The Purpose of the Holy Spirit

Text: John 14:26
More lessons: John 14:12-17
Bible Reading in one Year: Psalms 55-57

Whatever God does is on purpose and for a purpose. God is only motivated by the counsel of His will. He is extravagant enough to create billions of galaxies and stellar bodies to illuminate one tiny planet called earth but he is also detailed enough to number the bio-strands growing out of the pores on your skin and mark them off when they fall. Our God does nothing without a designated purpose. The first time we felt the Holy Spirit, was when He made man out of the dust of the earth and breathe into him the breathe of life - from the original rendering 'pneuma' meaning wind, force or the Spirit. It was after the dusty man received God's Spirit that he began to walk and talk, and exercise dominion over nature just as God originally intended. 

The Holy Spirit is the essence of God in you enabling you to walk in His power and do His will. In everyday life, When we use the word 'spirit', we often mean, the essence the behaviour or the character for example. Even if you go to the ends of the earth when you enter a Nigerian home, you just know it because of the Nigerian spirit - it's warm and hospitable. That’s the same work the Holy Spirit has come to do in the believer's life. He reproduces the very essence, power and character of God in you. Jesus speaking in our text emphasizes that the Holy Spirit will bring to remembrance what we have forgotten and teach us what we do not know. 

He is the connector of past present and future, nothing missing, nothing broken. All that is required to live in health and wealth, the Holy Spirit can teach us. He made Adam name all the animals without a single biology lecture or textbook because He is not the spirit of information, he is the Spirit of revelation. He is not a magician so He performs no tricks. Whatever He does is permanent. He is the Christian's proof producer. He is like a mighty man on a mission, sent in Jesus name, echoing the voice and authority of Jesus, and leading us daily in victory over satanic trickery and lies. 

Jesus didn't start His earthly ministry without the fullness of the Holy Spirit nor did He end saying it is finished until He had given up the Holy Ghost. Simply put, the Holy Ghost is a compulsory companion to all who will be leading lights in this present darkness. It is not enough to know Jesus as Lord, its time to experience the Holy Spirit as Comforter, Teacher, Powerhouse, and Friend. The Holy Spirit is heaven on earth. Find and fulfil your purpose today. Get the Holy Ghost.
Prayer/Action
* Resubmit yourself entirely to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
*Pray in the Spirit for most part of today.

Like and Share!

The Person of the Holy Spirit

Text: John 14:16
More lessons: Acts 19:1-7
Bible Reading in one Year: Psalms 52-54

So much is said, debated and argued out about the Holy Spirit in discussion blogs, articles, religious seminars, local assemblies and Christian inter-denominational meetings today. It is a rather sad thing to note that throughout church history, the major doctrinal divide that pulled the body of Christ apart stemmed from arguments about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, His gifts, its manifestations and function in the church. We can talk all we want but until we experience the Holy Spirit for ourselves, we can only discuss our opinions, we will never be able to capture the truth about Him. 

It is not opinions, but only the truth that can make us free. I believe that the first real discovery which will set us in motion on our way to the truth about this precious Spirit of God is the realization that beyond the gentle fresh wind blowing on goose bumps, more than the bright and cloven tongues of fire, transcending the white little dove; the Holy Spirit is a person. He has a face. He is real! He is tangible: He can be felt. He can speak. He can hear. He can smile. He can be grieved. He can laugh. 

The Holy Spirit has a great sense of humour. Those who have personal experiences with Him know that He is the best friend anybody can have. Even when you are alone, with Holy Spirit you are never lonely. Many people find it easier to reckon with God the Father and God the Son as persons but when it comes to God the Holy Spirit, they just think He is merely a force or current of wind, a fume of white smoke rising to the clouds, or another explanation for mysterious things. 

This is the reason why many never get it right and end up in vain arguments or apostasy; they want to know about 'it' instead of looking to know Him. Jesus reveals Him as a person in our text ...that He may abide with you forever. He wants to be your consuming passion. He wants to invigorate you with power to walk in your destiny fulfilment. He is the Spirit of Jesus sent to enable us do greater works than Jesus did. No one born of a woman can love like God except by Him the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5. One with the Holy Ghost, is majority. Say YES to the Holy Ghost and never walk alone.

Prayer/Action
*Thank God for the gift of a Comforter, who abides with us forever.
*Ask for grace to personally discover/experience the person of the Holy Spirit.
*Pray that you will not repel the workings of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Like and Share!

