John 14:25-27
Theme - The Spirit refreshes our memory bringing relevant truth to our minds, at the proper time.
Are you aware of the many ways that the Spirit brings vital truth to your attention during important decision-making times? Plato once said, "Truth is the beginning of every good thing. If you want to be blessed and happy you should first gain truth, for then you can be trusted." The Spirit has a unique way of quickening our intellect to focus on specific truths that are appropriate when we are making vital decisions. He interprets truth by giving it meaning and relevant to our situations. Many people are confused because their thoughts are not refined by His interpretative perceptions. The Spirit is the author and illuminator of our minds. He suggests thoughts when we are discerning the best, from merely good choices. Do not let good choices become obstacles to the perfect will of God. The Spirit can bring to our minds forgotten truths, examples, and errors to avoid. He can fill our memories with stories of encouragement when we are almost overwhelmed by discouragements. The Spirit filters out harmful information from useful truth. Do not let an adversaries’ accusations force you to give up. The Spirit’s still small voice urges us on to the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us pursue truth in the spirit as well as according to the letter. Truth without the right attitude tends toward legalism.
Question - What are the reasons the Spirit reminds us of forgotten truths?
Prayer - Lord, bring to our minds your truths and help us to be willing to obey your prompting.
Feb 14th……
.. I Cor. 2:14-16
Theme - The Spirit gives us the power to serve, think, and believe according to the plans of God.
Have you ever wondered how some people are able to serve God successfully for 50 years without growing weary? Trusting is in God renews ones’ energies. How calmly we can commit ourselves to the hands of Him who bears up the world. No matter how intelligent, trained, or gifted,no one is ble to serve God without the power of the Holy pirit. He is the one who enables us to gain the otivations to proceed in the face of all kinds of pposition. When we read about Paul’s dynamic ministry that spanned over a 30 year period of terrible persecution, we have to thank the Spirit for His continuous empowering. Paul envisages himself as a conquering General returning from a great victory. His victories gave greater glory to God for His Spirit’s empowering. The Spirit always leads us in triumph through Christ. Adversity cannot possibly overcome you if you are being led by the Spirit. God’s grace will never lead you where His Spirit will not provide everything you need. The unfathomable depth of the Spirit’s energizing ministry is the secret to any life dedicated to Jesus Christ. Others will sense the fragrance of your victory. Do not try to rely on your own strength, cunning, or resources. The Spirit gives you the initiative and the staying power to complete all of His will.
Question - Why do some people grow tired and operate at less than full power?
Prayer - Lord, help us to continually rely on your Spirit for motivations, energy, and resources to serve you wholeheartedly.
Feb 15th John 14:15-21
Theme - The Spirit gives us hope and clear insights into what is to come.
Why are Spirit-led people able to rise above defeats? The Spirit gives us an inward sense of hope for a better tomorrow. Hope is the anchor of the soul. Hope is the stimulus for action. Hope is faith holding out its hand in the darkest of nights. If it were not for hope, the heart would break. The Spirit of God works through believers’ obedience and love to provide hope. He discloses insights into the future. The more we hope in His Spirit’s capacities, the greater we will be able to love and obey. He gives us the Comforter who counsels us in the ways to go. He is not just a legal advocate advising us in the interpretation of the law. Do not let your obedience come only out of grudging compliance to the commandments. Obedience is not to be a burden. This revelation is given through assurances of the hope laid up for His followers. Jesus endured the suffering, criticisms, and deceit from men as He fixed His gaze on the hope before Him. Stop fixing your attention on your circumstances. Transfer your hope toward what awaits you in heaven. Thousands have gladly gone to their death as martyrs for Christ with their vision fixed on His glorious hope. Behind every dark cloud there is a ray of sunlight’s hope. Without hope we cannot live, pray, or achieve. If our hope were in this world we would be people to be pitied.
Question - What are the ways that we can fix our minds on the hope set before us rather than on things of this earth?
Prayer - Lord, help us to filled with Your Spirit of hope as you give us a clearer picture of things to come.
Feb 16th……
. Acts 1:4
Theme - Learn to wait on the Spirit to do His work.
