Acts 8:4-8
Theme - The Spirit shows His power through the reproof, correction, teaching, and training with the scriptures.
Why does the preaching of the scriptures continue to produce changes in people’s hearts? There are many issues in the Bible people say they do not understand. But, there are many things in the Bible that everyone should not misunderstand. However, the Spirit takes the word of God and infuses into it powerful messages to its hearers. The Spirit miraculously changes the way we look at people. It gives us discerning eyes to see past the superficial actions of people. Wherever the apostles went their preaching produced supernatural results, unlike some preachers today. The Spirit enabled them to deliver contextualized messages that brought deliverance from the powers of darkness. The apostles preached with the full power of the Spirit behind their spoken and written words. The Bible is the only book by which you may know the future. It is the only book that satisfactorily answers the vital questions of life: "Where did I come from? Why am I here? What am I to do? Where am I going?" Let the correcting ministry begin within your mind, will, and actions. To the one who admits his errors, God commends.
Question - What hinders us from speaking the truth with the Spirit’s power?
Prayer - Lord, help us speak your word in the power of the Spirit and not relying on our own insights.
Feb 2nd 2 Cor. 4:1-6
Theme - The Spirit’s ministry not only involves communication skills, but confrontational ones as well.
Why are many educated people too reliant on academic persuasions to invoke change? Many educated men carry their knowledge like a watch - not for display but for their own use. The highly educated use knowledge like a fortress against the world. Knowing our limitations is the first step to overcoming them. Knowledge tends to make one arrogant, but love edifies writes Paul in I Cor. 8:1. Most corrections come by confronting sin and its consequences, Jesus inferred. The Spirit is the one who can convincingly challenge people with sin, righteousness, and judgment. Perhaps, many formally educated people prefer the gentle, logical, and organized approach to truth. Others, seem to incorrectly recognize the Spirit’s working only through miracles. Paul’s ministry of the Spirit did not always rely on persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the power of the Spirit. Paul’s ministry involved titanic confrontations with the spirits of Satan. He knew that the devil continually tries to blind the minds of the unbelievers and the carnally minded. Since the devil is smarter than any man, it is futile to try to outwit him. Instead, the Spirit gives us the power to overcome the devil and his tricks if we will only use it
Question - What are the ways that we can use more of the power of the Spirit in our lives and ministries?
Prayer - Lord, help us to not rely on academic persuasions alone, but more on the power of your Spirit.
Feb 3rd John 16:8-11
Theme - The Spirit acts as a prosecuting attorney convicting all of sin.
What are the means that the Spirit uses to bring conviction? Conviction is a word that means proving the guilt of an individual or organization. The Spirit uses knowledge to convict us. For example, the best remedy for conceit is to sit down and make a list of all the things you do not know. By His firm persuasive techniques the Spirit discloses to every person, their errors, shortcomings, and sins of omissions . The Spirit makes it clear there is gap between people’s realities and the ideals found in Christ. He points out inconsistencies between their words and their actions. By convincing the world of the righteousness found in Christ, the Spirit warns people of the impending judgment awaiting those who reject the truth. As a prosecuting attorney, the Spirit exposes incriminating evidence against everyone for wrong words, emotions, and actions. He uncovers hidden thoughts of anger, jealousy, and covetousness. Each person’s conscience is pricked in areas that are sensitive to guilt, shame, and fear of punishment. The Spirit is not limited by cultural barriers in discovering sin. Do not let your hearts grow calloused to His convicting and correcting ministries. Nothing is more harmful to a new truth than an old error. The recipe for perpetual ignorance is to be satisfied with your opinions and content with your knowledge.
Question - What are the problems of growing cold to the convicting ministry of the Spirit?
Prayer - Lord, help us to stay sensitive and responsive to the Spirit’s convictions.
Feb 4th ……
2 Cor. 2:14-17
Theme - The Holy Spirits gives Christians attractive powers.
