The Challenge
Topic: The Holy Spirit
Spend a few minutes reading, praying, and meditating on the following verses:
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Challenge: Look at the list of the fruit of the Spirit above. In your journal (or here https://www.quiettime.today/journal) write the ones of which you want to have more. Pray to your Heavenly Father and ask Him to give you more of them. Then write down what things in your life are causing you to have a lack of fruit. Pray and ask God to change your heart about those things.
Bonus verse
Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
More information: https://www.quiettime.today/blog/challenge-6
More Information
The topic today is about the Holy Spirit, the third member of the trinity (Father, Son, and Spirit). The Greek word for Spirit is pneuma, from which we get concepts dealing with air or unseen forces. The Holy Spirit was already active in the Old Testament, where He appears to dwell temporarily in certain people.
1 Samuel 11:6 Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news
1 Samuel 16:14 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul
The dynamic changes with the coming of the Messiah. When Jesus was about to go up to Heaven, He spoke the following to His disciples about the Holy Spirit:
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would come into His disciples and this indeed happened on the day of pentecost. And following that, all believers who are born again have received the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
This is how Christ dwells in us, through the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit does many things in us. He teaches us and guides us in truth, reminds us of the Words of Christ, gives us power, helps us prophecy, speak God’s Words, helps us to overcome sin, helps us in our weaknesses, and gives us the power and motivation to do God’s will.
John 14:26 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 things that I said to you.
John 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 2:18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.
Matthew 20:19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Now it is obvious that the Holy Spirit is not working equally strong in all Christians. Those who are living the abundant Christian life have the Spirit working strongly in them, but many others have sadly decided to grieve, quench, test, and/or lie to the Spirit.
Isaiah 63:10 But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; So He turned Himself against them as an enemy, And He fought against them.
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit.
Acts 5:3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?
Acts 5:9 Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”
So even though we Christians have received the Holy Spirit, if we decide to ignore and rebel against Him, God will punish us. That is the opposite of the abundant life.
Don’t go there.
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