Anderson’s advice, I’d immediately have a hysterectomy. My husband and I didn’t know what to do. We turned to the Lord.

Isaiah 42:16 says, “I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, in paths they do not know I will guide them.” God is our guide to eternal life, but He’s also our guide for daily life.

When we pray, which is what Keith and I did along with many family and friends who prayed for us, God guided us and we felt peace about what to do. Instead of immediately having a hysterectomy, we were blessed by being able to quickly conceive and have our daughter, Lauren; then followed up with the hysterectomy. 

Difficult, stressful, tearful times occur, but in each and every one of those times, we can be assured we are not alone. Our Heavenly, triune God—the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit—is present to guide us. Look to Him. Follow His will. 

Thank You, Lord, for being our ever-present GUIDE. I love You and thank You for caring for me and for guiding me. 

God cares about you and what’s going on in your life. Would you like to learn more about giving your worries over to Him? Watch Debbie’s teaching on 1 Peter 5 HERE or listen to it HERE. 

If and when you had toddlers at home or perhaps worked with them in a preschool, did you ever give them a sippy cup of water? No doubt, it was the right size for them. But what about when you are thirsty? Do you reach for a sippy cup? While we might think the question ridiculous and the answer obvious, perhaps we should consider it in light of the reference to God as the fountain of life (not a sippy cup). 

“For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light, Psalm 36:9. Or in light of Jesus’ words, “’Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive’” (John 7:37-39).

When we come to God for new life in Christ, He gives us more than a sippy cup of His Spirit. He gives us a Fountain who flows in our innermost being. Yet, could it be said of us as it was the Israelites, “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13). 

The Lord is a fountain of life. Are we drinking richly of Him when we rise, throughout the day, and until we fall asleep? Rather than be drained because we’re drinking from a sippy cup of His Spirit or because we’re doing things in our own flesh as the Israelites who “hewed for themselves broken cisterns,” we can live by the refreshing fountain of life. From what, from whom will you drink today? 

Lord, You are the FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. Thank You for Your Spirit from Whom I can drink richly.

In John 7, Jesus spoke of living water again. To learn more, watch Debbie’s teaching on John 7 HERE or listen to it HERE. 

A person who is not a Christian once asked me why believers talk about God’s love but never His wrath. I thought about his question and realized that I had been guilty of that very thing. While it is important to recognize God’s love, gentleness, and favor, it is also important to consider the context in which God’s actions are described as wondrously marvelous. The description is in regard to His judgment of people who give lip service to Him rather than truly worship Him.

God uses the prophet Isaiah to call out these people. “Then the Lord said, ‘Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, therefore, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous,'” Isaiah 29:13-14.

God warns the people through the prophet Isaiah of the consequences of their lip service and rote worship.

While we might want to confine the LORD’s wrath and judgment to the Old Testament, Revelation 16 speaks of a future day in which God’s judgment will be poured out on those who reject Christ. 

In case we wonder if God notices our worship and if it is done in sincerity from a heart of love or if we merely give God lip service and rote worship, the answer is, “Yes. God notices.”

Lord, You alone are worthy to be praised in sincerity and truth. You extend mercy to anyone who calls on You, but are WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS in Your discipline of those who give You lip service and rote worship.

One of the ways we can avoid giving lip service to God is by listening to and being led by His Spirit. If you’d like to learn more, listen to this free podcast teaching: Listen UP! 31 Points Every Christian Should Know About the Holy Spirit.

When you were little, did you go on a treasure hunt? Today, do you put your treasured valuables in a safety deposit box?

The Bible tells us that believers have a treasure within them. What is the treasure? Second Corinthians 4:6-7 explains that the treasure is God’s Holy Spirit. The treasure is the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God shining in our hearts.

“God… is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. For we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:6-7).

The treasure we carry about in our earthly bodies is God’s surpassing greatness of power. With humble reverence and boundless gratefulness, we bow and worship God for the great gift of His presence in us.

Lord, You are the TREASURE men seek and whom I have in my heart. Help me present You well to others and share with others the surpassing greatness of Your power. I adore and worship You.

The newly updated edition of the 365 Days of Praise Daily Devotional is now available on Amazon, and it’s on sale! Filled with 365 A–Z names and traits of God, daily prayers, and practical life applications, this devotional will encourage your heart and makes a meaningful gift for others. Get your copy HERE.

Do you know all that God has prepared for you in eternity? The answer is “no, we don’t know.” 

First Corinthians 2:9 says, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Does it bless your heart to recognize that although earthly days may be rough, God has prepared a future beyond our imagination? 

First Corinthians 2:10-12 goes on to explain that no one knows God’s thoughts except God’s Spirit.

“For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.”

The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to Christians. Know Him. Listen to Him. Love and adore Him, for He is the Spirit of Christ abiding in you.

Heavenly Father, Your gift to me of the SPIRIT WHO SEARCHES ALL THINGS, is the most amazing gift. Thank You! Help me faithfully walk by Your Spirit.

