RELEASING THE BLESSING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
I am grateful for the presence and work of the Holy Spirit in my life! He is always looking for ways to help and bless me. And He desires to help and bless you, and all of God’s people. But there are times He may not . . . nor cannot bless a person. He’s not willing to bless an unclean vessel where there is active sin, unforgiveness, bitterness of soul, issues of the heart that are not dealt with, disobedience, just to name a few. I’ve prepared a sheet with a list of ten things that hinder us from receiving all that God wants to give us through his Holy Spirit. I’ll provide it as a separate attachment tomorrow.
But remember this; the Holy Spirit is longing to bless you and me! Here are four of His blessings.
· Love – 1 Corinthians 13, the greatest chapter dealing with “love” found in the Bible is squeezed between two chapters dealing with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Many Christians struggle and fail to walk in love because they do not understand the purpose and work of the Holy Spirit.
· Fruit – By fully allowing the Holy Spirit to dwell in our lives and learning to yield to his gentle instruction we will begin to notice results. Galatians 5:22-23 calls these results fruit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control and many other great things.
· Gifts – The qualities the Spirit produces in our lives are like gift packages from heaven itself, filled with blessings, miracles and power. The earliest New Testament believers who threw the door open to the Holy Spirit turned the world upside down because it. See Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 12.
· Power – Acts 1:8 says, you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses . . . While scriptures elsewhere deal with the many types and manifestations of Holy Spirit power, Jesus was unmistakable about the need of power to his witness.
Take time right now to pray about these four areas of Holy Spirit blessing.
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Satan is terrified by the thought of us being fully open to the blessings and help of the Holy Spirit. Do not be surprised by his attempts to hinder your continuing fellowship with, obedience to, and action on behalf of the Holy Spirit.
One area in which the devil hinders people is in blinding them to their need of Jesus Christ. Notice what2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says; if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)
We shouldn’t be surprised that the devil has done this. He wants to keep as many people away from the Gospel as he can. Because of his vicious desire to withhold the gift of salvation from humanity, people who are “dead in their trespasses and sins” do not enjoy the many benefits that come along with being a child of God, let alone the gift of eternal lie. For this purpose Jesus was sent to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8)
Our partnership with the Holy Spirit is to enforce the victory that Jesus purchased through his death on
the Cross. Here are some of the victories Jesus came to carry out.
· Jesus came to seek and save the lost – Luke 19:10
· Jesus came to set captive people free – Luke 4:18
· Jesus came to give the gift of eternal life – John 10:28
· Jesus came to give abundant life – John 10:10
· Jesus came to forgive people’s sins – 1 John 1:9
· Jesus came to heal all manner of sickness, infirmity and illness – Acts 10:38
· Jesus came to give us authority over the devil – Luke 10:19
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Yesterday’s prayer bulletin ended with the following prayer prompt assignment: Compile a Holy Spirit-led list of 5-10 people who need the good news of Jesus Christ. Today let’s pray with the authority of Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit for the people on our list.
Here are some personal prayer prompts and scriptures:
Prayers:
Ask God to align your heart with his.
Ask for courage, boldness and grace to obey Jesus command to “go.”
Ask God to help you take authority over your fears.
Ask God for opportunities and open doors to share the Gospel
Scriptures:
Jesus came and told his disciples, I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:18-20
. . . he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. James 5:20
How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news . . . Isaiah 52:7
But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news! Romans 10:14-15
My Prayer: Father God, I thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit and the powerful anointing he has and will continue to give to us. Holy Spirit, make yourself clearly present every time you prompt me to minister to a person. Bear witness of Jesus Christ through every word, each attitude, and all the actions you give me. In Jesus’ name, amen!