Jennifer A

This week’s devotions have been heavily focused on the work of the Holy Spirit. It is very fitting as this week piggybacks on Pentecost, also as we finished up our study on the Fruit of the Spirit last night, and we all desperately need Jesus’ help each and every day through the work of His Spirit within us.

Earlier this week we were learning from the Apostle Paul’s ministry to the believers in Corinth, and today we will continue to learn from him through his ministry to the Ephesians and other churches within the surrounding area.

In chapter 1, Paul begins with a blessing and praise to God. He goes on to talk about our inheritance as believers, “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.” (v. 13-14)

Paul goes on to thank God for all believers. He prays for our spiritual wisdom and insight so that we can grow in our knowledge and relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He wants our hearts may be overwhelmed with the Light of Christ, and for the darkness of this world to never overshadow that brilliant Light of Christ in us. It is by the Light of the Christ that we grow in the confident hope that God has so graciously given to those of us who call on Him and who He calls His holy people.

Ephesians 1:17-20 NLT

17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

Prayer: Jesus, we continue to praise You for the work of the Holy Spirit in and through our lives. May You overwhelm each of us today with Your Light, and may it shine ever so brightly for others to be drawn to You. Help us to share Your message with someone today. We ask this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Click here if you missed any of the last 9 Bible studies that focused on the Fruit of the Spirit

Friends, we are picking up from yesterday’s devotion and finishing chapter two of 1 Corinthians (v.12-16).

If you recall, the Apostle Paul is ministering to the believers in Corinth, and he is presenting the Truth about the work of the Holy Spirit. We know that a believer’s faith is based on Christ’s power through the work of the Holy Spirit, and that it is not based on human wisdom. The believers who are willing to allow the work of the Spirit will begin to understand the Truth, and those without the Spirit are limited to human reasoning. The Holy Spirit, in each of us, makes things possible to understand. We are told “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.” (Col 2:8). Remember, there are spiritual powers that come from this world, and they are dark powers that belong to the enemy. You and I do not belong to him, we belong to Christ, and so we must connect to the living Spirit of Christ. The spiritual powers of this world are false, and they offer what appears to be resolutions, but those are temporary resolutions. The Spirit that you and I call on, the One that is housed within us, offers us great eternal wisdom that exists far beyond this earthly temporal realm and into the infinite heavenly realm. You and I are living for eternity now, and so we must continue to connect ourselves to the living Spirit of Christ at all times.

1 Corinthians 2:12-16 NLT

12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. 16 For,

“Who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
Who knows enough to teach him?”

But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

Prayer: Jesus, we pray against the dark spiritual powers of this world. We pray for a revival of Your Holy Spirit within Your believers. May Your Church rise up, and when others witness Your Spirit operating within Your believers, may they too want to connect to You. We pray for more hearts to know You, Jesus. Help us to be vessels who bring hearts to You. Allow Your Helper to work through us as we speak of Your unending love. We ask this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

June 06, 2022

Yesterday was Pentecost, and if you were not able to join us there is a link at the end of this devotion so you can share in a beautiful time of worship with so much insight on Pentecost and our Helper, the Holy Spirit.

In the Book of Acts, chapter two, we learn that on Pentecost Sunday, after Jesus ascended into heaven, His believers gathered together, and at once there was a loud sound from heaven (like a mighty windstorm) that filled the house. Flames (or tongues of fire) rested on each of the believers, as they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them the ability. (v. 1-4)

Friends, that same Holy Spirit is available to you and me today. I realize that the believers in Acts had a very physical experience, and they were all together at once when they received the Holy Spirit. But Jesus wants the same for us. Remember, He physically changed each of our lives when we came to Him through salvation, and as we grow in our commit to our relationship with Him, He graciously allows His Holy Spirit to grow and become more powerful within us. It is by the wisdom of the Spirit that you and I are guided in the ways of God, rather than by the ways of this world.

