Category Archives: The Spirit Empowered Life

Making New Life

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The Spirit Empowered Life - Day 136 - Making New Life - Growing As Disciples

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 136 – Making New Life – Growing As Disciples

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.  These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us.  There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (MSG)

Finish Strong

I know that my body is wasting away. Nothing works quite as well as it once did. I have aches and pains like never before. The snap, crackle, and pop of my body reveals something about my age. Who is that old guy looking back at me in the mirror? That could not be me. Well, guess what? It is me. With this realization I could become discouraged. I could give up. That won’t happen. Why is that? Why will you not become discouraged? Why will you not give up and quit? I know what is true. What’s that? What is true? As my body wastes away and basically falls apart on the outside, you are renewing me on the inside. Day by day, your Holy Spirit is doing a work inside me. You are renewing my spirit. You are making me fresh and alive in you. You are filling my life with joy and peace and hope. You are continually changing my perspective. How so? I am no longer captivated by the world and all I see. I know all that is seen today will be gone tomorrow. This life is like a mirage on a sun scorched road just ahead. It’s only here for moment. What will last forever is what I cannot see. What can’t you see? I can’t yet see the life I will have forever in heaven with you. I can’t see the celebration awaiting my arrival in heaven. I can’t see the new and glorious body you have prepared for me. I can’t imagine that my life in heaven, with you, will never end. That thought, makes my head spin. I can’t comprehend all your goodness. The best of this life will not compare with what you have waiting for me in heaven. You are correct. You are right to be encouraged. Keep your heart and mind and eyes focused on me. Keep on living your life fully for me. Run the face of faith with me. Finish strong. Sprint to the end. Cross the finish line with a flourish. Everything that has been difficult or trying or challenging for you in this life will be forgotten in an instant, once you are with me. Heavenly Father, thank you for kindness and mercy and love. I will run the race of faith. I will finish strong. I will sprint to the end until I am with you. That will be very good. 

Heavenly Father, even though my outward body is falling apart I will not become discouraged and give up. I know that day by day you are renewing me on the inside. Keep doing your good work in me. Help me to run fast and finish strong in my life of faith in you. Amen

Key Question…  Why should you never become discouraged as you age, and your body starts to fall apart?

Living It Out…  Keep on moving forward with the Lord so you will finish strong in your life of faith with Him.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that God will renew you on the inside even as your body falls apart on the outside.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how day by day God has been renewing you on the inside.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you never give up because God is renewing you inside day by day as you love, follow, and serve Him.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Devotional Study Guide click here

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 136 – 2 Corinthians 4-16-18 – Making New Life  – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                        Copying not permitted                                                                                    http://www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Let Us Also Keep In Step With The Spirit

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The Spirit Empowered Life - Day 135 - Galatians 5:22-26 - Let Us Also Keep In Step With The Spirit - Growing As Disciples

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 135 – Galatians 5:22-26 – Let Us Also Keep In Step With The Spirit – Growing As Disciples

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:22-26 (ESV)

Keep In Step

I will keep in step with you. I will follow you to where you lead me. I will do what you ask of me. What have I asked of you? Where have I led you? You have asked me to leave my old and sinful life. You have asked me to crucify my flesh along with all its passions and desires because I now belong to Jesus Christ. He is my Savior and Lord. You have asked me to leave conceit and provocation and envy far behind me. That is correct. Where have I been leading you? I will answer that in a way that may be unexpected, at least by me. You have been leading me into a deeper relationship with you. You have been helping me to listen to your voice guiding me through life. You have been leading me into a life of intimacy with you. You have been helping me to rely on you. You have been helping me to place all my faith and hope and trust in you. That is also correct. That is exactly where I have been leading you.

How will you know if you are on track? How will you know if you are keeping in step with me? What will be the outcome of your living in an intimate relationship with me? Your fruit will develop in me. I and others will see that the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control is growing in me. That is true. There are a few things I want you to know. What’s that? My fruit does not grow overnight. As you keep in step with me, my fruit will growly slowly, steadily, and surely. Don’t be impatient. Don’t become discouraged. Know also that it will always be far easier to see my fruit growing in others than in yourself. But as you keep in step with me, have no doubt that my fruit will be growing in you. I will mold you. I will shape you. I will help you to live a life that is pleasing to me. Thank you, Holy Spirit. I will keep in step with you. That will be very good. 

