Tag: Spirit of Truth
Day 3–A Helper Forever
Scripture reading for June 3: John 14:15-18 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
In the last major teaching to His disciples, Jesus prepares them for His leaving them through the cross in death and then ascension to heaven following His resurrection. If you remember, God had promised that His Son Jesus would be “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.” Now Jesus explained that instead of His physical presence, God the Father would answer Jesus’ prayer to send them another “Helper,” the Spirit of Truth. The Holy Spirit would be with them ‘forever!’ The world could not receive this ‘Helper,’ because it cannot see Him or know Him. Those in the world are blind to this “Helper” Who was the Gift of the Father in heaven.
Jesus went on to say that His disciples would know Him (the Holy Spirit of Truth) and allow Him to dwell in them and be with them continually for an unlimited time–forever. His disciples would not be left as an orphan without support and family presence. In the form of the Helper, Jesus Himself would come to them and be with them in a way that was not limited to physical location or time. The Holy Spirit within them would cry “Abba” “Father”, marking them as distinctly belonging to God’s forever family. (Romans 8:15-16)
O how we as first responders and all believers need God’s Gift of the Holy Spirit with us and living in us! God’s amazing love is given to us through the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5) It is in the power of the Spirit we can obey God’s commandments and walk in truth. When we set our mind on the Spirit, we enjoy life and peace (rest). (Romans 8:5-6)
Prayer: Father God, thank You for not leaving us as orphans, but giving us Your Gift of the Holy Spirit of Truth. Fill me with Your love and truth. Empower me as I set my mind on Your indwelling presence, to walk in obedience to Your commandments. I am comforted forever by Your presence. Amen.
Day 5–God’s Personal Pager
Scripture reading for January 23: John 14:15-17 “If you love Me you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, Whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”
Again in today’s passage of Scripture, Jesus makes a promise to those who are in a loving relationship with Him through obedience of His Word. He promised to ask the Father to send the Spirit of Truth to live in them to help them. This ‘Gift’ from the Father would be a permanent Presence in each believer. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of truth because God is a God of Truth. (John 14:6) The Spirit takes the Word of God and guides the believer in all truth. (John 16:13) The Helper with bear witness of Jesus through each believer. (John 15:26)
Jesus taught that those in the world could not see or know the Spirit of truth. But the Spirit of truth also would bring conviction of sin, righteous and coming judgment to those in the world. God the Father sends the Holy Spirit of truth to accomplish His will and purposes through empowering those following Jesus Christ to be fruitful in their service of God and others.
First responders carry either a pager or phone application like “I Am Responding” to receive calls to respond and the nature of the incident. Communication is vitally important to bring the right help and equipment on the scene in the shortest time. Good communication prepares the responders with information that helps them to properly and efficiently help and cooperate with other responders on the scene. If they are followers of Jesus, they also have God’s Holy Spirit of truth to direct them and empower them. God tells believers to ask Him for this ‘Helper’ and He will send Him. (Luke 11:13) “. . how much more with the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for providing each believer with Your personal Helper, the Holy Spirit. Thank You for drawing me into relationship with You and helping me to ask You for this special ‘Gift’. Enable me to listen to Your guidance and wisdom to help others most effectively. Amen.
The world’s hatred
Scripture reading for November 11th: John 15
Key Verses: John 15:18-21 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My Word, the will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of My Name, because they do not know Him Who sent Me.”
Jesus knew that trouble and persecution were coming. In fact, He would shortly be falsely accused, arrested, tortured and crucified by the religious establishment and the world system of Rome. Those in the world system hated Jesus and plotted His murder in spite of the miraculous signs and healings Jesus had done. As followers of Jesus, His disciples were going to find the same hatred and persecution and Jesus wanted to prepare them for it. These words were also written down for followers of Jesus throughout time to prepare them for coming hatred and ill treatment, especially in the last days. We must examine our lives. Are we true followers of Jesus and responding to His call to come out of the world system? We are citizens of Heaven and await a Savior, our King Jesus!
John 15:24-25 “If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated Me without a cause.'”
Faith confession and prayer: Father God, I love You and Your Son Jesus Christ. Fill me with the Holy Spirit, enabling me to love my brothers and sisters in the Church and to reach out to a lost world that hates You and Your Son. Empower me to show love and bear witness to them through Your powerful Gospel. May many be saved and called out of the world into Your glorious kingdom of eternal life and light.
