Where in the world is the Holy Spirit

The apostle Paul wrote, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Cor. 6:19).

The carnal Corinthians that Paul was addressing in this passage were "saints, sanctified in Christ Jesus" (1 Cor. 1:2). But they were totally unaware that their bodies were the "temple of the Holy Ghost."

The tragedy is that most Christians today do not know this wonderful truth, either. They are woefully disrespectful to the Spirit living in them. They "grieve" Him and "quench" Him.

Your body is far more sacred than all the church and cathedral buildings of the world! Don't defile your body, the temple of God (1 Cor. 2:17). Scripture says, "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body, but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body" (1 Cor. 6:18). Strong words! God help us.

Paul wrote, "Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (1 Cor. 2:12). Did you catch that? You have the same omniscient Teacher living in you to teach you the Word of God. Isn't that awesome? The same One to lead you! The same one to bless you! Don't quench Him. Obey the Spirit.

Prayer: Father, let your people comprehend what it means for their bodies to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. Teach us to live like Christians ought to live, bringing glory and honor to Your name. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Quote for the Day: "God holds each one of us personally responsible for our thoughts, words, and actions, regardless of external pressures and influences." —Jay Adams

Witness to the Natural Man

Who in the World is the Holy Spirit?

HE IS A WONDERFUL PERSON!

Jesus said, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that will he speak and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall shew it unto you" (John 16:12–14).

Notice the 9 personal pronouns in the verses above that refer to the Holy Spirit. He is a real person, just as real as the Lord Jesus. He has intellect; "the mind of the Spirit" (Rom. 8:27). He has emotions; "grieve not the Holy Spirit of God" (Eph. 4:30). He has will; "But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will" (1 Cor. 12:13). The Holy Spirit is not an "it," a "force" or an "influence," but a real person, a member of the Trinity. We need to get to know Him.

The Holy Spirit is the primary One doing the work of God on earth, just as Jesus was the primary One at work in His day. The Holy Spirit works in many ways in our lives. We just have to let Him work in and through us! The Holy Spirit's work is AWESOME. It will transform your life!

Prayer: Father, thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. Teach us all of the wonderful things that the Holy Spirit came to do for us and through us. Help us to let the Spirit work in our lives for Your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Quote for the Day: "Almost half our society is unchurched, and we Christians are not communicating with them. The people in that half will not come to us or to our programs, but they are reachable; we need to learn to bring Christ to them on their turf." —Jim Petersen

Experiencing the Good hand of God

Jabez prayed, "That thine hand might be with me... and God granted him that which he requested" (1 Chron. 4:10).

Ezra, who served as a trusted scribe for King Artaxerxes, experienced many blessings because "the hand of the Lord was upon him" (Ezra 7:6, 9). He asked Iddo, the chief at Casiphia, to provide ministers for the house of God. He says, "And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of understanding…" (Ezra 8:17–18).

Did you get that? Ezra got what he needed because "the good hand of God was upon him." Do you pray for "the good hand of God upon you"?

By the grace of God, I pray for that EVERY day. And guess what? God sent me Steve, our webmaster. He also sent me Tom, who is a wizard with computers, and I am now on DSL after trying for two years to get this service.

Oh, dear people, what you and I need, what every pastor and church needs, is to see "the good hand of God upon us"!

The most important verses in the Bible on prayer are James 4:2–3: "Ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."

Read Ezra 6–8 and see what all God did because "the hand of God was upon them." And ask for God's hand to be upon you daily. I love you and long to see the good hand of God working in your life. Ask for it. Doesn't that make sense?

Prayer: Father, we don't need what man can do, but we desperately need to see Your hand in whatever we do. Grant that we may see Your good hand upon us every day. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Quotes for the Day: "One must wait until evening to see how splendid the day has been." —Sophocles
"If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you're old." —Edgar Watson Howe