Tag: enables

The Helpful Holy Spirit

The Helpful Holy Spirit

The Bible describes the Holy Spirit as ‘the Helper’ as well as a teacher in John 14:26 (NKJV).  He truly is our helper, and we should praise God for this truth. 

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  (Joh 14:26 NKJV)

The Holy Spirit will teach us all things and remind us of what we have learned from Him.  For example, when we get riled by some inconsiderate driver in traffic, and call that person an unflattering name, the Holy Spirit will convict us to repent and to pray for that driver.

. . . because I know that your prayers and the help that comes from the Spirit of Christ Jesus will keep me safe.  (Phil 1:19 CEV)

The help that comes from the Holy Spirit keeps us safe.  Hallelujah! 

Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.  (Act 9:31 NIV)

The Holy Spirit gives us the wisdom to have a respectful reverence for the Lord.  He helps us to learn about the wonderful characteristics of the love of God, and to appreciate them.

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.  (Rom 8:9 NKJV)

Because the Holy Spirit dwells within us (1 Cor 3:16), we know that we are led by the Lord, especially in spiritual matters.

The Holy Spirit helps us to know how to pray, and will even give us the words to pray, if we will be sensitive to His guidance.

The unity of the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit forms the Godhead.  The Godhead is united in purpose and implementation of God’s plan for mankind. 

God’s plan for mankind is good and gives us a future and a hope.  (Jer 29:11)

The Holy Spirit gives us life and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  His work is to exalt Christ in our hearts.  The Holy Spirit strengthens us and by grace, enables us to persevere in faith.  Glory to God!

Self-Control

Self-Control

Welcome!  The fruit of the Spirit includes self-control.  (Galatians 5:22-24 NIV)  Isn’t that wonderful?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24 NKJV)

When we accepted Christ as Savior, the Spirit of God made His home in our hearts.  The Holy Spirit is the One who enables us to walk in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Our responsibility is to yield to the Spirit of God and to actually manifest this fruit!  It is quite exhilarating to do.

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”  (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV)  Consider the ways that you exercise the spiritual fruit of self-control.  Then praise the Lord for them!

Note:  This is a reprint of our blog article dated 08/20/2016.

God Calls Us to Love Our Christian Family, Pt. 2

God Calls Us to Love Our Christian Family, Pt. 2

This is part two on this topic of loving our Christian brothers and sisters.  This is a very important subject to the Lord.  He has included so much information in His Word for us about this very thing.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.  (1 Joh 4:11-12 NKJV)

As we demonstrate and live in a helpful, loving way toward our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are revealing to the world, and to anyone who cares to notice, that God abides in us.  It is His life in us that enables and empowers us to serve one another in love.

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  (Joh 15:12)  Jesus modeled loving service in His life on earth.  He showed love to His followers and to all those who came to Him for help or for teaching.  The Lord Jesus is completely entitled to tell us to follow His example.

In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.  (1 Joh 3:10)  This says it quite baldly:  an unrighteous life and an unloving attitude to a brother is proof that we are NOT ‘of God.’  Wow!  The only alternative to being ‘of God’ is to be a child of the devil, and we absolutely do NOT WANT to be identified as that.

If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?  (1 Joh 4:20 NKJV)  How can we possibly say that we love God if we can’t show love and helpfulness to people with whom we can interact, communicate, and see!  God is being completely reasonable here.

Here are some hints on ways to show love to others:

  • Be kind
  • Be open-minded, friendly, and able to make the first move
  • Empathize
  • Be genuine
  • Expect nothing in return
  • Be a good listener
  • Allow others to make their own decisions
  • Love in small ways
  • Keep showing up, and
  • Look for ways that you can be of help to the individual or family.

We can do this because God has said that we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS!  (Rom 8:37)  Hallelujah!

Unfailing Love

Unfailing Love

God, alone, is capable of bestowing UNFAILING love upon a person or a group of people.  Since God is love (1 Joh 4:8), we can see why this would be possible as well as understandable.

Here are three different versions of the same Bible verse about God’s love:

Because your faithful love is right in front of me—I walk in your truth!  (Ps 26:3 CEB)

For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth.  (Ps 26:3 NKJV)

. . . for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.  (Ps 26:3 NIV, emphasis added)

There are many more verses in the Word that talk about God’s precious, beautiful, unfailing love (all NIV):

In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.  (Ex 15:13)

Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.  (Ps 6:4)

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  (Ps 13:5)

See also Psalm 18:50; 21:7; 32:10; 33:5, 18, 22; 36:7; 44:26; 48:9; 51:1; 52:8; 62:12, and many more!  Further research into this truth will strengthen and support your faith in all circumstances.

What I hope to accomplish here is to remind us all how very deeply and how faithfully God loves each one of His children.  God’s love is unfailing, and it is unconditional.  There is no love anywhere else in creation like the love of God for His people.

