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

All Part of God's Plan

God's wrath over sin fated Jesus to a brutal crucifixion before the creation of the world (Revelation 13:8; 1 Peter 1:20). Jesus became sin for undeserving sinners like us (Isaiah 53:10). As we confess Him before our Father, He becomes our Lord (Philippians 2:11; Isaiah 53:11). His words of life bring us joy (John 15:11). He is our eternal life, and our fulfillment is in His presence both now and in eternity (Psalm 16:11).

When we come to the awesome revelation that not one thing occurs in our life that is not part of God's plan for us, we can relax and go with His flow and follow His directives during each situation, just like Jesus did (1Thessalonians 5:18). This absolute truth allows us to live in His perfect peace. Our joy is no longer affected by our circumstances, but simply by the presence of Christ within us (Colossians 1:27).

During our lifetime our thoughts, words or deeds may cause us to reap negative circumstances, but God even uses this to discipline and mature us as His Saints. The Lord is God, He made us, and we belong to Him (Psalm 100:3). He gave us Jesus as our Way, Truth and Life (Johan 14:6). God never leaves us, so our joy is always complete (Hebrews 13:5; John 15:11).

God calls His children to live with gratitude to Him in our heart in every situation, which life throws at us (James 1:2-5; Hebrews 12:3-13; 1 Peter 2:20-21). Due to God's goodness, mercy and everlasting truth, words of thanksgiving and praise fill all of our days (Psalm 100:5). This gives us continual victory. In our gratitude to Him, we sing songs of praise and we serve Him with His joy as our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Prayer:

Father God, we always give thanks to You, in the name of Jesus, for everything in our life, even the negative aspects (Ephesians 5:20). You did, You do and You will always do so much for us, for which we thank You. Thank You that Jesus gave His body, broken for our redemption (Luke 22:19). Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, who keeps us from living on this earth as orphans (John 14:18). Thank You for Your presence in our life. We look forward to dwelling with You in eternity (John 17:3).

Thought for the Day:

We live in praise to God, because He promises that He will work out all things, even the negative aspects of our life, for our good. - Romans 8:28

Breathing Room for Our Soul

With preconceived ideas of what we want from life, we often miss out on God’s best for us. We toil and strive for fulfillment only to end up disillusioned and frustrated. If we completely surrender to God’s will, enter into His rest and consult Him in all of our decisions, He opens doors for us that no one can close (Ephesians 2:10; Hebrews 4:10; Proverbs 3:5-6, Revelation 3:8). We find complete joy in the Lord (Colossians 2:10).

Positive attitudes enhance our life. Forgiveness allows us to feel kindness and compassion for other people  (Ephesians 4:32). Each moment that we hold a grudge, feel resentment or entertain bitterness robs us of our health, wealth and success. Negative emotions and attitudes are red flags, indicating that we are not caring for our soul. We rent our soul out to others, so they can abuse and devalue us.

We all appreciate having a second chance when we fail, so giving someone else that same opportunity will bring us joy, especially when they prove their faithfulness. We can also take complete responsibility for our life, faults and failings. We can apologize for letting someone down, even when we are not really at fault. This keeps peace in our relationships and our life.

Gratitude is another important key to entertaining positive attitudes (1 Thessalonians 5:18). We often have unfulfilled expectations, which make us unhappy with what we already have. God gives us abundant blessings every day, and we fail to notice or thank Him for them. Sometimes, other people bless us, and we fail to show them appreciation too. Start counting your blessings and saying, “Thank you.”

As we renounce the negative self-talk in our life, we gain our identity from God’s love and acceptance. Learning to laugh at our idiosyncrasies, we stop taking our self so seriously. God gives us courage to make changes and to trust Him with our life. Fellowshipping with other authentic Believers, we limit our exposure to negative people. Living by God’s promises will change our future.

Prayer:

Father God, we know that You love us so much that You became a man and died for us on Calvary’s cross. We cherish our life and want to live it for Your glory. You have a perfect plan for each of us. We submit to You and resist Satan, so that he cannot influence our life (James 4:7). Help us to center our time in You and to live in Your will for each moment of it (Ephesians 2:10). Make us a light, which cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14-16); so we can encourage others to come to You too. In Jesus' name and for Your glory. Amen.

Thought for the Day:

Seeking God’s Will gives us breathing room for our soul. – Psalm 62:6