Who is the Holy Ghost?

When we come to Christ, repent of our sins and trust in Jesus as our Savior, the Trinity moves into our Born Again spirit. The Father, Son and Spirit all abide in us, and we do the works that Jesus did, in each community in which we live (John 14:12).

God's Holy Spirit is our comforter, guide, encourager, perfecter, convicter, and sanctifier. He supplies us with everything we ever need to accomplish God's will during each moment of the day, as long as we consult Him first and not making our own plans (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The Spirit also fills us with His fruit until we exhibit Christ's divine nature of love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-control and faith in exchange for our carnal nature (Galatians 5:22-23). He replaces our carnality with His fruit.

We can facilitate this process by focusing on one verse in God's Word at a time, which pertains to each fruit. I like to write the verses on 3x5 cards and carrying them around with me to reread every chance that I get.

The Trinity gives us wisdom when we are puzzled, forgiveness when we fall, humility when we are tempted to take the credit for our successes, and contentment that stems from living with a heavenly mindset rather than as worldly-minded individuals.

We already have all of the Holy Spirit abiding in us; however, the more we submit to His guidance, the more the Spirit controls our life, smooths out the rough edges of our day, and gives us supernatural strength to do all that He calls us to do.

Sometimes, the trials of life are overwhelming, causing physical, emotional, and mental pain and anguish. Yet, we can rely on God's Spirit to heal our brokenness (Psalm 147:3), comfort our distresses (2 Corinthians 1:1-11), and make our paths straight (Psalm 27:11).

Prayer:

Father God, we are so grateful that You did not leave us alone in this great big, scary world (Hebrews 13:5). We appreciate Christ abiding within us, teaching us, leading us, enlightening us with His Truth, and comforting us through His Spirit dwelling in us. Help us to see that our self-worth and confidence come from our relationship with You.

Teach us to pray without ceasing, rejoice in our circumstances regardless of their severity, and give thanks to You for Your provision, safety and blessings throughout our day (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). In spiritual warfare, You guide us in how to overcome Satan's wiles, and we are so grateful that You are greater than anything he or this world can throw at us (1 John 4:4).

Thought for the Day:

Jesus is the Word who became flesh in order to pay the debt that we owed for our sinful lifestyle; His Word is truth, and His Spirit enlightens us as we feast on verses of scripture throughout the day. - John 1:14, 14:6

Radical Transformation

When Almighty God moves into a life, we can expect a radical transformation. The speed at which this occurs depends on our willingness to totally surrender to His will.

Our spirit is immediately changed, brought from the state of death in sin to alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:1). The next step is sanctification in our soul, which takes a lifetime for most people (1 Corinthians 6:10-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

We come as we are, and jump up on the operation table of God's grace; so that His Word can separate our soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12). We facilitate the process as we actively decrease, so that He may increase (John 3:30).

God calls us to die daily to our fleshly desires and to work out our own salvation; but at the same time He makes it clear that it is His Spirit that actually does the work (Philippians 2:12-13; Ephesians 4:22-24).

God created us to imitate Christ and to walk in true holiness by repenting of every sin. We cooperate as the Spirit sanctifies us. We live, move and have our entire being in Him (Acts 17:28).

He forgives us and calls us to submit to the Spirit as He transform us into the divine nature of Christ (2 Peter 1:4). We mature spiritually and this conversion consumes every area of our life (Galatians 2:20).

We relinquish our cares to Him, because He really does care for us (1 Peter 5:7). We stop worrying and walk in His peace. When we pray, we give thanks for all that God already did in our life (Philippians 4:6-7).

Jesus encouraged us not to work to attain the things of this world that rust and spoil; but to seek food that endures throughout eternity (John 6:26-27; Isaiah 55:2). We long for Him like the deer panting for the water brook until we joyfully experience His presence within us every moment of the day (Psalm 42:1-2; Acts 3:19).

Prayer:

Father God, You made it possible for us to eat the body and drink the blood of Jesus Christ (Psalm 34:8). Taking Him into our being and consuming Him in an intimate relationship where we two become one. This provides us with eternal life now, and You will also raise us up on our last day on earth in order to dwell with You for eternity (John 6:34). 

Only You can satisfy our longing and fill our hungry soul (Psalm 107:9). Your Word gives us milk as new born babies (1 Peter 2:2). Jesus is the Bread of Life on which we feast as we mature (John 6:35). Then, like Jesus, our food is to do Your will every moment of our life (John 4:34). Prepare our hearts, lead us, fill us with Your presence and Spirit and provide for our every need as we make the radical transition from worm to butterfly.