What makes a person attractive? A beautiful heart more than offsets the handicap of a homely face. Any person can appear glamorous. Do not judge a person by the clothes he wears. God made one, the tailor made the other. People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a smiling face. It takes the remaking of the Spirit to make one beautiful. When the Holy Spirit controls our lives He produces fruits that draw others to us. By arousing interest through the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control, He produces a desire in others to know Jesus Christ better. Constrained by the beauty of Jesus shining through Spirit filled believers, thousands have come to salvation through another’s life testimony. Through this magnetic pull many are delivered from the attractions to the world, the flesh, and the deceits of the devil. He makes all things beautiful through His Spirit. Others are drawn by the magnetic powers of the Spirit’s love. Though some may be repulsed by the aroma of Christ, others will be drawn closer to Him, as we exhibit the fruit of His Spirit. Express the pleasant sensations of the Spirit’s joy, love, and hope to everyone we meet. The surest sign that a person is not great is when he tries to appear that he is. The Spirit makes one truly great when one is truly loving.
Question - What are the ways that Christians can be more attractive through the Spirit?
Prayer - Lord, help us to use our attractive powers for your glory and not our own.
Feb 5th I Cor. 12:7-11
Theme - Study the differences between the Spirit’s ministry in the O.T. versus the N.T..
What are the ways that Holy Spirit works in the N.T. era as opposed to O.T. times? In the O.T. the Spirit came upon men rather than taking up permanent residence in their souls. The advantages of the N.T. believer are limitless and yet many live as if they are still living under the O.T. law. N.T. believers are no longer under the law, but under the grace of His Spirit. The Spirit helps us to interpret the O.T. considering N.T. truth. N.T. believers we can be assured that the Spirit empowers, comforts, fellowships, guides, and works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. Secondarily, the Spirit that lived in Jesus for three and a half years while on earth makes Jesus real to every believer. He has fully understood what it is like to be fully human through Christ’s life and suffering. He intercedes for us as a Spirit who has lived, love, and been rejected by men. He sympathizes and empathizes with our suffering. The Spirit personalizes God to every person in ways that are too deep for any human mind to understand. Stop interpreting life through O.T. perspectives. Be freed from the anxieties of loosing your salvation. He will refresh, renew, and replenish everyone He controls.
Question - Why are many believers living as if they are under the law rather than through the grace of the Spirit of God.
Prayer - Lord, help us to live as 100% N.T. believers with the Spirit’s fullness of power and blessings.
Feb 6th Matt. 4:1-11
Theme - The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted to strengthened for future service.
What are the reasons people resist the leading of the Spirit into difficult situations? Temper gets people into trouble, but pride keeps them there. Many arguments produce a lot of heat, but very little light. It is impossible to win an argument with a fool. Stop arguing with the Spirit of truth. Believers should not only expect to be blessed, but also to be tested. Christ’s human spirit resisted the leading of the Holy Spirit to go into the desert experience, as many of us do. The Spirit wanted to teach Jesus, as He wants to teach us about the blessings of overcoming temptations. Yet, Heb.5:8 says, "He learned obedience by the things that He suffered." Through trials the Spirit deepens our faith, enlarges our vision, and gives a greater capacity to comfort others who are hurting. Though these desert circumstances seem to contradict everything that the Father had purposed for His son to do, Jesus complied fully with the Spirit’s leading. Stop resenting trials since they can be used to produce patience, Godliness, and perseverance. Through the great trials, temptations, and tests, Jesus saw an empowered vision of what others would have to overcome if they are to maximize the will of God for their lives. Do not miss out on the lessons that the Spirit has to teach through adverse situations. There is never a trial that God allows to come into your life by mistake.
Question - What are the reasons many people fail to see God’s lessons through hard times?
Prayer - Lord, help us to look for your lessons even during our desert experiences.
Feb 7th …
..Matt 3:11,12
Theme - The baptism of the Holy Spirit involves the our death to sin, renewal, and sanctification.
