The Leading of the Holy Spirit..Craig Denison Ministries;

 The Leading of the Holy Spirit

Craig Denison Ministries;

Weekly Overview:

As believers, we’ve been given the Holy Spirit as a Helper, Teacher, Friend, and seal for the promised inheritance of eternal life with God. His presence, guidance, and wisdom in our lives are our greatest gifts while here on earth. Through him we have access to direct connection with our heavenly Father. Through him we receive spiritual gifts to empower us. And through him we are able to bear the incredible fruit of abundant life. Open your heart and mind to all that the Holy Spirit would give you, show you, and lead you to this week.

Scripture:“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” - >Romans 8:14

Devotional:

Where do you need leadership in your life? What challenge, decision, or circumstance is weighing on you? Where do you need a word from God today? We have available to us the most perfect guide to lead us throughout the twists, turns, and challenges of this adventurous life. The Bible says in Romans 8:14, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” As children of the Most High God, we are granted full access to the leadership of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. No child of God is exempt from the leadership of the Spirit. We don’t earn access by our own merit. We don’t gain more favor to receive more leadership. God has given us all the gift of the Holy Spirit because he loves us. He has filled us with his Spirit because he longs to lead us into the abundant life he has planned for us. So, let’s learn today how we can better discover and follow this gift of leadership we’ve all been granted through Christ in the Holy Spirit.

First, it’s crucial to acknowledge that the Holy Spirit and the word work perfectly together. One does not contradict the other. Both the Holy Spirit and the word he inspired are vital in living the Christian life. And God’s word says in Galatians 5:16-18, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” The leadership of the Spirit is in direct opposition to the lifestyle of the world. His desire is always to lead us away from sin that entangles us in the perspectives and pressures of the world toward a lifestyle of peace, joy, and intimate relationship with our heavenly Father. All of his leadership is purposed toward the goal of abundant life in God, of the fullness of satisfaction in God rather than the weak and fleeting pleasure in things of the world.

So how do we follow this person of the Holy Spirit toward that abundant life? Galatians 5:25 says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” How do we “keep in step with the Spirit”?It all starts with spending time getting to know what the Holy Spirit is like. He has a personality. He has a voice. His leadership feels a certain way. Just as you get to know a person, you can get to know the Holy Spirit. And the absolute best way to learn about him is one-on-one. Often we wait until we are in public, or right before a highly stressful situation, to ask for the guidance of the Spirit. But it’s in the secret place that we learn what his voice and leading sounds and feels like so that we can discern his guidance out in the rush and stress of the world. It’s in the secret place that we grow in relationship with the Holy Spirit so that we can follow his steps throughout the twists and turns of our day.

John 16:13 says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” The Holy Spirit is excited to speak to you what he hears from the heavenly Father. He longs to declare to you God’s plans to love you, provide for you, heal you, transform you, and deliver you. He longs to lead you to the fullness of life available to you here. Spend time getting to know the Holy Spirit in the secret place today. As you pray ask God to reveal himself to you. Spend time in prayer resting in the presence of the God who dwells within you, who is nearer to you than the very ground beneath your feet.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s desire to lead you into abundant life.

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” >Romans 8:14

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” >John 10:10

2. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal himself to you. Spend time learning about who he is. Ask him to speak to you and to reveal the way his leadership feels.

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:16

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” >John 16:13

“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   

“For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements.” Acts 15:28

3. Open up your life to the Holy Spirit. Ask him to reveal to you things he wants to lead you away from. Ask him to show you the life he wants to lead you to. And commit to following his leadership today.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” >Galatians 5:16-18

When you have opportunities to indulge in the flesh, choose life in the Spirit instead. When you feel a desire to avenge yourself, promote yourself, slander someone, or engage in a sinful activity, choose life in the Spirit instead. Choose to love God and others. Live in step with the Spirit and discover the amazing life he longs to guide you into today.

Extended Reading: Romans 8

May it Be True When We Say 'Lord, Lord.'..Emma Danzey

 May it Be True When We Say 'Lord, Lord.'

By Emma Danzey

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.'" - Matthew 7:21-23

I live in the southern United States, and everyone knows that the name Jesus, the word church, and the word Bible are accepted (for the most part) here. However, just because there may be acceptance does not mean that there is genuine belief. Tolerating Christianity or participating in a religious activity does not result in eternal life and saving faith. The scariest part is that many churchgoers and "Bible Belt" people might come under this category found in Matthew 7:21-23. This is why it is important not to assume someone is a Christian because of their family, church attendance, or holiday celebrations. This is an urgent message we, as Christ's followers (born-again believers in Jesus), need to take to heart and take to others as Jesus commanded. (Matthew 28:19-20)

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."

This can come across as a terrifying verse, and it is in many ways. However, first, it is important to recognize that those who do the Father's will, enter heaven one day. The Father's will is to place faith in Jesus as Savior. (Romans 10:9) Jesus is the only way to heaven. (John 14:6) But there is a warning here. Not everyone who claims to be God's is truly His. We need to make sure that others are hearing the clear message of the gospel of Jesus and understand salvation. Someone can rattle off Bible verses, sing the latest worship songs, and attend a church on Sunday, but if he has never made a salvation decision, he will not enter God's kingdom. This is heavy and urgent truth to share this message of hope even with people we might expect to know it.

"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.'"