Would you like to learn more about being led by God’s Spirit and become better equipped to discern God’s voice? Listen to this podcast teaching by Debbie: Listen UP! 31 Points Every Christian Should Know About the Holy Spirit.

The truth. When listening to the news do you ever long for the truth? When questioning a child, have you ever doubted their words and said, “Tell me the truth.” If a person has lied to you once, do you wonder when they tell you something if it’s the truth? 

How refreshing that in John 16:13 Jesus tells us we can trust God’s Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. There’s not a lie in God’s holy body, Word, or Spirit.

“But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come” (John 16:13).

Since the Bible is the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16), we can trust it is the truth—the eternal truth that does not change. 

When we wonder if we should do things our way, the world’s way, or God’s way, we have the answer. Believe God, the Spirit of Truth. Follow the Spirit of Truth. Obey the Spirit of Truth.

Lord God, how refreshing that I can wholeheartedly trust You, the SPIRIT OF TRUTH! 

Our key verse today is John 16:13. Watch all of Debbie’s teaching on John 16 HERE or listen to it HERE. 

Have you ever defended your bad behavior by saying, “Nobody’s perfect“? Or has someone ever said to you, “Nobody’s perfect” in defense of something they’ve done? It’s a common response because it’s true. No human being is perfect. But Jesus pointed out that God the Father is. “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

Perfect…the height of virtue and integrity. It is God’s height of virtue and integrity that Jesus directs us to and calls us to seek after. Rather than Jesus letting us off the hook, He sees the potential for us to be transformed into His likeness through His Holy Spirit who dwells in us. 

Transformation requires that we be intentional. We look intently at who God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are.

In what ways does the Bible point to God being perfect? 

• His character is perfect. (Galatians 5:22)
• His works are perfect. (Deuteronomy 32:4)
• His laws are perfect. (Psalm 19:7)
• His faithfulness is perfect. (Isaiah 25:1)
• His peace is perfect. (Isaiah 26:3)
• His patience is perfect. (1 Timothy 1:16)
• His love is perfect. (1 John 4:18)

Our Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus and Holy Spirit are perfect. They are the Ones to whom we can look and follow. 

Lord, You are PERFECT. Thank You for Your perfect character, works, laws, faithfulness, peace, patience, love and more. As I look at You, transform me into Your image.

Would you like to learn more about walking by the Holy Spirit? Listen to these free podcast teachings: “Listen UP! 31 Points Every Christian Should Know About the Holy Spirit.”

Are you familiar with Jesus’ teaching, “Ask, and it will be given to you,” Matthew 7:7? Ask means to call for, to request of someone. Jesus teaches us to request of the Father what we need. But Jesus not only teaches us to ask God for desired needs, but He also asks God for things. In John 14:16, Jesus told His disciples, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Paraclete), that He may be with you forever…” Who is the Paraclete? He’s the Holy Spirit (Helper) who is with us forever.

Studying the Greek definition of the word “Helper” or “Paraclete”…ummm…helps. Consider the following definition of Paraclete: 

• Someone summoned, called to one’s side, especially called to one’s aid.
• One who pleads another’s cause before a judge, counsel for defense, an advocate.
• Of the Holy Spirit destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles (after His ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom.¹ 

It’s staggering when we think of the magnitude of God’s provisions for us. Our Heavenly Father not only took it upon Himself to send His Son to save us but also sent the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, to be an abiding divine presence within us. We never walk alone.

Heavenly Father, Son, and PARACLETE, the blessing of Your Presence is something I will only fully realize when I am in Heaven. Thank You, Lord!

Want to learn more about the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, and how to discern His voice? Listen HERE.

¹  “Strong’s G3875 – paraklētos,” Blue Letter Bible, accessed July 26, 2023, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3875/kjv/tr/0-1/.

Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the Nations” (Revelation 15:3).

Have you ever received a call from a loved one or friend and been told, “I just prayed to receive Christ”? I recall one particular time when someone called me and said those words. Tears of joy rolled down my cheeks. Why? 

Just like a lifeless bulb appears to be dead, when we die we appear to be dead. Nothing is further from the truth, however. Just as there is life in a bulb as is evidenced when the stalk and flower emerge, there is life in each person even though their body dies. God created us as living souls and we each emerge to live forever with God or apart from Him eternally.

God, the Heavenly Father, is the God of all people. As Revelation 15:3 states, He is King of the nations. The Bible consistently warns that there are not many ways to heaven. There is only one God we are to worship. 

God’s gift of eternal life in heaven comes to us through the forgiveness of our sins by Jesus’ death on the cross. John 3:16 could not be more true. “For God so loved the world…” Yes, God is King of the Nations. Jesus is Savior of the world. If you have never responded to God’s gift of salvation, please pray the following prayer. 

Lord God, KING OF THE NATIONS, I call on You to save me. I know I’ve sinned and fall short of Your glory. I ask You to forgive me through Jesus’ death on the cross. Please cleanse me and give me Your Holy Spirit. Seal me for eternity with You in heaven. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.  

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