Tag: Holy Spirit

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To Know Jesus

JANUARY 1

MATTHEW 5:1_And seeing the multitudes…

JANUARY 1

MATTHEW 5:1_And seeing the multitudes…

Jesus sees multitudes. That’s an awful lot of people! Bigger than a crowd!

Several instances in Jesus’ life have prepared Him for the multitudes—it is obvious He has been born.

To know Jesus you must take a look at His birth. Talk about unconventional! Talk about amazing! Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin?

To know Jesus you must also get to know the God of the Impossible.

Jesus’ birth was questioned, ridiculed, and scorned. He grew up with that—a part of daily life.

Being honored and acknowledged as the Son of God was not a part of His daily life. 

So, if you were not born in accordance with the status quo, don’t let it depress you—it is not something you caused or can change. Besides, you share very good company. Jesus is an overcomer. He can help you become one as well.

Throughout this year you will learn a lot about how God planned life and His views on things like marriage. God’s plan is perfect. It can save you unnecessary hurts in life.

There is power in living according to God’s plan. 

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, Help me to be sensitive to the pain of others and to be careful about decisions I make.  In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ loves me—Unconditionally!

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The Great Liberator! The Great Metamorphosis!

DECEMBER 31

MATTHEW 7:29_and not as the Scribes.

You may think we’ve covered everything Jesus can be, but: He is The Great Liberator!

2 Corinthians 3:17 (KJV), “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

I don’t believe any of us can completely grasp all Jesus has taught in the past year. It will take meditating on His teachings, reading and studying, and prayer, to instill this radical lifestyle into our being. We will need faith and trust that only the Holy Spirit can build inside us.

We all experience life like a worm looking for a better existence. We want more than to inch and crawl our way through life. Oh! That’s something else Jesus is: The Great Metamorphosis! He takes our wormy existence and builds Himself around and within us. Jesus works from the inside, gradually changing hearts—this requires taking the broken pieces and gently making them whole again. With time, we emerge into something beautiful—no longer crawling, but flying!

Isaiah 43:18-19 (KJV), “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness [of our hearts], and rivers in the desert [of our lives].”     

 PRAYER

Holy and Resplendent God, I know there is no bondage in life from which You cannot free me! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.          

Christ liberates and metamorphoses me—I can live free!

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Things to Come

DECEMBER 18

MATTHEW 7:27_And the rain descended…

I see a connection between the beginning of this verse and verse 25. Do you see it? It’s something we’ve seen all along. Trials, storms, disappointments, sufferings, and hard times, come.

They come regardless of whether you’ve built your house on the Rock, or on the sand.

They come to the wise as well as to the foolish.

They come!

Prepare yourself!

Jesus gives wise advice in John 16:13 (KJV), “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear [from God], that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

The Holy Spirit can prepare you for things to come. He speaks as you read the Bible and bears witness of its truth. The Holy Spirit makes you wiser than your enemy the devil, who wants you to fear the rains life can bring. Become a child of God and have the advantage of the Spirit’s teaching and leading. 

Jesus doesn’t teach the Spirit will predict your future.

The Holy Spirit will increase your faith, build your trust, and prepare you for whatever the future has in store. 

PRAYER

Glorious Lord Jesus, Thank You for the Holy Spirit. Help me listen and learn! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.          

Christ prepares me for the future—Whatever it brings!

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He Teaches Truth

DECEMBER 11

MATTHEW 7:25_and the winds blew…

We live in an extremely high-tech world. Technology outdates itself at a fast pace. The newest mesmerizing product of today may be outdated in less than a year. Those of us who do not claim to be techies feel like we are giving out of steam just trying to keep up. Do you ever think it is astounding what the human mind can devise? I do!

For all our brilliance and intelligence, there is much we cannot control—most belongs to the world of nature. How about the wind for example? Can you start it? Can you stop it? We are not talking about man-made fans. We are talking about the wind. Wind is not controlled by human intelligence or muscle. In the cases of natural disasters the wind may help to clean away debris, or bring more destruction to what is already weak and broken.

In John 3:8, Jesus says, “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”

We cannot see the Holy Spirit, but we know when He dwells in us.

We know because He teaches us truth.

PRAYER

Jesus Lord, With the Holy Spirit I can be strong against the world. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.          

Christ is stronger than the world—I want His power!

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Your Heart Listens

DECEMBER 6

MATTHEW 7:24_heareth these sayings of mine…

As the Master Stonemason, Jesus works from the bottom up. Step one is to hear. Hearing the words of Jesus is important. You can be physically deaf and hear Jesus’ words. By the same token, you can rate perfect on your hearing test, listen to the Bible read by Alexander Scourby for an hour, and never hear a word. Where you think is where you hear—in the heart. The heart’s door, where Jesus knocks, is a place of communication.

Jesus is very specific about what He wants you to hear, “these sayings of mine.” The word sayings here can be interpreted as a statement or declaration by God. If your ears hear, it is because your heart listens.

At least eight times in His teachings, Jesus says:                                                                   

Matthew 11:15 (KJV),”He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

Matthew 13:9 (KJV), “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

Mark 4:9 (KJV), “And he said unto them, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”                                                                              

Mark 4:23 (KJV), “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.”

Revelation 2:7 (KJV), “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith…”

Revelation 2:11(KJV), “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith…”

Revelation 2:29 (KJV), “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith…”                                                                                    

Revelation 3:13 (KJV), “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith…”

PRAYER

True Word, Please help my heart to listen so my ears can hear. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.          

Christ speaks to my heart—I hear!