Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

2013 Day 253 – Job7-9, Psalm 120

10 Tuesday Sep 2013

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In today’s reading you can begin to hear Job’s desperation in trying to reach God. He wants the ability to plead his case for mercy, but he does not know how to reach out for God and wishes he had a mediator between himself and God. In Job 9:33-34 it says, 33 If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together, 34 someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. This is what the Holy Spirit is for us. He is the mediator between us and God to intercede for us. In Romans 8:27 it says, And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. What Job longed for in his suffering we already have. Don’t ever forget that we are never alone no matter alone we may feel.

2013 Day 249 – 2 Timothy 1-4, Psalm 119:129-144

06 Friday Sep 2013

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Today we are reading the entire second book of Timothy. This is the second and final instructions Paul gave to Timothy who was the pastor of the church at Ephesus. Paul wrote this to Timothy as he sat alone in prison. Because this is Paul’s final letter, it reveals his heart and his priorities; sound doctrine, faith, endurance, and love. The key verse for this letter comes right in the beginning of the book, 2 Timothy 1:7, For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. If we truly trust in God and allow ourselves to take on the spirit and character of God, we will have everything we need to face the trials of this life in this world.

2013 Day 138 – 1 Samuel 10-12, Proverbs 26:1-16

18 Saturday May 2013

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In today’s reading the verse that stood out to me was Proverbs 26:11, As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly. I have read this verse many times and it seems like every time I read it God reminds me of the wisdom it contains. We all know what is right and what is wrong. As imperfect human beings it is easy to make mistakes. But every time we return to the same mistakes and the places we know will lead us to sin, we are fools. We must listen to the Holy Spirit in our hearts and know that He is leading us away from the things that will lead us to sin and its consequences. Let us not be like a dog that returns to its vomit. Once we have removed the sinful parts of our lives, let us ask God on a daily basis to give us strength to stay away.

2013 Day 132 – Ephesians 1-3, Proverbs 23:19-35

12 Sunday May 2013

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In today’s reading, my favorite part is the prayer found in Ephesians 3:16-19, I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Paul is praying for two things here: 1) That we may have the power of Holy Spirit so we can experience God’s glorious riches, 2) Through the power of the the Holy Spirit we can grasp how big the love of Christ is for each of us. The reason why this is such a big prayer is because our simple human minds cannot grasp the immensity of Christ’s love for us. We may think we know how much, we may think we can correlate it to the love we have for our spouses or children, but in the end, without the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, we simply cannot grasp it.

2013 Day 121 – Judges 13-15, Proverbs 18

01 Wednesday May 2013

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Today we begin the story of Sampson. While Sampson was a good leader and judge of Israel, he also allowed himself to be influenced by the desires of his heart. These desires did not always line up with God’s desires. This is a great lesson for leaders as they gain influence and power. There will always be something to tempt you; sometimes it is someone of the opposite sex, sometimes it’s money, or it could be something else that will cause you to stumble. Whatever it may be, if we fill our heart and mind with an honest relationship with God and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in all we do, we can rely on God’s strength to help us.

2013 Day 102 – Joshua 19-21, Psalm 58

12 Friday Apr 2013

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The verse that stood out to me today was Psalm 58:4-5 says, 4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears, 5 that will not heed the tune of the charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be. This is a good description of what the world we live in has become. There is nothing we can do to convince others about Jesus. It is up to the Holy Spirit to change the hearts and minds of the nonbeliever. This is not to say we are without responsibility, because we must be obedient and be available to be used by the Holy Spirit in any way necessary. It is not our job to convert; it is our job to be available and and to serve.

2013 Day 78 – Galatians 4-6, Psalm 39

19 Tuesday Mar 2013

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Today’s reading was packed with information. We covered the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Which is extremely important for us as believers to understand and allow ourselves to experience as spontaneous works of the Holy Spirit in us. These are character traits found in the nature of Christ that the Spirit produces in us. We then read in Galatians 6:9, Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. When we allow the Spirit to work through us, we are to do it with no expectation of reward. We are to recognize the Spirit working in us and realize there may not be an earthly reward, and yet we are not to grow tired. This is much easier said than done, but if we truly recognize where this comes from, and that our reward is in heaven, we can be more accepting of our reward in the end.

2012 Day 214 – Romans 8

01 Wednesday Aug 2012

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I have a couple of thoughts today from a couple of different verses. The first one is from verse 17, Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co‑heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. My thought is simple in that I feel privileged to be called a co-heir with Christ. I am so undeserving of this, yet Christ willingly provided it to me through His sacrifice.

The second thought is from verse 26, In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. My pastor talked about this verse a few weeks ago. Even when our minds are troubled to the point where we don’t know what to ask God in our prayers, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf. This doesn’t mean I should be lazy about my prayer life, but it does mean I don’t have to be perfect in the way I communicate with God. In fact, I don’t even have to use words as long as I make myself available to Him. The Holy Spirit is so powerful in my life and yet I feel like I don’t even use a fraction of what He is capable.

2012 Day 208 – Romans 2

26 Thursday Jul 2012

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We always want to put our best foot forward. We always want to show everyone our best side. While that makes people around us more at ease and happier to be around us, the real us is who we are inside. Paul uses circumcision as an outward indicator of what makes someone a Jew. In verses 28-29 it says, A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God. What makes us who we are is what is inside through Christ and the Holy Spirit working in our lives. We may be able to fool people around us when things are going wrong, but God knows who we really are. For this reason it is important that we work on improving inwardly so that we can outwardly express who we are in Christ and who the Holy Spirit is making us become.

2012 Day 182 – 1 Corinthians 14

30 Saturday Jun 2012

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This chapter spends a lot of time talking about worship, including tongues and prophecy. Ultimately, it is talking about the importance of having worship with a purpose. Everything has meaning and should be for the edification of the body. Here in Nashville, because of the amazing musical talent this city provides, most worship experiences are really good from a talent perspective. The problem is when it becomes a performance by the musical artists. Please don’t hear me condemn the artists because the truth is it goes both ways. Those listening must take responsibility for what they hear or experience and turn it to the strengthening of your relationship with God.