Friendship with the Holy Spirit..Craig Denison Ministries

 Friendship with the Holy Spirit

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

This week we'll spend time stirring up our affections for God through the renewing of our minds. Your mind is the gateway to your affections. What you think is worthy of your affections is what will receive them. So, as we grow in our understanding of God’s overwhelming goodness we will naturally give him our hearts. May you be stirred by the unconditional love of your heavenly Father this week as his perfect nature is revealed to you in greater, more transformative ways.

Scripture: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27

Devotional:

At salvation you were given the gift of God himself, the Spirit of Christ, dwelling within you. Ephesians 1:13-14 says, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” And with the indwelling of the Spirit, friendship with God has been made available to greater depths than you can imagine. He longs to spend time with you like a friend. He longs for you to know how he feels, what he thinks is best and your heavenly Father’s heart for you.

Scripture teaches us a lot about the character of the Spirit. Acts 13:2 teaches us that the Spirit speaks: “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’” In Ephesians 4:30 we learn that the Spirit feels emotions like grief:“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Romans 8:26-27 teaches us that the Spirit is our Helper and prays for us: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Friendship with the Spirit is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. He speaks to us, is emotionally invested in our lives, helps us in our weakness and prays for us when we don’t have the words.

So great is God’s love for you that he sent his Spirit to dwell with you. So great is his desire for continued relationship with you that, in his grace, he has given you himself as a constant companion. Another important characteristic of the Spirit, however, is that he will not force relationship on you. He speaks when you listen, he gives you revelation as you open your mind to receive it, and he leads you as you ask for his guidance. The Spirit is full of incredible power but also incredible meekness and humility. He is both powerful and respectful. If you ask for a deeper friendship with the Holy Spirit, you will find he is the best friend you have ever known.

Take time as you enter into guided prayer to get to know the Holy Spirit like a friend. In his book The Pursuit of God A.W. Tozer writes, “Religion, so far as it is genuine, is in essence the response of created personalities to the creating personality, God.” The Holy Spirit has a personality. He has likes and dislikes. He feels, thinks, enjoys, likes, suffers, and desires. May your time in prayer be filled with new levels of friendship with the Spirit of God dwelling within you.

Guided Prayer:

1.Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal his nearness to you. Take time to acknowledge his presence.

“In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14

2. Give thanks to the Spirit for who he is. Thank him for his presence in your life. Thank him for his desire to speak to you, lead you, help you and pray for you.

“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’” Acts 13:2

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27

3. Now ask the Spirit how he’s currently feeling. Ask him his perspective on anything in your life or the world around you. Listen and pay attention to any inclination you feel brought to mind. Journal what he says.

Friendship with the Spirit is like any other friendship in that it develops over time. Like a new friend, you must get to know his character and personality. Spend time just talking with him, listening to him and allowing him to work in your heart and life. He is an incredible gift given to you. He is your gateway to experiencing the things of God. Walk in relationship with him, follow his guidance, and make a new best friend in the Holy Spirit.

Extended Reading: Romans 8

The Throne of Glory..Dr. Charles Stanley

The Throne of Glory

Dr. Charles Stanley

1 John 1:1-4

When you pray, how do you approach God? Numerous Christians visualize a holy, righteous being and approach Him with feelings of fear, unworthiness, and reluctance. On the other hand, many believers picture the Lord as a pal and talk to Him with little reverence.

Neither approach is healthy. Our finite minds cannot fully grasp that God is both loving and holy. Let’s first explore the holy, fear-provoking side of the Lord. As you read today’s passage, visualize the incredible power around heaven’s throne. It fills my heart with awe and wonder.

Before Jesus walked on earth, the temple contained an area called the Holy of Holies, where God’s presence resided. Only the priest could enter—and just on specified days, after ritual cleansing and preparation. If he did not get himself ready exactly according to scriptural rules, he would be struck dead. To be in God’s presence requires obedience. In fact, because of the Almighty’s absolute holiness and perfection, He is unable to commune with sinfulness, which is the condition of all mankind (Rom. 3:9). Therefore, every one of us is guilty and deserving of condemnation. Thankfully, though, God did not leave us helpless, but out of His grace and love, sent His Son to be our Redeemer.

Every page of Scripture can deepen our understanding of God’s greatness. Are you amazed at His presence and deeds? To understand more about His character, discipline yourself to read and meditate on the Word. Then take time to praise Him, for He alone is worthy of our adoration.

Faithfully Fishing..Rev. Kyle Norman

 Faithfully Fishing

By Rev. Kyle Norman

“Come, follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” (Matthew 4:19)

When I was 9, my family and I visited my uncle during our summer vacation. My uncle lived in a small town in northern British Columbia, the kind that boasted opportunities for hunting and fishing. During our stay, my uncle took us fishing along the Skeena River. I brimmed with excitement over my first-ever fishing trip.