Why do many people struggle to wait on the Spirit to do His work? You can accomplish almost anything if you have enough patience. The Hausa proverb says, "The man who has enough patience, can cook a rock and make a stew." The apostles were willing to wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit to come upon them as promised by Jesus. Many people are hasty, wanting results immediately. They forgot that the Spirit is always on time. His plans are perfect and all His ways are blessed. Success is usually not instantaneous, but progressive, according to God’s scheduling. Keep asking, seeking, and knocking until the Spirit opens doors of opportunity. Stay consistent in little things so that He can promote you to bigger responsibilities. Success is most often achieved by the patiently persistent. Work on His time schedule not on yours. Jesus waited 30 years for the Spirit to signal the beginning of His public ministry. He accomplished all the Father’s will in three short years. He did not confuse waiting with indifferent passivity. He used the slow times to minister creatively. Do not think that a delay from God means a permanently closed door. Be patient. You get the chicken by hatching the egg - not by smashing it open. While you are waiting on the Spirit to accomplish the Father’s will, do all you can do. He will perfect our ways.
Question - What are the reasons why people do not like to wait on the Spirit of God?
Prayer - Lord, help us to discern when we should wait and when should proceed ahead by faith.
Feb 17th ………
.. Acts 1:6-8
Theme - We can only know the power of the Spirit through the gospel’s service.
Why are many people living on minimum power? The primary power of the Holy Spirit is ignited through the ministry of the gospel. Robert Green wrote, "I know my god commands, whose power no power resists." When people are living for their own selfish interests they are relying on other powers, besides that of the Spirit. The power of the Spirit is not under our control, but God’s. Many assume that political power enables one to produce change. The Spirit works through the power of gospel to affect the greatest changes. His is a power that is given moment by moment as we live by faith. The Spirit imparts His power through the gospel’s sowing, nurturing, and discipling ministries. Do not think that you can store up the power of the Spirit to be used whenever you prefer. The Spirit is not like a battery that can be used whenever we feel like it. His is a supernatural power that is given as we give His love, grace, and wisdom to others. If you are lacking power, try giving His power to those you come in contact. Speak His word to them through love, patience, and acts of kindness. The more you give, the more power you will get in return. He will never allow your power supply to be exhausted. There is nothing sublime that does not require His power. Stop settling for minimum power when all power in heaven and earth is available to you.
Question - What are the reasons why many content themselves in living on low power?
Prayer - Lord, help us to live in, through, and by the power of your Spirit in all that we say and do.
Feb 18th John 8:31-34
Theme - The Spirit works through the power of truth to free people from their bondage.
Why are many people limited by fear, inhibitions, and cultural restraints? Could it be that these are people who are yet to put into use the truth that they have heard. The most difficult thing to open is a closed mind. Jesus said, "If you know the truth, the truth will set you free!" Truth never leads to never bondage. Wherever the Spirit leads, people enjoy liberty. Many people are afraid that freedom will lead to chaos. The Spirit’s freedom is not to be used selfishly. He frees us from the law, traditions, and personal inhibitions. His gives us a range of choices that can improve the way we think. You are no longer a slave, but a son of God. The connection between truth and freedom is actuated by our obedience. When the Spirit imparts truth to some, He gives them a freedom from fear, guilt, and shame. No longer do people have to hide behind deceitful words or actions in order to get what they want. The people who are to be most pitied are those who feel that they do not need freedom. These are like the Pharisees who fail to conceive the law as a self-imposed bondage to the past. Only hungry minds can be satisfied. Too many of us are broad minded about the wrong things. Some minds are like concrete - thoroughly mixed and permanently set. Let His truth free you to break loose from the chains that bind.
Question - What are the reasons why people choose limitations rather than freedom through truth?
Prayer - Lord, never let me hindered in any way as your Spirit guides us into all truth.
Feb 19th ………
. Acts 3:1-10
Theme - The Spirit heals, restores, and makes us whole.