Holy Spirit, I am no longer living according to fleshly passions and desires of this world. Help me to keep in step with you. I want to live by your guidance. Mold and shape me. Develop your fruit within me. Help me to live a life that is fully pleasing to you. Amen

Key Question… What daily choices do you need to continue to make to keep in step with the Holy Spirit?

Living It Out… Keep in step with the Holy Spirit so He can develop His fruit in you.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that the Holy Spirit will develop His fruit in you.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how you are keeping in step with the Holy Spirit.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May the fruit of the Spirit develop in your life as you keep in step with Him.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Devotional Study Guide click here

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 135 – Galatians 5-22-26 – Let Us Also Keep In Step With The Spirit – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

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By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                        Copying not permitted                                                                                    www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

When They Had Prayed

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The Spirit Empowered Life - Day 134 - Acts 4:31 - When They Had Prayed - Growing As Disciples

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 134 – Acts 4:31 – When They Had Prayed – Growing As Disciples

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:31 (ESV)

Your Power

I know one thing for sure. What do you know for sure? I know that I cannot do the work of ministry under my own power, with my own strength. How do you know that to be true? Lots of failure, lots of barren and fruitless efforts. I have a great deal of experience failing to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name because I relied on my own efforts to try to accomplish your purposes. In many cases, the goal I had in mind was good. Trying to accomplish even a good goal with human efforts is doomed to fail. Why is that? You want me to rely on you. You want me to live in an intimate relationship with you. You want to work in and through me. You want me to know without a doubt that you have enabled me to go and do your will. I strongly suspect that these desires of yours are far more important than my success or failure in any given effort. That is correct.

Let me ask you a question. I’m listening. If you could do my will with your efforts, under your own power, who would get the credit? Who would people be drawn to if you were able to accomplish my purposes all by yourself? I see your point. The goal is for people to come to know and love and follow and serve you. The goal is not for me to be able to impress others with my great accomplishments. That is correct.

What do you want? I want to live in an intimate relationship with you. I want to rely fully on you. I want your hand to be on me. I want you to work in and through me. I want to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. I want others to come to know and love and follow and serve you because of what they see of you in my life. Then we both want the same thing. Yes, we do. Keep on praying. Keep on relying on me. Keep on allowing me to work in and through you. Yes, I will. That will be very good.  

Holy Spirit, I know I am powerless to do the work of ministry, by relying on myself. Fill me with your power. Make me able to do the work of ministry. Accomplish through me what I could never do by myself. Holy Spirit, I will rely on you. Help me to bear fruit. Amen

Key Question…  When has the Holy Spirit filled you and made you able to powerfully do the work of ministry?

Living It Out…  Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you His power to do the work of ministry.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that the Holy Spirit will fill you and powerfully work through you to do the work of ministry.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how the Holy Spirit has powerfully worked through you.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you pray and be filled by the Holy Spirit to do the work of ministry.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Devotional Study Guide click here:

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 134 – Acts 4-31 – When They Had Prayed – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                        Copying not permitted                                                                                    www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Responding To God’s Message

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The Spirit Empowered Life - Day 133 - Galatians 3:2-4 - Responding To God's Message - Growing As Disciples

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 133 – Galatians 3:2-4 – Responding To God’s Message – Growing As Disciples

Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God’s Message to you?  Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren’t smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it?  Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up!  Answer this question: Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust him to do them in you? Galatians 3:2-5 (MSG)

In Your Presence

I know one thing. What’s that? I am the work of your hands. You began a good work in me on the day that I turned my life over to you. You drew me to yourself. You showed me your kindness and mercy and love. You helped me to turn away from my old life in the world. You forgave my sin. You cleansed my unrighteousness.  You made me to be acceptable in your sight. You became my Savior and My Lord. You are my God and Father. I am your child. Yes, I have done all this for you. Yes, I am all this to you. Yes, I have begun a good work in you that will continue until the day you come to live forever with me.

Let’s talk about now. How is it that I am now doing a good work in you? How is it that I am now changing your heart, transforming your mind, and guiding your life? How is it that I am molding and shaping you and making you into the person that I have called you to become? Is my work in you being accomplished by your efforts? Certainly not. I cannot complete the work that you have begun in me. I cannot make myself into the person you want me to become. Do you have no role in the work I want to do in you, for you, and through you?  I didn’t say that. I wouldn’t say that. What would you say? I would say that it is my role to draw near to you. I would say that it is my role to submit myself to you. In your presence, you are molding and shaping me into the person you want me to become. In your presence, you are doing your good work in, for and through me. Yes, in my presence I will do my good work in you, for you and through you. Will you keep on drawing near to me? Will you keep living in an intimate relationship with me? Yes, I will. That will be very good.