We arrived at my uncle’s favorite spot along the bank of the river. No one else was around; the river was open just for us. We unloaded our gear while my uncle began setting things up. The first thing he did was tie a bell at the top of our fishing rods. He then cast the lines deep into the river and stuck the rods into the sand. With the fishing rods securely in place, and the lines dancing in the river, he sat back in a fold-out chair, cracked a beer, and began flipping through a magazine. 

For my uncle, this was fishing. Fishing was a passive activity wherein he enjoyed the comfort and quiet of the shorefront. Fishing was a time for him to be alone, drink his beer, and read his magazines, all the while waiting for some wayward salmon to stumble upon his line. 

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus invites Peter and Andrew to engage in a new type of fishing. “Follow me,” Jesus says, “I will make you fish for people.” Peter and Andrew were fishermen by trade, so they recognized what Jesus was saying. The image was clear for them. Just as they cast their nets into the water, gathering the fish into their boat, Jesus now asked them to gather people into the community of discipleship. For the fishermen of the day, fishing wasn’t a passive activity. There was no lounging under the sun with a beer in hand. Fishing was arduous and demanding. It took effort and diligence. It also involved a team of people. Peter fished with Andrew. James and John fished with their father.

I sometimes wonder if we make Christ’s call to fish for people more passive than we realize. Do we ever approach the call to fish for people in the way of my uncle? We sit back in the comfort of our churches, awaiting any unsuspecting visitor who might stumble across our line. Perhaps this is the reason why the number of active Christians in North America continually declines. Have we failed to recognize the very activity Jesus asks us to engage in?

Intersecting Faith and Life:
re. In this small snippet, we can glean two important truths.

Firstly, fishing for others means we are called to go out to them. Jesus approached the would-be disciples. Jesus never rested with the temple elite; he never sequestered himself; he never sat idle by waiting for people to come to him. Instead, Jesus went out amongst the people. He approached Peter and Andrew, Matthew, and Zacchaeus. He walked toward Blind Bartimaeus and stood at Jacob’s well with the unknown woman. Jesus risked being in the very presence of those he called into faith. And even if the person rejected the call to new life, such as the Rich Young Ruler (Matthew 19:16-22), the graceful presence of Jesus was there, nonetheless.

This radical approachability of Jesus is foundational to who he is. It undergirds the entire incarnation. Jesus continually journeys toward others, and we are asked to do the same.

If we wish to fish for people after the model of Jesus, we need to leave our comfort zones to push into the unknown. We cannot fish for people if we are never in the presence of people. Like pushing out into deep water to be in the place where the fish run, we must risk being in the presence of those to whom we call into faith. It does little good for us to sequester ourselves in holy silos and wait for people to stumble through the front doors of our church. This isn’t fishing. Instead, Jesus calls us to actively pursue relationships with others.

The second thing that Jesus models for us is the power of invitation. Jesus doesn’t force anyone into a relationship. Jesus never coerces people into discipleship. Instead, he simply holds out an invitation to experience new life. Jesus simply calls out, “Follow Me,” and whenever people ask questions, he invites them to “come and see.” Fishing for people isn’t about forcing people into the church by any means necessary. People must choose the way of Christ, freely responding to the grace and love of God they see expressed in us. It is as people see the effect of Jesus in us and hear our gentle invitations to experience the same that we grow the community of faith.

This isn’t as complicated as we sometimes think it is. We aren’t tasked with solving people’s problems or answering all their questions. We aren’t the Savior. No, we simply hold out an invitation, allowing others to see the light and life of Jesus shine through us.

Whom might you be called to invite into the community of faith? Whom might you stand beside or walk alongside? The call to fish for others isn’t complicated, but it is active. It calls us to journey toward others and to journey with others. And it calls us to be vocal about Christ’s presence in our lives. So, may we all, in the power of Jesus, go to those to whom he calls us and invite them to experience the rich blessings of the Savior.

What Does it Mean to be Righteous?..Topher Haddox

 What Does it Mean to be Righteous?

By: Topher Haddox

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Righteousness is the perfect holiness of Christ. It is an essential attribute to the character of God; quite literally meaning “One who is right”. Think of it as the polar opposite of sin. To commit sin is to go against God’s design for our lives, therefore righteousness is the only living standard that is acceptable for us to stand before the Father. The wages of sin is death, but in the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death. (Proverbs 12:28)

Can we produce righteousness?

All of us are born into complete bondage to sin, unable to produce any sort of righteousness on our own (Romans 3:9-12). As a matter of fact, Isaiah says that our attempts to produce righteousness on our own are disgusting in the eyes of God. We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isaiah 64:6)

Where does my righteousness come from?