How does the Holy Spirit work His healing in our mind, relationships, and ministries? Many peoples’ minds have been closed for years, but not for repairs or alterations. Through a supernatural power, the Spirit makes our minds, emotions, and bodies whole. He restores the cripples. Notice, that He heals us from disease so we may be fit vessels for His use. He begins by healing us from the sickness of sin. His healing presupposed that the recipient would be restored for useful service. Never did the Spirit heal someone when they were not given encouragement to serve. Stop expecting to receive more blessings unless you are using the ones you are already have. When the Spirit used Peter as a vessel for healing the crippled beggar, he commanded him to rise to his feet in the authority of Jesus. Immediately, the beggar raised his voice in praise to God. He gave testimony of the great things done to Him by the Spirit. Give others testimony of how the Lord has healed you from bitterness, envy, and negative thinking. As the crowd gathered, Peter took advantage of the situation to preach the gospel to the curiosity seekers. Let the Spirit come to make you whole. When God restores you let others share in the blessings. The healing was another sign of the power of the Spirit to make the crippled beggars of this world fit for the Master’s use. No one is beyond the power of the Spirit’s healing.
Question - What are the ways that the Spirit can use us to bring healing to others?
Prayer - Lord, help us to minister healing to other’s physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Feb 20th John 16:33
Theme - The Spirit gives us the power to suffer shame, persecution, and deprivation for Jesus’ sake.
Why are so few people able to rejoice in their sufferings? Paul the apostle said, "I consider that the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us." (Rom. 8:18) Paul knew the joys awaiting for those temperate enough to suffer for Christ. Paul knew that the genius of success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. The Spirit empowered the apostles to suffer shame for His name and go along rejoicing. These were ordinary men who were fully controlled by the Spirit of joy. Beaten with whips, thrown in dingy jails, and deprived of food, the apostles were glad to suffer shame for His name. All of this was possible only through the Spirit’s all sufficient grace. They counted themselves worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus by the intercessory power of the Spirit. When you are undergoing hardships that you think are undeserved, ask the Spirit for help. He will give you an extra measure of grace to endure for His sake. Hunted by the mobs of Iconium and stoned by the ferocity of the zealots, the disciples were filled with joy of the Holy Ghost. Theirs, was a supernatural joy. The Spirit lifts us above our suffering and deprivations through His crowning powers of endurance and delight. Success is the result of backbone, not wishbone. Do not doubt His ability to make you an overcomer.
Question - What are some examples of men who can rejoice even through persecutions for Jesus’ sake?
Prayer - Lord, help us to gain your spirit of grace to endure sufferings with gladness of heart, mind, and body.
Feb 21st ………
. I Cor 3:16-17
Theme - Without the sanctifying ministry of the Spirit, we not freed from the powers of sin.
Why are many believers content to live in spiritual oppression? Few people have ever found the pleasure of sin equal to its promises. Yet, people persist in trying to believe sin’s false promises. Sin is often mothered by ignorance. Many have never appreciated the consecrating ministry of the Spirit’s sanctification. The Spirit lives within our temple that He wants to turn into His sanctuary. As the holiest part of the temple, this is where people of purity communed with God. It becomes the engine room where all of the power flows from. Without the holiness of God no man can live under the power of the Spirit. Some are unconsciously defiling the temple with their impure motives and actions. They are displeasing the owner of the temple through their impure lifestyles. If anyone destroys the temple, God will destroy him. This can be done by accepting false teaching or by causing others to reject Jesus. Stop choosing to live in fear, poverty, and defeat. Stop complaining more about others sins than your shortcomings. The other fellow’s sins, like the other fellow’s car lights, always seem more glaring than our own. You cannot put your sins behind you until you are willing to face them in the Spirit. He alone can lift you above the powers of the temptations of sins of commission and omission. Stop defiling the holy temple of the Spirit. Purity cannot be lost without consent.
Question - What are the ways that we can consecrate ourselves to the sanctifying ministry of the Holy Spirit?
Prayer - Lord, help us to consecrate ourselves as your sanctuary.
Feb 22nd I Cor. 6:18,19
Theme - Surrendering our bodies to the Spirit allows us to be freed from the lusts of the flesh.
Why are many people unable to wrestle themselves away from the lusts of the flesh? Lusts tend to intoxicate. The Spirit tends to sober people up. Those who lust are like reckless drivers, the drive like living is going out of style. An upright man can never be a downright failure. The Spirit not only wants to control our human spirit and our soul, but also our body. The flesh sets its desires against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. Our natures war against the Spirit. We cannot do the things that we please. The Spirit wants control of our eyes, ears, mouth, feet, and hands. Do not think that you can please God simply by refraining from immorality. Spirit filled living is more than just avoiding evil. To walk in the Spirit means we are marching in step with all His directives. He can give us supernatural blessings. Since Christ bought us with His body, we belong to Him. We need to continually offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to Him. When the Spirit is in charge all affections, our bodies become powerful impulses, useful for the Master’s purpose. One may go wrong in many directions, but right in only one. No man can be at peace with God without fighting with the devil. Spirit led believers do not lose the power to sin, but have less desire to. He is the only source of renewal, energizing, and purification.
