Tag: holy spirit

Fear Not 365 – For the Father Sends the Comfort… The Holy Spirit

March 15, 2017 by ChristianHolinessDaily Leave a Comment

As Christians, we place our hope in Christ for eternal life. We look forward with great anticipation to eternity. More than that, we hope for the return of Jesus, cutting off the evil of this world. We focus so much on end times that we tend to forget the blessings of the present.

Whereas we hope for His return, Jesus in this passage tells us that we should celebrate His departure. Look at the entire passage and you will see two reasons for celebration. Jesus has gone to be with the Father, who, in Jesus’s words, is greater than He, and the arrival of the Holy Spirit, bringing peace to the hearts of believers. Herein is the hope for this life.

You see, being a Christian is more than victory over death, more than eternal life. It is victory over sin in this life. Being a Christian is an inexplicable relationship that involves the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit and the surrender of the believer. That is just the beginning, though. Salvation is just the first step in a wondrous relationship between the Father and His child.

The Christian life is a life of peace. It is a life of comfort. It is a life that can be free of fear.

Fear Not, for the Father sends the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.

Fear Not 365 – For the Lord Himself Goes in Front of You

February 11, 2017 by ChristianHolinessDaily Leave a Comment

Because of their lack of faith, for forty years the Israelites were made to live in various spots in the desert, never having a permanent home, never building a city, never owning real property.

God, though, was there with them. His very presence could be found in a tent dedicated to Him called the tabernacle. Within this dwelling place of God was a smaller chamber called the Holy of Holies. Within that chamber one could find the Ark of the Covenant, which could contained the tablets on which were written the Ten Commandments.

Before the people of Israel crossed over the Jordan into the Promised Land, the tabernacle and all that was within it would be taken across, in front of them. God literally led the way.

Jesus, in his 33 some-odd years of human life, was the embodiment of the tabernacle. This is signified in John chapter 1, where we see the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus like a dove. Though Jesus was fully God and also fully man from the minute of his miraculous conception, John paints a picture with which the Jews can identify by recounting the baptismal of Christ: the presence of God can be found within the person of Jesus, the Christ.

In Acts 2, we see the twelve Apostles together with well over a hundred other believers, gathered in the upper room. It is a full 7 weeks after the resurrection of Christ. They are waiting. And, praying.

On the first day of the eight week, the Holy Spirit descends on those believers in a miraculous fashion, leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind that God was present. It is on that day, day number fifty, the Day of Pentecost, that the very presence of God, the Holy Spirit, filled the lives of that small band of believers. From that day forward, all believers, even you and I, are the Tabernacle of God.

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 3:16 calls us the Temple of God; it’s the same concept. We are the house of the Lord. You and me. God lives in us. He goes with us and before us into battle. He fights for us. The victory is His.

Someday, when we cross over the River Jordan into the Promised Land, we have the assurance that He crossed over before us. He will be with us, too, on that final journey. On that day, we meet Him face-to-face.

Fear Not, for the Lord goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Daily Devotion for 12 August 16 – Standing Alone?

August 12, 2016 by ChristianHolinessDaily Leave a Comment

There are few people in history like Job. He lost everything, his livestock, his servants, and his ten children. Later, he loses his health; his body is covered in boils.

He shaved his head, ripped his clothing and went into mourning. His three closest friends mourned with him, sitting silently for seven days.

When Job finally spoke, he cursed the day he was born. His friends, however, had their own ideas about Job’s problems. One believed that Job was being punished for unrepented sin. Another believed that Job had exhibited evil behavior and should have endeavoured to be more righteous. Still, another believed that Job likely deserved far greater punishment than that which he had already received. With friends like that…

Job defended his innocence to his friends and proclaimed that there is a Redeemer in heaven who would vouch for him (Job 16:19, 19:25). He longed for an intercessor, someone to speak to God on his behalf. Amazing, isn’t it, that this man of God, who lived perhaps 600 years before Christ, could so succinctly sum up the role of Christ, who now sits at the right side of His Father.

There are many lessons and insights to be gleaned from the book of Job, and one that is often overlooked is this: Job turned to his friends for help, and they were no help at all; instead, they frustrated him. Yet, he stood beside them, and reminded them that he was a better friend to them than they were to him. In the end, Job stood alone and even defended his friends before God.

Job’s patience is often the topic of discussion, but it is his faith that we should learn from. He trusted in God before there was a Bible to read. He believed in a Redeemer before mankind had been redeemed. And, he had faith that if he trusted in God, God would remain faithful to him.

We worship a God of infinite might and never-ending mercy, and His Spirit lives in the heart of every one of His children, given to us so that we may experience firsthand that for which Job could only long. He is our Comforter, our never-failing, True Friend. With Christ in our hearts, we never really stand alone.