Heavenly Father, thank you for beginning your good work in me. You have been changing my heart, transforming my mind, and guiding my life. I will trust and allow you to continue to complete your good work in me. Change me. Mold me. Shape me. Amen

Key Question…  How has God been doing His good work in you as you have drawn near to Him?

Living It Out…  Trust that God will complete and make perfect the good work that He has begun in you.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that God will complete and make perfect the good work He began in you.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how you are trusting God to complete the good work He began in you.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you allow God to complete the good work that He started in you.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Devotional Study Guide click here:

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 133 – Galatians 3-2-5 – Responding To God’s Message – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                        Copying not permitted                                                                                    www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

The One Who Sows To Please The Spirit

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The Spirit Empowered Life - Day 132 - Galatians 6:7-10 - The One Who Sows To Please The Spirit - Growing As Disciples

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 132 – Galatians 6:7-10 – The One Who Sows To Please The Spirit – Growing As Disciples

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:7-10 (NIV)

Sow What?

That is a very good question. What is a very good question? What will you sow in life? There are only two choices. What are my choices? You can sow to the Spirit or you can sow to the flesh. Another way of putting is you can sow to the Spirit, or you can sow to the sinful nature. Sowing to the Spirit will bring life and peace and joy. Sowing to the flesh or sinful nature will bring disaster, death, and destruction. Who would ever decide to sow to the flesh or sinful nature? You would be surprised. Many choose to live for what looks like the pleasure of the moment. Many live to please themselves. Many only pursue what this sin broken world has to offer. They chase after what will never satisfy. The seek what will never last. The pleasures of sin are but for moment. But as you know, the wage of sin is death, and that death is certain. I have no doubt about that. That’s good.

You used a good word in your question. What word was that? You used the word, choice. You must choose. If you want to sow to the Spirit, you must make that your choice. Choosing to sow to the Spirit is not a one and done choice. Your choice to sow to the Spirit must be a daily decision. Actually, it must be an ongoing moment by moment decision that you will continually make and affirm as you live a life that is pleasing to me. Why is that? This sin broken world will attempt to allure and entice you to live according to all its evil purposes, patterns, and passions. This sin broken world will attempt to entrap you into living a life that is not pleasing to me. This sin broken world’s goal is that you live to please yourself in ways that will guarantee that you will be ineffective and unfruitful for me. It is the desire of my heart to live a life that is pleasing to you that will bear a rich harvest for the Kingdom of God and bring glory to His name. That is a very good desire that you have within you. So, be on guard against sowing to the flesh or sinful nature. Don’t let anything feed evil in you. I will be on guard. I will not let anything feed evil in me. That’s good.

Keep on doing the good I give you to do. Keep on sowing to the Spirit. Live the life I have given you to live. Never give up. Never become weary and quit. I will not. One day you will reap a rich harvest because you have continued to sow to the Spirit. Of this, you can be certain. Thank you, Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit, I will not sow to the sinful nature. I will be on guard against thinking, speaking, or acting in ways that displease you. I will sow to please you. I will not grow weary in doing the good you give me to do for you. Help me to bear a rich kingdom harvest. Amen

Key Question…  How has your life born fruit for the Kingdom of God as you have sowed to please the Holy Spirit?

Living It Out…  Never grow weary in sowing to please the Holy Spirit by doing the good He gives you to do for Him.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that you will reap a rich harvest as you continue to sow to please the Holy Spirit.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how you are actively engaged in sowing to please the Holy Spirit.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you keep on sowing to please the Holy Spirit so you can reap a rich harvest for the Kingdom of God.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Devotional Study Guide click here:

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 132 – Galatians 6-7-10 – The One Who Sows To Please The Spirit – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                        Copying not permitted                                                                                    www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

The Spirit Helps Us In Our Weakness

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The Spirit Empowered Life - Day 131 - Romans 8:26-27 - The Spirit Helps Us In Our Weakness - Growing As Disciples

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 131 – Romans 8:26-27 – The Spirit Helps Us In Our Weakness – Growing As Disciples

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)

Help

I need that without a doubt. What do you need without a doubt? I need help without a doubt. I desperately need your help without a doubt. How have you come to realize that you desperately need my help? I have foolishly relied on myself. I tried and failed miserably to be self-reliant and self-sufficient. Learning the foolishness of my self-reliance and self-sufficiency has not come quickly or easily. I have suffered bruising and battering and brokenness as I have slowly learned that I desperately need to rely on you. I have learned painful lessons that I have no desire to repeat. That’s good. As painful as the lessons were, it was critically important that you learn them. Of that, I am sure.