The Bible clearly defines righteousness as something His people should pursue (2 Tim 2:22), yet we are unable to produce it. So where do we get it? Our righteousness is imputed from Jesus through the atoning work that He accomplished on the cross (Philippians 1:11) We couldn’t produce it, Christ produced it for us.

Only the perfection of Christ could have accomplished this work. Only Jesus could have lived a perfect, obedient, and sinless life. Only Jesus could have atoned for the sins of His people. Only the righteousness of Christ will enter His Kingdom (Matthew 5:20)

The purpose of the Cross

When God sees His people, He doesn’t see our sin. Instead, He sees us clothed in the righteousness of Christ. He sees us instantly and completely justified through that righteousness.

This was the purpose of the cross. We were unable to obey the law and live in righteousness, so Christ came and lived in perfection in our place. He took our disobedience, nailed it to the cross, and gave us His righteousness.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

This is the good news of the Gospel of Jesus. We don’t have to work and try and produce our own righteousness, Christ has robed us in His. His entire Earthly mission was to reconcile the church, making her in righteous standing with God.

How do I pursue righteousness?

To pursue righteousness means to turn away from your natural, sinful desires, and turn to Christ and His perfect and righteous ways. Through obedience to this command, God is preparing us for eternal life with Him—aligning us with our righteousness through Christ.

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. (Psalm 23:3)

A Prayer about Growing Fruit..Jessica Van Roekel

 A Prayer about Growing Fruit

By Jessica Van Roekel

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV)

Snow-covered fields, leafless trees, and skies laden with steel gray clouds describe the view out my window. It’s wintertime, and frost covers everything. It penetrates the ground, and farmers discuss how deep the frost line goes and how it impacts next spring’s fieldwork. The wind drives snowflakes like tiny needles piercing the sky. The cold reaches deep into my bones, and I struggle to stay warm. If I were a bear, I would sleep away winter. But I am not a bear. I am a human, designed to live and bring glory to God through every season.

The power of winter in the physical world allows the ground to rest so that in the growing season, it can do what God designed it to do—produce life. We also produce life. We can speak life with our words and bring life with our actions. But there’s a season for rest too.

Too often, we view the beginning of a new year with an eye to growth and transformation. While this is a noble pursuit, we also ebb and flow with the seasons. Sometimes, we have seasons where it doesn’t seem like any growth or change happens. Our lives look barren. The landscape in our hearts reveals desolation. We can try harder and work smarter, but the emptiness remains.

The emptiness can frighten us if that’s the only thing we focus on. We give up on our transformational journey too soon because we don’t see the results we want to see as quickly as we hoped. But just as winter reveals a tree’s branches, our personal winters reveal our structure too. This can make us feel vulnerable, which is why we sometimes shy away from spiritual winters. There is a time to bear fruit and there is a time to harvest fruit. There is also a time of rest so that more fruit can grow.

The Fruits of the Spirit are the characteristics of a God-centered, spiritually focused lifestyle. The Holy Spirit produces and develops this fruit in Christians who surrender to the direction and influence of God. Through the Spirit’s power, we can enjoy the benefits of our personal relationship with him. Sometimes surrender means we enter a winter season where our hearts experience a preparation for the fruit God will grow in us.

These character qualities—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—take time to develop. They grow as we practice them over and over. Love looks like a willingness to make personal sacrifices for the cause of Christ and the benefit of others. What can you do today to show that kind of love?

Joy is the inner sense of gladness not based on feelings but based on the love and grace given to those who belong to Christ. Peace is the inner calm and contentment of a right relationship with God and knowing that God has everything under control. Patience is the ability to wait without becoming angry or upset. Kindness involves active consideration for others. Goodness is a trait that causes someone to do what is right and beneficial for others. Faithfulness is unwavering loyalty and devotion to following through on one’s commitments. Gentleness acts mercifully and appropriately. Self-control is the discipline of mastering one’s desires and emotions.

We will have seasons where we feel as though we’re missing this fruit in our lives. Instead of gentleness, we respond with harshness. Rather than self-control, we choose to self-indulge. Peace disappears in the face of worries. It can feel like our previous growth faded like autumn colors giving way to the monochromatic colors of winter.

In these moments, we can pause. We can rest and trust that God hasn’t given up on us. He still has fruit to grow in us. When we choose to rest and trust, God works in the soil of our hearts to prepare us for the next harvest of fruit.

A Prayer about Growing Fruit

Oh Lord, you are the one in whom my soul finds its delight. You place your Holy Spirit within me so that I can be a light to those around me and bring glory to you. Sometimes it feels like my heart is as desolate as a barren, windswept winter field. But I choose to trust you. I choose to believe that even if I can’t see growth, you are growing fruit in me so that you can use me to bless others. I give you glory, and I wait on you in this season.
In Jesus’ name, Amen