Why are so many people debating the meaning of the baptism of the Holy Spirit? In baptism, the old self dies and the new self emerges. To be baptize mean to be immersed. It implies a death to self and sin. Baptism involves being raised to a new life in Christ. Spirit baptism happens at the time of our conversion. By receiving Christ as our Savior, we are dying to dependence on our human strength, cunning, and self-righteousness. He makes us whole, through the power of the Spirit. If we are reliant on a subsequent baptism of the Spirit, we are doubting the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement. The Spirit becomes our seal and source of new life from Christ. Through this baptism, as we ceased from selfishness, we are given a full measure of the Spirit. At the moment of entering into our soul, He regenerates, justifies, and sanctifies through Jesus Christ. Give evidence of the reality of baptism of the Spirit that took place at the time of your conversion. By nature all men are alike, but by baptism they are all made uniquely new. He endows us with special gifts through the baptism of the Spirit. We must take His power by using our gifts. Nothing dies quicker than a new idea in a closed mind.
Question - What are the reasons some people wrongly conceive of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as separate from salvation in Christ?
Prayer - Lord, help us to yield to the greatness of your abiding Spirit.
Feb 8th Matt. 3:7-12
Theme - The Spirit’s baptism of fire purifies, cleanses, and prepares us for the Master’s use.
What happens to a true believer baptized by the fire of the Spirit? After the baptism of the Spirit, our purity cannot be lost without our consent. The baptism of fire is not distinct from the baptism of the Spirit. Baptism in the presence of many witnesses is an outward testimony of an inward baptism of the Spirit. The baptism of fire adds meaning to one’s baptism by the Spirit. Fire cleanses one by a process of purifying one from impurities. It has a way of burning out the defiling values, motives, and behaviors that grieves God. Fire is always associated with power. Those who have undergone the baptism of fire are equipped with His empowering. Heat also has a way of making us more moldable for the Potter’s hands. Fire Baptism makes us more pliable so He can carve us into Him image. The Spirit comes to destroy the things that inhibit us from being more like Christ. Through fire, the Spirit wants to eliminate our selfishness, hatred, jealousy, anger, and false-dependencies. He strips away the barnacles from our lives that impede our progress toward’s His kingdom and His righteousness. By His refinements, we are elevated to a new level of worth. Allow the Spirit to continue to beautify, mature, and improve you in every dimension of life.
Question - What are the reasons people resist the refinements of the Holy Spirit?
Prayer - Lord, help us to continue to allow your Spirit to purify, melt, cleanse, and refine our hearts and minds.
Feb. 9th ………
.. Matt. 25:1-4
Theme - Let us avoid the errors of the five foolish virgins.
What are the differences among the five wise and five foolish virgins? Man has conquered many dangerous problems, except human nature. Some people are more controlled by circumstances than by the Spirit. These people are continually waiting to be victims of circumstances. While all ten virgins showed earnestness and purity, the five foolish virgins lacked the presence of the Spirit in their lives. Failing to prepare through the Spirit, is tantamount to planning for defeat. Although the Lord can use wise, intelligent, and instructed people, they usually lack some essential ingredient of the Spirit’s filling to be made whole. When the judgment day arrives, no amount of sanctimonious actions will suffice in making us righteous in God’s eyes. We must be possessed with the forgiveness confirmed by the abiding Spirit. The five foolish virgins were impulsive, shallow, and lacked the Spirit’s values. They were looking at the temporal rather than the eternal source of light, life, and glory. Make preparations at the right time and in the right way. Some people have been dead for years, but they just prefer not to have it shown. When crisis appear, it may be too late. Spiritual preparedness is the foundation to all readiness. Stop looking to people to solve your crisis, before trusting the Spirit to give you the means to handle any problem. Today’s preparations effects tomorrow’s achievements.
Question - What are the ways that people live like the five foolish virgins today?
Prayer - Lord, help us to avoid the errors of the five foolish virgins and warn others of such peril.
Feb. 10th Luke 11:9-13
Theme - The comparisons between the human and divine ways of responding to needs.