Glory Time

Text: John 5:1-10
MORE LESSONS: Jn 1:14 
Bible Reading in one Year: Psalms 49-51

Jesus Christ ministered on earth under the Old Covenant because the New Covenant was not yet enforced when Jesus was on earth. A covenant cannot be ordained until the death of the testator. Therefore until Jesus died on the Cross and rose again, the New Covenant was not enforced. That was why, when He healed people, He would tell them to go tell people and do what Moses commanded them to do because the Old Covenant was still in force. It was an Old Covenant arrangement, and if you look at the first scripture, it says whatsoever disease one had--cancer, HIV/AIDS, leukemia, migraine, fibroid--one should step into the water and one was healed. That was in the Old Testament. If the ministry of death is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of life; if that which passed away was that glorious, what about Jesus? 

The man by the pool had been there for 38 years, and every year, it was hope dashed as he looked forward to the angel staring the water, desired to step into the water and somebody stepped in before he could. So the man went in a circle of hope and depression for 38 years until one day his story changed. Today is your own day. 
Just one day and the glory appeared, glory on two feet, glory personified came and asked him, ...Wilt thou be made whole? And the cripple began to tell stories,...I have no man.... He had been on the same spot for 38 years, no job, no money, no loved ones. It’s success that has relatives, even if he was married, the wife would have gone. 

Jesus answered him, Look at me, I put those arrangements there for your convenience, I don't need an angel or water or man. I don't even need your effort; will you be made whole? I don't need to follow the procedure, I don't need your faith, or your stepping in, I am God, Glory has come. Stop focusing completely on your faith, that could be why the issue lingers. I don't want you to focus on the money or tithe that you give. Don't focus on the help that men have given you but focus on the glory, focus on the King of glory Himself. I don't want you to focus on the challenges of the past 38 years either, how men forsook you, how you have been on one spot, how money has not been there, because right from this moment, the glory is changing your story.

Prayer/Action
* Declare prophetically-Today I shall enter into my season of glory, in Jesus’ name.
* Command your buried glory to manifest by the Word of the Lord.
* As I move out today let me encounter the God of glory in my... (Name it) 
* I shall ride on the wings of glory to overcome every challenge of my life, in Jesus’ name.

Like and Share!

Zealous for the Lord

Text: Num 25:1-13
MORE LESSONS: Exo. 32:22-29
Bible Reading in One Year: Psalms 46-48

Israel had transgressed the law of God by committing sin with the Moabite women. While Moses the servant of God stood on the altar and was rebuking them for the evil they had done, one of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman. He probably put his hand round her neck and leaned on her as they walked like they were not concerned with what the man of God was saying, determined to go into the camp to commit sin. Phinehas went after them with a javelin and stabbed them to death. Thereafter, Jehovah turned His anger away from the house of Israel because Phinehas was zealous to avenge unrighteousness on behalf of God. God also made a covenant of a lasting priesthood with him. The zeal and enthusiasm with which you serve God can determine what you get from Him. 

The reason many people are serving God and are not getting a return for their services and giving is because they are not doing such acts zealously. Anything you do for God reluctantly is a waste of time and energy and you will not get a reward. Worse still, you can even incur God's anger and punishment. Be zealous to do right and to serve God.

But it is not just enough to be zealous to do right; you must also be zealous to do something about the wrong that is happening around you. Phinehas took a spear and avenged iniquity. Many of us need to learn a lesson from this. Sometimes while doing things right you see a colleague doing wrong but you don't bother to correct him and thereby you have aided the wrong act. Phinehas was living right; if he was not, he wouldn't be able to correct someone else. But he also didn't stop at just living right, he went ahead to confront wrong. If you see a brother doing wrong and you turn your face the other way or encourage him, you have partaken of the sin. Instead of being tolerated, the sinning person needs to be confronted and corrected. God's blessing to Phinehas was that he and his descendants shall be priests for all times. 

By this one zealous act, Phinehas rescued the nation, distinguished himself and got his unborn children blessed. Some of the blessings we are enjoying today are the products of the zeal of our parents. This is where parents have to pay due attention to their lives. If as parents, being in church three times a week is already a problem, what will the children inherit? This man left an unforgettable heritage for his children; this should be our zealous pursuit in this generation.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that you will serve God in an extraordinary way all your life.
* Pray that the spirit of immorality will not prevail over you.
* Ask God to help you live a consecrated life.
* Pray that you will never be a partaker of sin.

Like and Share!