This portion is even scarier. Many will say that they knew God and even did "good works" in His name, cast out demons even. However, the Lord will tell them that He never knew them. This reminds us to have the discernment to seek the Holy Spirit, test every leader with the Word of God, and be vigilant in connecting ourselves to healthy churches and ministries to be involved. The enemy is just as much in the church body as outside. He loves to wreak havoc anywhere he can. Many false teachers have claimed to be here "In Jesus' name" but completely misrepresented Him and personally profited from it. We must be on our guard to test the spirits. (2 Peter 2:1)

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Is there someone in your life who you assume is a Christian, but you have never really asked deeper into their personal belief to see if they have a relationship with Jesus? If so, how can you have a conversation with them this week to understand where they are at and share the gospel with them? Have wolves burned you in the church/false teaching? If so, how can knowing God is with you in that help restore your heart from the wounding and renew your hope to seek Him and be more Spirit-led when approaching church and ministries?

Further Reading:

• Matthew 7:15
• Acts 20:28-32
• 1 Peter 1:7-9

Names of God and What They Mean..Allyson Holland

 Names of God and What They Mean

By Allyson Holland

“And those who know Your name will put their trust in you.” (Psalm 9:10)

How well do you know God? His character? His heart? 

It’s not enough to know about God. It’s through His biblical names that you can become intimately acquainted with Him. When you understand the meanings of God’s names then you will understand His character and His heart. He wants you to know Him. He wants to be in close personal relationship with you. 

Names of God: Elohim

God is Elohim—He is your Creator.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

Have you given much thought to the power God used to create the universe? How about God’s insanely creative imagination as He designed planet earth? Whether it’s hiking in the mountains, enjoying some time at the beach, or taking a leisurely walk through the woods, there’s no denying that nature is one way to connect with Elohim.   

Names of God: Abba

God is Abba—He is your Father.

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)

When you place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, God adopts you into His forever family. You bear His name—Christian. And you are known as one of His children by your behavior. How wonderful to be able to call God such an intimate name—Abba.      

Names of God: Jehovah Ro'i

God is Jehovah Ro’i—He is your Shepherd. 

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)

The English countryside is breathtaking. The green pastures and grazing sheep are picturesque. It’s easy to imagine what it must have been like to walk the earth while shepherds watched their flocks at night. Sheep without a shepherd quickly go astray. They may even lose their way. 

Do you find yourself feeling alone? Like you’re wandering around in life with no guidance or direction, kind of like a sheep without a shepherd? Well, Jesus is your good shepherd and He is always with you and always watching over you. And even when you don’t think you can continue to go on in your own strength, He is there to carry you through when you need Him most. He is your Jehovah Ro’i.

A Prayer for Navigating Our Unchanging Circumstances..Christine Perry

 A Prayer for Navigating Our Unchanging Circumstances 

By Christine Perry 

"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;  
 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed-- always carrying about in the 
 body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 
 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may 
be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you." - 2 Corinthians 4:8-12 NKJV 

I showed up at the office, trying not to grumble. But unfortunately, we had gone through a leadership change, and the outcome was proving detrimental. Communication could have been better, access to things we had access to before was slowly being closed off, and the morale overall was tanking. During this time, I had several job interviews. For one job, I was waiting for the official offer. I waited and waited and then sent a follow-up email. Thinking I probably did not get the job, I heard otherwise. The woman who was doing the hiring had to leave town for a family emergency. 

Things at my current job continued to crumble. We found out we needed to move several of our offices to new locations within a month. So, it was pretty much chaotic all summer as I continued to wait for the email saying I got the job. After roughly a month, I sent another follow-up email. "We are doing some internal structuring," was the reply I received. Since there was still a lot going on at my current job, I believed God had a plan, but in full disclosure, I was ready to leave. I was praying one night, and I believe the Lord impressed me to "stay steady." It felt like a death sentence. In my mind, I had stayed there long enough. I had added value, and I was ready to move on. But I also felt like I had learned about as much as I was going to. "Lord, please don't ask me to stay longer," I prayed.

Fast forward two months and the job I applied for finally told me about their decision. Unfortunately, in their restructuring, they realized they needed someone in a managerial position, so the position I applied for became obsolete. And the boss at my current job put in her notice. The Lord kept me at the job for another eight months. In those eight months, many things that had been damaged, including several relationships and morale, were restored. Misunderstandings had been cleared up with some of the managers, we hired an excellent boss to lead us, and by the time I left, everything was in order. Only God knew what was ahead and why I needed to stay steady. To this day, I am still very close friends with everyone I worked with. 

Why do I say this? Because that season gave me the training, I need for my current season. There have been unanswered questions and situations where I need to remain steady. It's a lot easier said than done, and it takes the Lord's help because He is the one who never changes! It is only because of Him that I am able to stay steady. 

Let's pray:
Dear Father, 
Thank You that You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Thank You that despite our unanswered questions on earth, our eternity is secure because of Jesus' work on the cross. Thank You that You are with us; because of You, we can remain steady. Thank You that Your love for us is patient, kind, and not easily angered. Thank You that Your love endures, hopes, and bears all things. I pray that You would help us to love like You. Help us to be long-suffering. Help us to wait on You. You promise that You are good to those who wait on You (Lamentations 3:26)

Lord, thank You for Your goodness toward us; help us to be more like You. I pray that our eyes are fixed on You, not our circumstances. Please help us to be faithful. Help us to rely on You for our strength. Please be our song in the night and our joy in the morning. I ask all this in Jesus' name, Amen!