John 15:26-27 “But when the Helper comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, Who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”
You know the Helper!
Scripture reading for November 10th: John 14
Key Scriptures: John 14:12-17 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My Name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.””
Jesus gave His disciples several amazing promises in one of His last teaching before going to the cross. He prophesied that those believing in Him would do even greater works than those that He had done. This did not mean greater in the sense of more spectacular or impacting, but greater in number and scope as the disciples multiplied. He promised that whatever His disciples asked in His Name, He would do it! He also promised that He would ask the Father to send them a ‘Helper’, the Spirit of Truth, to be with them forever. This ‘Helper’ would be live in them and be with them in every trial and event of life, even into eternity. He also said that His disciples would know the ‘Helper’ because of their abiding relationship! Amen!
John 14:20-21 “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Faith confession and prayer: Father, I know that I am in Jesus Christ and He is in You. I am thankful for the gift of the Helper, the Spirit of Truth, Who leads and guides me into all truth, helping me to know You and obey Your commandments. I ask today that these promises would be claimed by faith by each of my children and grandchildren. May I proclaim these truths that others might know You and Jesus Christ and receive the Helper! Amen!
John 14:26-27 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
The Spirit of Truth
Scripture reading for April 27th: John 16
Key Scriptures for over-comers: John 16: 12-14 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”
We are born into a world of sin and lies. The first lie that we are under is that we can be god ourselves. We are born with that lie and the world seeks to keep us under that futile way of living. But Jesus came to bring abundant life! He would do it by new birth and a gift of eternal life to all who would repent and believe on Him. His resurrection would make available the “gift of the Father”, the Holy Spirit to live in each person. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. He would lead all Jesus’ followers into the truth by revealing Christ’s words to them and showing them what was to come by revelation. The Spirit would make Christ and His word known and understandable to them, bringing glory to Jesus!
Observations for over-comers: We must welcome the Holy Spirit into our daily life and conversation. He is the Spirit of Truth, making known Christ and His will to us personally. “I will give you a new heart and put a new Spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
The spirit of antichrist!
Scripture reading for December 4th: 1st John 4:1-21
The Christians of John’s day were in a battle against false teachers and the spirits of evil who spoke through them. John wrote to encourage them and help them to identify these deceiving spirits. His words of instruction can help us in these last days in a similar battle!
“This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every Spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” (1st John 4:2-3) These false prophets were denying Christ came as a man. This spirit was in the world in John’s day and is also in the world today in many modern cults. This belief was known as ‘gnosticism’ and denied the humanity of Jesus as the Son of God. The true Spirit of God always recognizes that Jesus came in the flesh.
John encouraged the Church to remember that they were able to overcome these evil spirits because the Holy Spirit lived in them. (1st John 4:4) The Spirit of Christ gives overcoming power because He is a Spirit of Truth. Believers can be confident in the Holy Spirit bringing discernment and enabling each person to know truth. The evil spirits tell lies that believers can easily spot.
Love is the mark of those controlled by the Holy Spirit. God is love and demonstrated His love by sending His Son into the world to die for us that we might live through Him. (1st John 4:7-12) Those born of God love each other and testify to the world about the love of God.
When we know the love of God, we have confidence on the day of judgment. God’s perfect love received means that we have been declared righteous and no longer have to answer for our sins. Jesus has forgiven us and we rest in His promise of righteousness by faith. This enables us to live a life of love towards others, free from fear of death. The Spirit of God gives us overcoming power through truth and love. What a joy it is to walk in the truth!
My Peace I leave with You!
Scripture reading for May 25th: John 14:15-31
Jesus, knowing that a short time remained with the eleven remaining disciples, began to teach them about the Gift of the Father. He told them He would ask the Father to give them another Counselor like Him who would be with them forever. (John 14:16-17) This Counselor would be known as the Spirit of Truth who would live in them and those who would believe on account of their witness. Those in the world would not have this Gift or understand anything about Him.
This Counselor was not just a vague spirit, but a true person. This third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, was a special gift to Jesus’ disciples. He would be sent by the Father at Jesus’ request. He would help them by reminding them of everything that Jesus had taught them and then would teach them all things. These things Jesus instructed the disciples about so that they would have peace through the coming storm of events.
