Day 11

 He Gave Me His Spirit

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor

to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth.

The world cannot accept him,

Because it neither sees him nor knows him.

But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

John 14:16-17

Growing up, I learned a lot about God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ. I am very thankful that at an early age I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ as my Savior!  But, I don’t remember learning much about the third person of the trinity, the Holy Spirit.  It was as if He only existed in the Bible. The teachers in the religious circles in which I grew up seemed pretty uptight about the Holy Spirit, as if they were uncomfortable with Him. As a result, it wasn’t until much later in life that I learned what a precious gift Jesus left us when He left His Spirit. God didn’t want us to feel abandoned when Jesus returned to heaven and so He left His Spirit to live and dwell in us!

 Here are some great reasons to praise God for His Spirit:

• He comforts us. (Acts 9:31)
• He counsels us when we don’t know what to do. (John 14:16)
• He leads us into all truth. (John 16:13)
• He convicts us when we sin. (John 16:8)
• He empowers us (Romans 15:13)
• He sanctifies us (Romans 15:16)
• He gives us new life in Christ. (I Peter 3:18)
• He helps us pray (Romans 8:26)
• He gives us the words for the moment (Luke 12:12)
• He strengthens and renews us (Ephesians 3:16)
• He helps us in our weakness (Romans 8:26)
• He gives us wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17)
• He brings us reassurance (Romans 8:16)
• He helps us understand the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10)
• He gifts us to serve the body of Christ (Romans 12:6-8, Hebrews 2:4)
• He gives us confidence  (2 Corinthians 5:5-6)

 Praise Challenge

Praise God for the gift of His Holy Spirit. As you praise God, the Holy Spirit will be pouring more of His strength, power, fruit, sweetness and ability to resist temptation into your soul.   Today, whenever you feel stressed out, overwhelmed or discouraged, practice spiritual breathing. Exhale the stress and then inhale deeply the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Practice this type of breathing all day. At the end of the day record what you experienced throughout the day.