I have more to say about relying on you. I’m listening. I cannot assume that I have learned the lesson of relying on you fully and completely. I cannot say that I don’t need to be on guard against drifting back toward self-reliance and self-sufficiency. Every day I will need to reaffirm that I will be relying on you to help me in my weakness. Every day I will need to give you control of my life. Every day I will need to ask for your help. That will be very good.

I have even more to say. I am still listening. I am so weak. I am so in need. I don’t need a little bit of help here and there and now and then. Realizing that you are weak and need help is a very good thing. Do not let your weakness discourage or defeat you. I specialize in working through weakness. I work best through weakness. I work most powerfully when you rely most completely on me. If you think you are strong and capable, you will only get in the way of my accomplishing God’s will in and through you. That is so helpful. That is so encouraging. For that, I am so very thankful.

I have more to say. Now it is I who is listening. I am praying for you. I am interceding for you. I am praying that God’s purposes and plans will be accomplished in and through you. I will give you prayers to pray. I will pray through you with groans that words cannot express. Be sure of this, I am with you to help you. Rely on me. That I will do. That will be very good.

Holy Spirit, I am weak. I need help. It has been foolish for me to rely on myself. No more of that! I will fully rely on you. Help me to pray when I have no idea how to pray. Intercede for me in accordance with God’s will so I will live a fruitful life, pleasing to Him. Amen

Key Question…  How have you come to better understand why you need to rely on the Holy Spirit to help you?

Living It Out…  Rely on the Holy Spirit to help you in your weakness.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that you can rely on the Holy Spirit to help you in your weakness.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how you are relying on the Holy Spirit to help you in your weakness.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you rely on the Holy Spirit to help you in your weakness.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 131 – Romans 8-26-27 – The Spirit Helps Us In Our Weakness – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                        Copying not permitted                                                                                    www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Rekindle The Gift

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The Spirit Empowered Life - Day 130 - 2 Timothy 1:6-7 - Rekindle The Gift - Growing As Disciples

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 130 – 2 Timothy 1:6-7 – Rekindle The Gift – Growing As Disciples

For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands;  for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:5-7 (NRSV)

On Fire

That is what I want. That is what I will ask you to do in me, for me, and through me. What do you want? What do you want me to do in you, for you, and through you? I want you to set me on fire. I want to shine brightly for you in the darkness of this world. I want to burn white hot and be full of passion so that I can boldly use all the spiritual gifts you have given to me to minister to others. I want you to use me to build your kingdom. I want you to use me to go out into the world to make disciples. I want you to help me to store up treasure in heaven with you. As I have frequently said, I want to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. You have a very good request in your heart and on your mind. What has happened to you? You tell me. You have stirred up this desire in me. You have given me the desire to serve you with all that is within me. Yes, that is true. But you must have come to some new understanding or realization. Again, that is you at work within me. You have helped me to see that the spiritual gifts I have been given are largely dormant and going unused. That is not good. This is a tragedy. This cannot continue. You do have good insight and wise thinking at work within you.

What do you want from me? What can I do for you? Well, I want you to help me to rekindle and fan into flame the gifts that you have given to me. For starters, help me to understand more clearly all the spiritual gifts you have given to me. Let not one go undiscovered. Let not one be unused. Place me where you can use me. Give me a new assignment. Help me to join you in the work that you are doing in the world around. Give me an invitation that is unmistakable. Help me to respond with boldness and power and self-discipline that can only come from you. Enable me to go and do whatever you ask of me. This is my prayer. This is what you can do for me. This is what I am asking of you today, here, and right now. I will hear and answer this prayer of yours. I will boldly use you in my service. I will fan the flame within you. I will make you white hot and passionate about serving me. Thank you, Holly Spirit.

