Pentecost

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of Holy Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to Holy Spirit. Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with Holy Spirit have their minds set on what Holy Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by Holy Spirit is life and peace.  Romans 8:1-6 NIV

God we love You, help us to see Holy Spirit anew, Thank You for His presence, power and fellowship. Yes Lord! Your friendship! Soften our hearts and open our ears to Holy Spirit, right here with each of us! May we know You more deeply during our time together here and each day anew. In Jesus' name, amen. 

We come into God’s family full of sin, full of hurt, and full of baggage. So from the moment we are saved to the day Jesus returns, God teaches us the values of this new family we’ve been adopted into. He doesn’t do this by giving a list of rules to follow, but by giving us Holy Spirit as a guide. 

Acts 2:38 ESV And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of Holy Spirit. 

Holy Spirit stirred my heart to repentance over several sleepless nights …. my heart was so convicted by Him that I crawled into bed, overwhelmed with certainty of my need for deliverance- Seven days later I knew I wanted to put my trust in Jesus and accept Him as my Savior. By grace I was saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9).  

And something else happens in that moment when receive eternal life. Something we don’t often talk about. Something that most of us, including me, had no knowledge or understanding of. 

And that’s this: When we put our trust in Jesus, God puts His Spirit in us! It’s an extravagant exchange, all to our advantage and all for God’s glory (Romans 8:9–11).

Hallelujah! 

When we ask Jesus into our lives, our spirit is made perfect. And while our body and soul — what we do, and what we think and feel — are still far from perfect we get to listen to Holy Spirit and follow His lead, new behaviours displace our old ones - 

Romans 8:16 TPT For Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as He whispers into our innermost being, “You are God’s beloved child!”

As crazy as it might sound, true freedom comes from submission to God. We spent our lives before Jesus chasing what feels good and doing what we thought was right. And in the end, we were never fulfilled. 

Each time we follow Holy Spirit, we become a little more like Jesus and a little less like who we used to be. Confidence that we are God’s children replaces the knowledge that we are God’s children. And that’s where the real adventure begins.