Jesus was prophesied to be the “Prince of Peace” and “Wonderful Counselor” by Isaiah. (Isaiah 9:6) Jesus’ teachings were marked by unusual wisdom and people everywhere marveled at His ability to speak like no one else. When Jesus had asked these disciples if they wanted to leave Him, Peter had spoken up that Jesus had words of eternal life and there was no one else like Him. (John 6:68)
As Jesus prepared to leave these men, He granted them His peace. This peace was beyond anything the world could offer. It was a supernatural peace granted by the only One who can give sinful humans peace with God through forgiveness of sins. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27) He and they would soon face tremendous spiritual conflict with the ‘prince of this world’, Satan. Jesus assured them that this prince had no hold on Him. He was going to fully obey the Father and demonstrate that obedience to the world.
Do you live in this supernatural peace given by Jesus Christ? It is available today to those who follow Him and put their trust in His word. This peace comes with Jesus’ perfect love that drives out all fear and is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit!
The Spirit of Christ: Love and Truth
Scripture reading for December 4th: 1st John 4:1-21
The Christians of John’s day were in a battle against false teachers and the spirits of evil who spoke through them. John wrote to encourage them and help them to identify these deceiving spirits. His words of instruction can help us in these last days in a similar battle!
“This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every Spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” (1st John 4:2-3) These false prophets were denying Christ came as a man. This spirit was in the world in John’s day and is also in the world today in many modern cults. This belief was known as ‘gnosticism’ and denied the humanity of Jesus as the Son of God. The true Spirit of God always recognizes that Jesus came in the flesh.
John encouraged the Church to remember that they were able to overcome these evil spirits because the had the Holy Spirit living in them. (1st John 4:4) The Spirit of Christ gives us overcoming power because He is a Spirit of Truth. Believers can be confident in the Holy Spirit bringing discernment and enabling each person to know truth. The evil spirits are spirit of falsehood and tell lies that believers can easily spot.
Love is the mark of those controlled by the Holy Spirit. God is a love and showed us His love by sending His Son into the world to die for us that we might live through Him. (1st John 4:7-12) Those born of God love each other and testify to the world about the love of God.
When we know the love of God, we have confidence on the day of judgment. God’s perfect love received means that we have been declared righteous and no longer have to answer for our sins. Jesus has forgiven us and we rest in His promise of righteousness by faith. This enables us to live a life of love towards others, free from fear of death or persecution. The Spirit of God gives us overcoming power through truth and love. We live as overcomers in life and death! What a joy it is to walk in the truth!
My peace I leave with you!
Scripture reading for May 25th: John 14:15-31
Jesus, knowing that a short time remained with the eleven remaining disciples, began to teach them about the Gift of the Father. He told them He would ask the Father to give them another Counselor like Him who would be with them forever. (John 14:16-17) This Counselor would be known as the Spirit of Truth who would live in them and those who would believe on account of their witness. Those in the world would not have this Gift or understand anything about Him.
This Counselor was not just a vague spirit, but a true person. This third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, was a special gift to Jesus’ disciples. He would be sent by the Father at Jesus’ request. He would help them by reminding them of everything that Jesus had taught them and then would teach them all things. These things Jesus instructed the disciples about so that they would have peace through the coming storm of events.
Jesus was prophesied to be the “Prince of Peace” and “Wonderful Counselor” by Isaiah. (Isaiah 9:6) Jesus’ teachings were marked by unusual wisdom and people everywhere marveled at His ability to speak like no one else. When Jesus had asked these disciples if they wanted to leave Him, Peter had spoken up that Jesus had words of eternal life and there was no one else like Him. (John 6:68)
As Jesus prepared to leave these men, He granted them His peace. This peace was beyond anything the world could offer. It was a supernatural peace granted by the only One who can give sinful humans peace with God through forgiveness of sins. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27) He and they would soon face tremendous spiritual conflict with the ‘prince of this world’, Satan. Jesus assured them that this prince had no hold on Him. He was going to fully obey the Father and demonstrate that obedience to the world.
Do you live in this supernatural peace given by Jesus Christ? It is available today to those who follow Him and put their trust in His word. This peace comes with Jesus’ perfect love that drives out all fear and is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit!