There are two kinds of people in the world: there are those who, when they buy something new and see the words, “Read instructions carefully,” toss the instructions aside and press on. Others read every word of the instructions, sometimes more than once, before starting the project. There’s one set of instructions all of us…
Read MoreFilled with the Spirit: Letting God’s Presence Transform Your Life
One of our most phenomenal truths is that the Holy Spirit lives within every follower of Christ. He’s not out there somewhere, he’s not stuck in heaven. He’s in you. God hasn’t commanded us to get the Spirit because you already have him. The question is, though, does your life look any different because of…
Read MoreLiving Under the Influence: The Command to be Filled
If you’re a follower of Christ, you have the Holy Spirit living inside you. He’s taken up permanent residence within you. That’s a truth that most Christians may know, but many don’t truly appreciate. It would help us to ponder that truth occasionally and thank God for it. The question that comes next, though, is…
Read MoreFrom Residence to Rivers: Embracing the Holy Spirit Within
When I was five, my dad told me we were moving. He was building a nice, new house on the other side of Huntsville, Alabama, where we’d have lots more room and a bigger yard. My bedroom would be decorated with everything “space” (Dad worked for NASA, and this was the late 1960s, so of…
Read MoreHow to Embrace Conviction and Experience True Transformation
As we discussed in the previous post, one of the works of the Holy Spirit is “sanctification,” our ongoing, life-long growth in knowing God better and better and acting more and more like him. In an earlier post, we talked about the Holy Spirit’s work of conviction in the lives of unbelievers. He convinces the…
Read MoreStriving for Holiness: The Role of the Holy Spirit in Your Spiritual Growth
If you’ve been a Christian long, you may have heard a preacher or teacher discuss the “three tenses of salvation.” The past tense is our justification, when, at the moment we accepted Christ, we were saved from the penalty of sin and made right with God (Romans 3:23-24). The future tense is glorification, when we…
Read MoreUnderstanding the Sealing of the Holy Spirit: A Mark of Assurance and Security for Believers
I know I’ve mentioned her before, but my grandmother was an incredibly godly woman. She lived her life with tremendous faith in her Savior. Not only did she live out the teachings of the Bible, but she was also as knowledgeable about the Bible as any seminary professor of mine. Whenever I would travel to…
Read MoreThe Holy Spirit and Spontaneous Regeneration
Somewhere back in middle school science class, we learned that for around 2000 years people believed in something called “spontaneous generation,” the belief that living things can suddenly come from non-living matter. If you left meat out on a table, for instance, flies would spontaneously come to life around the meat. That belief wasn’t completely…
Read MoreMerry Christmas and May God Bless You Greatly in 2025
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” – Luke 2:14 I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and pray that God blesses you wonderfully in the new year! I pray for every reader of the blog every day, so if you ever have a specific request, please…
Read MoreConviction and Calling: How the Holy Spirit Turns Us to God
I’m not a lawyer and don’t spend much time in courtrooms. Or any time in courtrooms actually. I do, however, watch enough Dateline to know what happens during a trial, especially when the verdict comes in. There’s always tension in the courtroom when the jury is set to announce its decision. It will either be…
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