Holy Spirit, I know I have been given spiritual gifts to use to minister to others. I know that my spiritual gifts have not been boldly and fully used to serve others. Many of my gifts have gone unused and dormant. Help me to rekindle and fully use my spiritual gifts. Amen

Key Question…  What spiritual gifts have you been given to use to serve God in ministry to others?

Living It Out…  Step out and boldly use the spiritual gifts you have been given to minister to others.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that the Holy Spirit will empower you to use the spiritual gifts you have been given.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how you are boldly using the spiritual gifts you have been given.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you rekindle and boldly use the spiritual gifts you have been given.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 130 – 2 Timothy 1-6-7 – Rekindle The Gift – 4 Page Discipleship Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                        Copying not permitted                                                                                    www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Bring To Your Remembrance

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The Spirit Empowered Life - Day 129 - John 14:23-27 - Bring To Your Remembrance - Growing As Disciples

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 129 – John 14:23-27 – Bring To Your Remembrance – Growing As Disciples

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.  “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:23-27 (ESV)

Plenty Of Reminders

I need plenty of those. You need plenty of what? I need plenty of reminders of what I have been taught. I have often been forgetful. I have seldom fully learned a lesson with my first go around. I need constant repetition of what I have been taught, for it to sink into my heart and mind and life. I need to hear and see and sometimes even touch the lesson from multiple vantage points for me to completely grasp what you want me to remember. Oh, and I also need to look back over time, to review what I have gone through, to fully comprehend your hand at work in my life. Even then, without your help, I am incredibly dense at recognizing your activity in my life. Let’s be clear here, you are talking about what you have or haven’t learned as a follower of Christ and a child of God. Yes, that is exactly what I am taking about. Do you feel that you are uniquely dense or especially stupid? Ha, that sounds funny. No, I suppose not. All I know is that I desperately need your help. I need plenty of reminders from you about what I have been taught as I have attempted to love and follow and serve God with all my heart and soul and strength. I want to remember all I have been taught as a follower of Christ and a child of God. That is a very good desire within you. That desire comes from me. That desire is a gift that you have been given. You have a passion to live your life with and for God. Without that desire, you would not remember or care about not remembering what you have been taught. Once you become a follower of Christ and a child of God, I began to teach you and have continued to bring to remembrance what you have been taught. Have you listened perfectly? Have you learned perfectly? Have you put into practice perfectly what you have bee taught? I can answer those question. Go ahead. No, I have not listened or learned or perfectly but into practice what I have been taught. But you are still listening attentively. But you are still following passionately. But you are still desiring to live more fully live as a Christ follower, and child of God. Yes, I am. That is very good. I will continue teach you and bring to your remembrance what you have been taught. I will give you plenty of reminders. Thank you, Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit, I will take God’s word deep into my heart, mind, and life. I will allow you to use God’s word to teach, train, mold, make and guard and guide me. Be my counselor, comforter, and helper. I will listen attentively to what you bring to my remembrance. Amen

Key Question…  How are you making your heart, mind, and life fully attentive to the Holy Spirit speaking to you?

Living It Out…  Listen attentively to the voice of the Holy Spirit bringing to your remembrance what you have been taught.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that the Holy Spirit will use God’s word to teach, train, comfort, counsel, guard, guide and help you.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how the Holy Spirit reminds you of what you have been taught.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you listen attentively to the Holy Spirit so you can hear Him speaking to you.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 129 – John 14-23-27 – Bring To Your Remembrance – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                        Copying not permitted                                                                                    www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

When The Holy Spirit Comes On You

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - The Spirit Empowered Life - Day 128 - Acts 1:4-8 - When The Holy Spirit Comes On You - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 128 – Acts 1:4-8 – When The Holy Spirit Comes On You – Growing As Disciples

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”  So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”  He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:4-8 (NIV)

Power

That is what I lack, without a doubt. What do you lack? I lack power. What kind of power do you lack? What kind of power do you want? I lack the power to go and do your will. I lack the power to accomplish your purposes and fulfill your plans. I lack the power to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. Well, you are in the right place and you are in the right frame of mind. You have wise thoughts within you. How so? Knowing that you are powerless is a very good place to start. Realizing that you cannot go and do my will, accomplish my purposes, and fulfill my plans, or bear fruit for my kingdom and bring glory to my name, without my power working in and through is a very valuable lesson to have learned. I have been a very slow learner. You have learned a lesson that some never learn. So, be thankful that you have learned it well. The learning has not come easy. I have labored fruitlessly under my own power for many days and months and even years. Like I said, you have now learned of your own powerlessness in ways that you will never forget.