What are the similarities between our earthly and heaven Fathers’ responses to our requests? Dwight L. Moody once said, "Spread out your petitions before God and then say, "Your will be done." The sweetest lesson I have learned in God’s school is to let the Lord choose for me." Our heavenly Father knows best. Our earthly father generally do not deceive their children with their gifts. Likewise, our heavenly Father delights to give us what we desire. If we need food, our Father in heaven provides us with provisions. If your earthly friends provide assistance, how much more do you think God is eager to give the Spirit’s blessings to those who ask. Do you need encouragement, the Father is ever ready to send the Spirit to renew your strength. The Father gives us a personal companion in the Spirit to provide us everything we need according to His limitless resources. God is not going to deceive us with counterfeit gifts. Confident prayer can become a reality for you. Do you need faith, hope, or love? The Spirit is available to fill your heart and satisfy your soul. Give Him your requests, but be willing to meet the conditions for answers to prayer. We cannot expect the Spirit to give us anything that would not be in the Father’s perfect plan. A year of "yieldness" will bring larger blessings than a lifetime of selfishness.
Question - What are some differences between our earthly and heaven Father in the ways that they respond to our requests?
Prayer - Lord, help us to approach you with the respect, obedience, and confidence of a loving Father.
Feb 11th I Cor. 12:7-11
Theme - The Spirit is given to us for mutual, personal, and heavenly profit.
Why do many believers fail to profit from the gifts of the Spirit? He who prays ought to live as he prays. In order to experience personal benefit from a spiritual gift, one may use it in service to others. Do not think that you have to compete for the Spirit’s approval. Different gifts produce unity through diversification. God never puts all of His gifts into one person. We are mutually dependent on one another’s gifts. Gifts are not for private enrichment nor for rivalry or jealousy. Gifts are given for the benefit of all believers. The Spirit will give you advantages that are unavailable outside the body of Christ. Spiritual gifts require that we invest our time, talents, and energies into seeking the good of others. Through the by-product of these gifts we stand to gain maturity, confidence, and promotions. The Spirit helps us grow into all aspects into Him who is the Head even Christ as we exercise our spiritual gifts. The more we use our spiritual gifts the greater facility, capacity, and power we get. You will be happier when you give people more of your heart instead of a piece of your mind. His gifts multiply our benefits. If you want your efficiency, success, and profits to increase; learn how to improve your service through the exercise of your spiritual gifts. Life is like tennis; he who serves well seldom loses. The loneliest place in the world is the human heart when the gift of love is absent
Question - What are the reasons people fail to use their spiritual gifts properly?
Prayer - Lord, help us to make the most of all of our spiritual gifts in seeking the growth of your people.
Feb 12th ………
I Pet. 5:10,11
Theme - The Spirit restores, strengthens, firms, and makes us unshakable during suffering.
What are the ways that the Spirit works through disappointments? God’s providential blessings require three things of us: a believing heart, an informed mind, and stiff upper lip. Let us recall how the Spirit worked through the persecuted believers in the first century. Suffering has a way of magnifying the ministry of the Spirit. First, He promised to restore by bringing us back to wholeness. This term was often used for what a fisherman would do with a torn net or what a repairman would do with a damaged ship. By his repairs, renovations, and restorative work he would make us like new. We have to recognize our deficiencies before He can heal us. The Spirit performs His restorative wonders by giving us new powers to resist temptation, discouragement, and all kinds of set-backs. He makes us stable, steady, and resolute in our determination to do 100% of the Father’s will. Through the unshakable foundations He provides, we can stand without wavering in the face of all kinds of suffering. Do not fail to recognize the many ways that the Spirit is strengthening your mind, will, and moral determinations. George Washington, the founding father of the U.S.A. said, "Providence has always been my only dependence, for all other resources seem to have failed us. Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they remain young in Spirit
Question - How can we gain greater confidence from the Spirit’s restorative ministries?
Prayer - Lord, help us to thank you for your ministry of renewal.