Question - What are the reasons many bodies are abused, worn out, and misused?
Prayer - Lord, help us to surrender our bodies to your Spirit’s control.
Feb 23rd ………
I Cor. 12:12-13
Theme - The Spirit transforms the church as an organization into a living organism, full of creative and reproductive powers.
What are the chief differences between seeing the church as an organization or an organism? An organization may have a systematic structure that helps it run efficiently, but it may be without creative and reproductive capacities. The Spirit gives us the ability to create and reproduce His life into others. As the author of life, He infuses supernatural capacities into the body of believers that helps them perform "greater works". (John 14:12) The practices of an organization may aid the organism, but they can never be allowed to govern it. An organism is directed by its head, even Christ. The Spirit uses the organizational dimensions of the church to maximize its arrangements. The Spirit harmonizes the organism and the organizational roles of the church perfectly. Through the Spirit, He gives the church fresh newness. He allows it to reproduce its message of hope, faith, and love in its members. Let us stop treating the church only as an organization, club, or old boys society. Do not just think of the church as a living organism that is too complex to organize. Do not merely think of the church as an organism without the need for organization. The Spirit synergies both aspects for the maximization of His will. Our business is not so much to do something for the church, but to do something with the church
Question - What are the ways that a church organizational concept can stifle its ability to reach its potentials?
Prayer - Lord, help us to stop viewing the church simply as another organization.
Feb 24th ………
.. I Cor. 12:14-20
Theme - The Spirit helps us find unity in our diversity of gifts and callings.
What are some reasons churches fail to find strength in their unity? The church must first learn humility as well as teach it. There are many arguments over how the church should be structured. Many fellowships, churches, and families find more unity in authoritative father figures than in the participatory unity of its members. The Spirit works unity through diversification of gifts. He blends people’s differences into a successful combination. He can take the sweet, the sour, and the plain ingredients to produce desirable results. He can use the black keys and the white keys of His human piano to make beautiful music. The body of Christ has only one head, yet many fellowships forget this fact. Some churches operate by a few strong minded individuals. They tend to forget the valuable contributions of each member. Just because people are different in their spiritual maturities does not mean that they cannot give blessings. Many organizations are run as if the one powerful leader has a greater measure of the Spirit than all the other members. This is dangerously wrong. Through our diversification of gifts we find our unity. Our unity does not call for perfect conformity to one man’s ideals, but those found in Christ. The unity of the church must not be organized, but exercised. Great churches have leaders who prove that spiritual forces are more desirable than physical ones
Question - What are the reasons unity through diversity is so difficult to achieve?
Prayer - Lord, help us to recognize the valuable contribution of each member of Your body through the Spirit’s gifts and callings.
Feb 25th 2 Cor. 1:21,22
Theme - The Spirit establishes and anoints us in divine affirmation.
Why are insecure people so much in need of the anointing ministry of the Spirit of God? Few people realize that no one is great until they share in Christ’s holiness. When the Spirit anoints us, He affirms us as holy and acceptable to God through Christ. It was an offense to use anointing oil for simple common purposes. The Lord does not give the Spirit for our own selfish ambitions. Prophets were anointed so they could be distinguished from the crowd as special messengers and witnesses of the will of God for people. Priests were anointed enabling them to represent people before God through their intercessory prayers. These were men who enabled people to approach God in acceptable worship, praise, and offerings. Kings were anointed to rule in the name and for God. Their power rested on the authority of God alone. The effects of anointing produced a special divine favor upon the individual and his group. Do not think that lasting power can be given by men. His bestowal of divine favor remains as God’s sole prerogative. He sets up one, but puts down another. Spurgeon wrote, "Holiness is the architectural plan upon which God builds His temple. His anointing enables us to perform supernatural services that will bring heavenly blessings, truth, and love. Ask God to give you a special anointing of His Spirit as you seek to serve Him today.