Thought for the Day:

In Christ, His whole body fits together in perfect harmony, supporting one another, growing together spiritually, loving one another as Christ loves us, and all of us functioning in the ministry into which He calls us. - Ephesians 4:16, 2:10

God's Divinity within Us

Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, the Holy of Holies (Hebrews 9:3). The Holy Spirit lives through us in the perfection of Christ and according to the will of our Father God (Colossians 2:9). We are no longer sinners chained to the flesh.

Christ is our righteousness, deliverance, redemption, sanctification and so much more (1 Corinthians 1:31). He challenges us to hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6).

If our flesh is tempted to sin, we simply remember that it is dead and hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3; Romans 7:25). When we view any temptation through the eyes of the Spirit living within us, the sin loses its appeal for us.

We realize that we would much rather live righteously through Christ than unrighteously through our old, dead flesh. We are a new creation freed from the power of sin through the divinity of Christ who dwells in us.

In the same way, if we attempt a ministry for the glory of God, and the Spirit did not lead us to serve in that area, we will never find His anointing in it.

When Jesus lived in the flesh, He suffered trials in every area, and had just as many temptations as we do. Yet, in each instance, He drew from the strength of His divinity; and in the end, He conquered sin, death and hell for us all (Revelations 1:18).

Every Born Again Believer lives in divine union with this same Christ. Even though we still live in a body of flesh, we now live by the faith of the Son of God who cares for us and sacrificed Himself for us (Galatians 2:20).

Sin has no more power over us; therefore, we live a victorious life through Christ in us, both now and for all of eternity (James 1:25). We draw from the strength of His divinity within us for healing, wisdom, strength, righteousness and direction.

Prayer:

Father God, our finite mind has such trouble understanding what we cannot see. Yet, the faith of Christ within us helps us to see with spiritual eyes of understanding. Help us to walk in Your truth by the faith of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who dwells within us by Your Spirit; so that we no longer think that we have to sin and we may bear fruit for You (Romans 7:4).

We limit Your use of us on this earth by our watered down concept that we are still sinners and will always be sinners weighted down by our sinful, fleshly nature. Remind us that this old nature is already dead in Christ, that we are new creations by Your Spirit, and that we are now spiritual beings and slaves to righteousness, not to sin (Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:18).

Thought for the Day:

Once we make Christ our whole life, we are no longer sinners hindered by sin and our flesh, because the power of the spiritual law of life through the Holy Spirit has set us free from the power of the fleshly law which once held us in bondage to sin and death.

- Colossians 3:3-5; Romans 6:14, 6:22, 8:2; John 8:36

Relinquishing Our Hold on This Life

 

We have no need to fear death or to cling to this life. We can relinquish our desires to succeed in this society, because it is only a vapor on a cold winter's day (James 4:14). It quickly dissipates.

Our dependence on earthly advantages leave us insecure at best. As we value our temporal life with less importance and put a higher priority on our spiritual life, our levels of stress, fear, anxiety and depression about our life on this earth diminish.

Satan's lies and negative self-talk, which comes from significant others in our life and fills our mind, attempt to rob us of our confidence in God's love.

It is important for us to reject these negative thoughts and attitudes as they pop up and replace them with God's truth (Philippians 4:8). We agree with what God says about us in His Word. http://vintagelawrence.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ANDERSON_WhoIAmInChrist.pdf

As we develop a habit of prayer, this proves our dependence upon God. It humbles us and glorifies God who holds all power, glory and honor in His hands.

Only as we snuggle in the palm of God's hand are we safe. He prevents life from separating us from His love (John 10:27-29; Romans 8:35-39). We are sealed in Him by His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14).

As a child of God, Christ is in us and we are the temple of His Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). There is no need for us to belittle our self or to believe these negative lies. 

God cares about our heartaches and He bears our burdens as we share them with Him (1 Peter 5:7). He helps us in all of our troubles (Psalm 46:1). We go to God with every distress and He keeps our tears in His bottle to revenge in His way and timing (Psalm 56:8).

We can pray in our own words about the real issues which affect our life. Our needs, feelings, wounds and failings are His concern too. We can trust Him to meet all of our needs as we make His Kingdom our priority in this life (Matthew 6:33).

Prayer:

Father God, You are our God, and You save us and preserve our life as we trust in You (Psalm 86:2).  You already know the end of time from the beginning; and Your purpose will stand through it all as You carry out Your pleasure (Isaiah 46:10). As we read accounts of Your goodness throughout Your Word, it builds our faith. We sing joyfully of Your righteous choices in the affairs of our world.

You are compassionate and gracious, a good, good God; and we are loved by You. You are slow to anger and great in loving kindness and You never send judgment without first sending ample warning and time to repent. You are good to all; and we see Your tender mercies through Your works in times past, as well as today (Psalm 145:7-9).

Thought for the Day:

God is the Lord of hosts and is exalted in all the earth, our God who is holy in all of His righteous decisions; and when we pass from this life to Heaven, we go immediately into the presence of God. - Isaiah 5:16