So, now that you have learned of your own powerlessness what will you do next? I will wait for and rely on your power. I will not run ahead of you, nor will I trail behind you. I will remain in your presence. I will receive your instruction. I will follow your guidance. I will ask you to fill me with your power so I will be able to do the work that you will give me to do for you. What kind of work will I ask you to do for me? You will ask me to be your witness both near and far. You will ask me to be your witness to people like and unlike me. You will use me to minister to others all around me no matter where I am. You will work in and through me to me to accomplish your purposes and fulfill your plans. You will make it so I can bear abundant fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. You will do in and through me what I could never do by myself. Yes, that is true. Yes, that is right. Yes, that is certain. Follow me now. Yes, Holy Spirit, I will. That will be very good.

Holy Spirit, often I have run ahead or trailed behind you. What a fruitless mistake that has been. Now, I will wait for and rely on you to powerfully work in and through me. Guide me. Use me. Help me to minster to others both near and far and like and unlike me. Amen

Key Question…  How are you waiting for and relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to do the work of ministry?

Living It Out…  Wait for and rely on the Holy Spirit to powerfully work in and through you to minister to others.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that the Holy Spirit will empower you to minister to others as you wait for and rely on Him.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how you are relying on the Holy Spirit to work in and through you.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you wait for and rely on the Holy Spirit’s power to do the work of ministry.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Spirit Empowered Life – Day 128 – The Acts 1-4-8 – When The Holy Spirit Comes On You  – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                        Copying not permitted                                                                                    www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

The Power Of God

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - The Spirit Empowered Life - Day 127 - 1 Corinthians 2-4-5- The Power Of God - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 127 – 1 Corinthians 2-4-5- The Power Of God – Growing As Disciples

and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 (ESV)

My Power

Will you rely on my power? That is a very good question. That is a question that in theory is very easy to answer. Why is that? What do you mean by saying it is easy to answer in theory? I could give a quick, of course, and say without hesitation that I will rely on your power. That would be good. What is the problem? The problem is that so often I have not relied on your power. I have tried to accomplish your purposes and fulfill your plans with my own power and strength. We know what my own power and strength will accomplish. Yes, we do. Apart from you I can do and accomplish nothing of lasting and eternal value. What I can do and accomplish might appear to be significant, the world may think and say so, my efforts may even be celebrated and applauded, but in the end, they will be a pile of dust and of no value, in light of eternity. That’s true. Fortunately, I am weak. Even better, I know that I am weak. Even better yet, you ask me to go and do what I cannot possibly accomplish by my own efforts. Why is this all so good? Anything that causes me to humbly come to rely on you is good. Being weak, causes me to rely on you. Knowing that I am weak, causes me to rely on you.  Being given hopelessly large assignments, causes me to rely on you. I know that all of these are great and good gifts from you to me, of that I have no doubt. That is very good. You are correct. So, because you are weak, and you know you are weak, you are learning to come to rely on me? Yes, that’s true. And because I give you large assignments that require faith and trust in me, you rely on me even more, is that correct? Yes, that is true, without a doubt. You have and are learning valuable lessons.

There are some things of which you can be certain. What’s that? I want to and will powerfully work in and through you. I want to and will work in and through your weakness. I want to and will make you able to accomplish my purposes and fulfill my plans. I will make you able to bear fruit for my kingdom and bring glory to my name. All of these will be true and come to pass as you rely on me to work in and through you. That I will do. That will be very good.

Holy Spirit, I know the difference between laboring under my power and having you work powerfully through me. On my own, I can accomplish nothing of lasting and eternal value. Powerfully work in and through my weakness to accomplish your purposes. Amen

Key Question…  How has knowing that you are weak and powerless caused you to rely on the power of God?

Living It Out…  Rely on the Holy Spirit to powerfully work in and through you to accomplish His purposes.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Holy Spirit will work powerfully in and through your weaknesses as you rely on Him.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are relying on the Holy Spirit to work in and through you.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you allow the Holy Spirit’s power to work in and through you to accomplish His purposes.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

The Spirit Empowered Life – Day 127 – 1 Corinthians 2-4-5 – The Power Of God – 4 Page Discipleship Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                        Copying not permitted                                                                                    www.GrowingAsDisciples.com