In today’s passage, the Apostle Paul provides us with a message of the Spirit’s wisdom. As he ministers to the church (believers) in Corinth, please remember he is also ministering to you and me, and don’t forget who Paul (Saul) was before he met Jesus. His life was completely renewed by the powerful work of the Spirit as he allowed it to forever change him and as he was willingly to continuously let its wisdom grow within him. Paul explains to the believers (and to us) how the Spirit matures within us, and it happens as we grow closer and closer to Jesus and as we become more and more disconnected from this world. We see today how God uses Paul to help other believers at different stages on their faith walk. He wants to do the same with you and me. But we must remember to allow the Spirit of Christ to operate in and through us so that the wisdom of God is revealed to others, and not our own human response because in our flesh (which is of this world) we have no power.

1 Corinthians 2:1-11 NLT
Paul’s Message of Wisdom

1 When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. 2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

6 Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. 7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.”

10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Help us to be more receptive to allow it to operate in and through our lives. Quiet the ways of this world within our souls and guide our souls to become one with the Spirit. Please impart Your wisdom to us as we guide others to Your loving arms. We ask this in Your Holy and precious Name, Jesus. Amen.

Click Here for Pentecost Sunday Worship: https://youtu.be/eE673WjNywA

May 30, 2022

These daily devotionals are a time to grow deeper in relationship with the One who died for our freedom from sin. On this Memorial Day, may we take time to reflect on the lives of those men and women who have died while serving in the United States armed forces to insure our freedom. May the Lord bless their families and bless those men and women who continue to protect our American freedom. Thank you, to all military personnel for your selfless call to serve and to protect.

Before we just jump into today’s passage let’s take a moment and gain some context. So, earlier in Acts 16 we see that the Apostle Paul is out ministering with Silas. They reach Philippi, a major city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. There a demon possessed slave girl began to follow and taunt Paul day after day shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.” (v. 17) This was true, but you could imagine how well it was going over coming from what others saw as a sort of fortune-teller, and that was not the type of support that Paul and Silas needed. Finally, Paul says to the demon, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her” (v.18) and the demon instantly left the slave girl. This also did not go over very well, as the girl’s owner demanded the arrest of these missionaries. The magistrates (officers or judges of the religious law) did not like troublemakers, and so they had these men beaten and put in jail. Around midnight, Paul and Silas began to pray and sing in jail. God responded by shaking the prison with an earthquake that opened the doors and freed the prisoners. (v.25-26) Only, not one of the prisoners walked out, but the jailer did not know that and so as he was about to commit suicide because of the mess at the jail, Paul stopped him and led him to Christ. The jailer took Paul and Silas home with him for a meal, and there he cared for their wounds from the beatings. Later, the men baptized the jailer’s entire household and they all believed in God (v.31-34).

This brings us to today’s passage, where we see that the next morning the city officials sent word to the jailer to let Paul and Silas go. However, Paul was not willing to sneak out of town because he did not want the new church to be left under a cloud of suspicion. He told them that he was a Roman citizen, and he demanded a public apology for their unlawful acts. According to Roman law, Roman citizens, as both Paul and Silas were, could not be beaten and put in prison without a fair trial. We don’t know why Paul waited until this moment to mention this fact, but God certainly knew, and He used it.

The magistrates respectfully came to Paul and Silas, and although they did not do a public apology, they did escort them out of prison, and politely asked them to leave town. This satisfied Paul, as he was not looking for revenge, rather he wanted protection and respect for the church.

What Paul did is such an important lesson for us. Paul did not campaign for societal change in an unbelieving world. Rather, he worked hard to change the hearts of the people that Jesus brought within his path. Notice that not “all” of the people’s hearts were changed (like the magistrates), and Paul and Silas knew that was the case, and rather than organize a public demonstration (to prove their point), they quietly left. You and I have the opportunity each and everyday to share the Good News about the saving love of Jesus Christ. We must not focus on all of the darkness of this world because the enemy is busy. Rather, we need to be focused on how we are going to allow the Lord to work in and through us to change one heart at a time. Never underestimate where, when, and with whom God will use you. Do you think Paul and Silas thought God would use them to change the hearts of a demon possessed slave girl and a jailer? Probably not, but the connection between the two hearts is rather divinely placed when you stop and think about it. When one is saved it causes the men to be moved to another situation where they are then given an opportunity to present Christ to the other and he too is saved. We have to be willing and open to allow the work of the Holy Spirit to operate in and through our lives at all times to bring more hearts to the Kingdom.