God’s love is dependable, constant, consistent, unshakable, and enduring.  His love is more important than anyone else’s.  When you are the object of His love, His love for you makes you a better, kinder, and more loving human being.  His love enables you to love others in a more mature way than ever before. 

Meditate upon His unfailing love. Make it a practice to have an awareness of His constant, abiding love.  It will bless your life and faith immensely.

Feet of a Deer: Hind’s Feet

Feet of a Deer: Hind’s Feet

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights.  (Hab 3:19 NIV)

The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places.  (Hab 3:19 KJV)

In Habakkuk 3:17-18, the prophet says:

17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Verses 17 and 18 show us that Habakkuk chooses to praise the Lord and to be joyful in Him in spite of life’s challenging circumstances. 

He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.  (2 Sam 22:34 & Ps 18:33 KJV)

So what is the significance of hind’s feet?  A hind is a female deer (or a gazelle) who is able to place her back feet unerringly where her front feet have walked.  Because of this, a hind is able to run unreservedly on the roughest terrain.  In times of peril, the hind can run securely and stay on course.  Because the hind can scale high places, it can elude predators.

The spiritual lesson for us is that, despite our circumstances, when we are truly anchored by faith in Jesus, we’ll be able to run with joy the race that is set before us.  The Word reminds us that God Himself is our strength, and in Him our spiritual feet have become as sure-footed, nimble, and fast as the hind. 

The strength that God gives to us is an inward strength—confidence and assurance and courageousness in the face of all external afflictions and trials.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  (Phil 4:13 NKJV) 

. . . that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man . . .  (Eph 3:16 NKJV)

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19), and the strength of the Lord is within each one of us.  Glory to God!

God Has Chosen the Weak

God Has Chosen the Weak

In this article, we’re going to think about how inadequate many of us may feel to serve the Lord.  Especially when the Lord has called us to a specific task or calling in life.

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.”   (Jer 1:7 ESV)  Man’s excuse:  I’m too young, Lord!

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”  (Exod 3:11)  Translation:  But Lord, I’m a nobody—I’m insignificant!

Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”  (Exod 4:10)  Paraphrase:  Oh, Lord, I’m just not gifted or talented enough to do this.

But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”  (Exod 4:13)  Translation:  Please don’t ask me to do this!  Won’t you please send someone else?

Face your fears and resist them!  When God calls you, He equips you and gives you the grace that you need in order to empower and to enable you to fulfill His call.  (See Heb 13:21)

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.  (2 Cor 9:8)  God gives us more than we need in order to lavishly perform good works in His name.  Not only that, He will give us mentors and teachers to train us.

God has a strategy in choosing ordinary, sometimes under-educated human beings to do His work in the earth!  He chooses people who may even be despised in order to frustrate and to thwart evil powers and principalities.  God’s ways are higher than ours–better than ours.  (1 Cor 1:25)

He causes His own glory to be seen in us!  What an honor.

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.  (Isa 60:1 ESV)

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.  (1 Cor 1:26-29)

Revel in your weaknesses and recognize that living in and through Christ is your true strength and your hope.  (2 Cor 12:9)   God bless you.

Clothed With Humility

Clothed With Humility

The Bible has much to teach believers on the topic of humility.

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  (1 Pet 5:5, underscoring added)

By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.  (Pro 22:4)

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering . . .  (Col 3:12, underscoring added)

. . . to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.  (Tit 3:2, underscoring added)

What is humility?  It’s a covering of meekness, unpretentiousness, gentleness, and peacefulness.  It’s a character trait that is evidenced by our willingness and ability to submit to God in obedience to His Word. 

A humble person is one who accepts the chain of authority, and therefore is able to submit to their supervisor on the job.  Another area where humility is evident is when a driver submits to the rules of the road, and obeys the traffic signs.

Humility is the quality that enables us to become good citizens, valuable church members, and contributors to society.  Humility is seen in the lives of public figures that are admired, as well as in the lives and actions of certain Kings and Queens throughout history. 

Jesus humbled Himself by obedience to His Father and dying a criminal’s death on the cross.  (Phil 2:8)  There is no greater example of humility.

One critical lesson to learn from the Scriptures is that we have the ability to HUMBLE OURSELVES!  We are the only ones who can do it, and God will most certainly reward us for our obedience to Him.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.  (Jas 4:10)

Self-Control

Self-Control

Welcome!  The fruit of the Spirit includes self-control.  (Galatians 5:22-24 NIV)  Isn’t that wonderful?

When we accepted Christ as Savior, the Spirit of God made His home in our hearts.  The Holy Spirit is the One who enables us to walk in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Our responsibility is to yield to the Spirit of God and to actually manifest this fruit!  It is quite exhilarating to do.

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”  (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV)  Consider the ways that you exercise the spiritual fruit of self-control.  Then praise the Lord for them!