Devotions - Read Online
Thursday | 29 September 2016
We became a temple of the Holy Spirit when we received Him. He dwells within us and yearns jealously for us. According to Paul, the Spirit lusts against the flesh, in the same manner as the flesh lusts against Him. Because of this, we cannot do the things that we desire to do. At these times, we become frustrated because we are unable to fulfil our personal religious agendas. This frustration demonstrates that we are trying to fulfil the righteousness of God through the weakness of our flesh. As we do this, the Holy Spirit is against us.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit gives us power for change. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He said to His disciples, ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth’. To be a witness of Christ, we need to be delivered of the desire to reveal ourselves. We are unable to deliver ourselves of this propensity. It is at this point that the Holy Spirit helps our weakness. Our weakness is the fallen propensities of our flesh.
When we are converted, we will readily recognise that we do not even know how to pray as we ought to pray. Paul explained that ‘the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words’. The Son comes to the aid of the Spirit. He is the One who searches our heart and knows what the mind of the Spirit is. As He searches our heart, Christ seeks to know from the Holy Spirit, who is within us, what it is that He should be praying to the Father for, in relation to our sonship and pilgrimage.
Further Study:
Galatians 5
Daily Proverb:
Proverbs 29
References:
Jas 4:5
Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"?
Gal 5:17
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.
Act 1:7-8
He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; (8) but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
Rom 8:26-27
In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; (27) and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Rev 2:23
'And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.'