Acts 16:35-40 NLT

35 The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!” 36 So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.”

37 But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!”

38 When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. 40 When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for saving each of us. Thank You for the men and women who serve to protect our American freedom. We lift up the families who have lost loved ones in service to our country. Please bless them, Lord. We ask You to help us to allow the Spirit to move freely within us so that we can bring more people to You. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

July 9, 2019
Jeremiah 8:4-13 New Living Translation (NLT)

There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. The world contains a great deal of knowledge, and we benefit from that which is good. However, wisdom is supreme as it comes from God and it can only be obtained through His Word.

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July 8, 2019
Psalm 6:2 New Living Translation (NLT)

Watching someone we love battle physical pain can be extremely difficult. In those moments, we often find ourselves wanting to fix what our loved one is going through. Attempting to “fix” anything in our own strength will only cause us to become physically, emotionally, mentally, and/or spiritually weakened. Instead, we need to call on the Lord in prayer so He can bring His wisdom, guidance, and the fruits of His Spirit to sustain everyone during the battle. Psalm 34:17-18 reminds us that “The LORD hears His people when they call to Him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

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July 5, 2019
Psalm 66:1-5 New Living Translation (NLT)

How often do you find yourself praising the Lord? Take a minute and think about your week so far… If you had to divide your week into how much of it has been spent in praise to the Lord, versus how much of it has been spent asking of the Lord, where would you be? I’m sure the greater percentage for many has been spent asking of the Lord.

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July 4, 2019
Romans 7:21-25 New Living Translation (NLT)

Happy 4th of July! Today we celebrate our independence as Americans. It’s amazing that we get to live in a free country with the ability to openly worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So many of our brothers and sisters in Christ across the world must hide their faith and worship for fear of dying. The beauty of our God is He allows each of us an opportunity to choose Him. He doesn’t force His way into our hearts, He gently nudges us, and then we get to decide if we are going to allow Him a permanent home where we can grow in an everlasting relationship with Him. Once that decision is made, we become dependent on Him to guide us to do what is right. We are sinful people living in a sin filled world, so our human instincts are to sin. We need the power of the Holy Spirit, which is Jesus Christ our Lord, living within us to overrule the power that wants to hold us as captive slaves to sin. As we celebrate our independence as Americans today, let’s also celebrate our dependence on God’s law that connects us in eternal life to our loving Lord, Jesus Christ.

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July 3, 2019
Matthew 10:16-20 New Living Translation (NLT)

In our passage today, the Apostle Matthew provides us with direct instructions from Jesus that were given to the twelve disciples. As I was reading over today’s passage, The Whole Armor of God kept coming to my heart. Yesterday, the Apostle Paul reminded us of the grave importance of Living by the Spirit’s Power, and one chapter over from that lesson, He taught that we are to put on The Whole Armor of God so that we can stand firm against all strategies of the devil. The enemy is cleaver and cunning, he doesn’t just test and fight our flesh in the earthly realm, he battles against us in the spiritual realm (much of which we cannot see) and so we need to be equipped to stand firmly against him. Every day we must arm ourselves with God’s: 1. Belt of Truth, 2. Breastplate of Righteousness, 3. Shoes of Peace from the Good News, 4. Shield of Faith, 5. Helmet of Salvation, and 6. Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:10-18). Once armed we can live out Jesus’s instructions in today’s passage. He knows that we are His sheep walking amongst wolves. He wants us to beware, to be on guard against people of this world, to understand that worldly people will try to stop the sharing of the Gospel, He wants to use us to witness to them, and we need to allow the Holy Spirit to speak through us. It’s exciting to know that the same Spirit that Jesus imparted to the disciples lives and moves in us!

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