Thoughts for Life: THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Rich Carmicheal- The Holy Spirit is the source of life, joy, peace and hope. Jesus gives this beautiful word picture of the Spirit's presence within us: " 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, who those believing in Him would receive . . . " (John 7:37-39).

Similarly, Isaiah prophesied about the day "the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is counted as a forest" (Is. 32:15) Do we not need and long for such overflowing life, such fruitfulness in our lives?

And what about the need for joy and peace in these difficult days? The fruit of the Spirit includes joy and peace (Gal. 5:22), and the kingdom of God is "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 14:17).

Even in the midst of much affliction, we can be filled with the "joy of the Holy Spirit" (1 Thess. 1:6). How wonderful it is that the God of hope is able to fill us "with all joy and peace in believing, that [we] may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit"! (Rom. 15:13).

The Holy Spirit fills us with the love of God.

In a time when the love of many is growing cold (Matt. 24:12), how we need the Holy Spirit to keep pouring out God's love into our hearts (Rom.5:5), and to bear the fruit of love in our lives (Gal. 5:22).

Only by the enabling of the Holy Spirit and "through the love of the Spirit" (Rom. 15:30) are we able to love and minister to others. Oh that we may be known for our "love in the Spirit"! (Col. 1:8).

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of holiness (Rom. 1:4).

In these last days in which sin and lawlessness abound (Matt.24:12; 2 Tim. 3:1-4), how grateful we can be for the sanctifying work of the Spirit in our lives! (2 Thes. 2:13).

As we walk in Him, we "shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal 5:16), but rather by Him we "put to death the deeds of the body" (Rom. 8:13). He renews us (Titus 3:5) and strengthens us with might in the inner man (Eph. 3:16). By His glorious ministry we are being transformed into the likeness of the Lord! (2 Cor. 3:18).

The Holy Spirit helps in our weaknesses and in prayer.

". . . We do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Rom. 8:26). We are able to pray "always with all prayer and supplicaiton in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" (Eph. 6:18).

As Jude points out, our prayer in the Spirit is vital to our faith and life with God:

"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (Jude 20-21).

The Holy Spirit directs our lives and equips and empowers us for ministry.

We are absolutely dependent upon the leading of the Spirit, for only those led of the Spirit are the children of God (Rom. 8:14). What an unbelievable blessing it is to "live in the Sprit" and "walk in the Spirit" (Gal. 5:25), and to minister based on the gifts and calling entrusted to us by the Spirit! (1 Cor. 12:11; Acts 13:2; 20:28).

Likewise, what a privilege it is to serve in the newness of the Spirit (Rom. 7: 6) and by the empowering of the Spirit! (1 Cor. 2:4; 1 Thes. 1:5; 1 Peter. 1:12).

By Rich Carmicheal, July/August 2024 Herald of His Coming Newspaper, (pg 2)

Let's pray-

Father, the Spirit of Jesus is our Source of life, joy, peace and hope. This gives us a beautiful word picture of His presence within us.

Isaiah prophesied that the day would come that You would pour out this overflowing life. We need and long for such life to dwell within us today!

As this includes joy and peace, we ask for Your righteousness too, to flow from us through these difficult days, as folks' godly love is growing cold.

We need the Holy Spirit to keep pouring out Your love into our hearts, so we can bear the fruit of love.

As we walk in Jesus, we will learn to not fulfill the lust of flesh, but by Him, put to death the deeds of our bodies. He renews and strengthens us with might in our inner man daily as His ministry transforms us into His likeness.

Your Word instructs us to pray in the Spirit, as we simply don't know what we should pray for. Help us have the perseverance and supplication that's needed!

May we build ourselves up in our most holy faith in the heavenly language, as we continue to pray for You to extend mercy to those we're prayinig for.

In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

#58 Words from Mary Carothers:

"When we abide in Jesus (see John 15), when we hide God's Word in our hearts (see Proverbs 3), when we obey the Lord (see Job 36:11), walking in the Spirit (see Galatians 5:25), God has told us we would tread upon and trample the counterfiet lion (see Psalm 91). He will give us authority over all the power of the enemy (see Luke 10:19).

Let's remember what the Lord tells us in Job 4:10: The lions may roar and growl, yet the teeth of the great lions are broken. How was this done? Jesus accomplished this for us on Calvary. Our enemy - the counterfeit lion- has been defeated by the true lion

of the tribe of Judah. Let us therefore go forth as more than conquerors in Christ who loves us" (see Romans 8:37). [Taken from PRAISE NEWS for September]

1316-1320 One-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted-

1316- Ps. 9:11b "Declare among the people his doings."

1317- Ps. 27:9b "Thou hast been my help; leave me not; neither forsake me, O God of my salvation."

1318- Jer. 18:11c "Make your ways and doings good."

1319- Ps. 150:1 "Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power."

1320- Ps. 22:4 "Our fathers trusted in thee; they trusted and thou didst deliver them."

#58 Hymn- Take My Life, and Let It Be Consecrated

The information about this song, is taken from the book by Robert J. Morgan, THEN SINGS MY SOUL (pg. 191)

Although hymnist Frances Hargal, 36, had served the Lord for years, she felt something was missing in her Christian experience. After reading "All for Jesus," which stressed the importance of making Christ the King of every corner and cubicle of one's life, she soon thereafter made a fresh and complete consecration of herself to Christ.

After leading several to Christ one night, too excited to sleep, she wrote this song, Take My life and Let It Be

Some encouraging words-

God wants us to live in community with others (church fellowship), loving and being loved, giving and receiving forgiveness, enjoying one another and bearing with one another's weaknesses (Gal. 6:1-3).

Church notes:

We're to hold fast to our salvation! God is trustworthy, as He has vowed His committment to us by His Own name! We're to hold onto Jesus as our Anchor in heaven! We're to have confidence in the salvation that He provided! He is the foundation for everything! We're to live as though we could lose our salvation.

So HOLD FAST at all costs!

Upcoming posts:

11/2- REMOVE THE DEBRIS- Andrea Merrel

9th- GOD'S REST AND RENEWAL- Melissa Meek

16th- WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST JESUS- Joyce Meyers