Question - What are the ways that we are beneficiaries of God’s divine anointing?
Prayer - Lord, help us to submit and recognize your divine anointing through the Spirit.
Feb 26th ………
2 Cor. 1:22-24
Theme - The Spirit’s sealing ministry gives us a mark of authenticity and authority.
What are the disadvantages of failing to be sealed by the Spirit of God? "When people surrender themselves to the Spirit of God’s ministry they will learn more about God’s will and power in a week than most people learn in a lifetime," wrote John Brown. A seal in Biblical times was given to secure a letter’s authenticity and authority from its sender. When you are sealed by the Spirit you are given His validations. The seal could only be broken by an authorized person or one would risk death. A sealed door would prevent unauthorized entry as was done to the lion’s den at Babylon in Daniel’s case. He refuses to allow any temptation into our lives without His approval. This sealing of ownership on believers by the Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing all that is promised to be given. When the Lord gives gifts, no one can take them from us. No man, no circumstance, or no sin can endanger our inheritance in heaven. Stop worrying about losing your salvation if you have been sealed by the Spirit. When the Lord sealed you at the time of conversion, you were sealed with the genuine stamp of His ownership. No one steals anything from God. Do all that you can to warn those who are living without the seal of the Spirit. All that awaits them at death is the promise of destruction, judgment, and eternal separation from all that is good. Unless you are sealed, you will be open to dangerous intruders. God, whose business we engage, will not forget to look after yours in the age to come.
Question - What are the assurances that sealed believers should proclaim to others?
Prayer - Lord, help us to live with perfect peace under the seal of your preserving authority.
Feb 27th 2 Cor. 3:1-6
Theme - The Spirit writes Christ’s life, teachings and chracter on our hearts.
How does the Spirit help our lives to become the only Christ-like book that many people will ever read? It is little wonder why so many people have a hard time distinguishing a Christian from a nominal believer. Many people have substituted relativity for reality, psychology for prayer, an inferiority complex for sin, social control for family worship, autosuggestion for conversion, reflex action for revelation, and the spirit of the times for the Holy Spirit. The Spirit helps us to receive the message of His word with understanding and applications. Paul writes, "You are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody." He becomes our great recorder, transcriber, translator, and publisher for all the world to openly read. Through the Spirit our lives become the guidebooks for our families, friends, and colleagues to understand the nature of Jesus. He edits out the things that are harmful to our testimonies. You will always communicate more to people through your lifestyle than anything else. A person’s greatest testimony comes from the Spirit’s implanted thought patterns. Tune into to Him or be tune out of God’s blessings. May the Lord help us be open to the Spirit’s wise, clear, and convicting communications to our hearts and minds.
Question - What are the ways that the Spirit records His message in minds, emotions, and actions?
Prayer - Lord, help us to discerning understand how you are writing your likeness into our character through the Spirit’s ministries.
Feb 28th ………
2 Cor. 3:12-18
Theme - The Spirit’s transforming ministry is done through a supernatural photographic image processing.
Why do some people disagree about Christ-like leadership qualities? Many people see in Christ only what they want to see. The purpose of Christianity is not just to procure salvation. The purpose of being a Christian is not to avoid difficulty, but to produce a character adequate to meet difficulties when they come. The Spirit enables us to see through the clouds of discouragement, ignorance, and our sinful natures. The Spirit helps make us adequate for what we are inadequate in our human natures. While we are human we will continue to see imperfectly. Our natural biases distort our vision of truth. Cultures tend to alter our abilities to comprehend the full picture of truth. Although you may not notice this process, the Spirit is changing you internally and externally. He clarifies what Christ would have think, do, and say in difficult situations. By focusing on particular attributes of Christ, He fashions us after the qualities of our Master. Day by day we find ourselves becoming brighter, wiser, and more loving. He transforms us from one degree of glory to another. The more you obey, the more He will reveal. Let this cycle continually remake you into the image of His Son. Do not allow one’s stubborn self will or fears to cloud, distort, or darken your perceptions.
Question - What are the ways that some people allow their perceptions of Christ to grow dim?
Prayer - Lord, help us to focus more on Christ through the Spirit’s photographic enhancing ministries.
