Worthy Devotions – Daily Christian Devotion » Holy Spirit

Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Knowing He was about to depart, Yeshua (Jesus) left His disciples with a final command: stay in Jerusalem, and wait…for the promise. Of the thousands who had witnessed His miraculous ministry and heard His amazing teaching, and the hundreds that had actually seen Him after the resurrection, we read in Acts that only 120 stayed and tarried until the promise arrived. But these 120 were steadfast. They waited the full term…

What would have happened if they had left after the 4th day? Or the 6th day? Or the 9th day? They would have missed the promise and the amazing blessing that came with it. But those 120 believers stayed – they stayed and pressed in until the Holy Spirit came!

Do you want the fullness of the Spirit in your life? Continue pressing in. Wait with relentless faith and patience. Perseverance is often the critical factor in receiving the promises of God. Our Lord will fulfill every good promise in His perfect time.

Acts 1:6-8 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

I love this passage of scripture. If you can imagine the disciples on this day – they had gone through a roller coaster ride of emotions over the past 50 days. They had seen their Lord crucified. And then had gone into hiding… until they discovered in amazement, He was alive! Just over 7 weeks had transpired and they were now watching Yeshua (Jesus) departing Earth and returning to His Father. The disciples were understandably unsure what was next, and so they asked a very reasonable question – “Lord, will you at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?”

Notice that Yeshua did not answer the question directly or give them the details they were expecting. He merely said, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons….” But then He set His own precedent and called them to be Holy Spirit empowered witnesses for Him and His Kingdom.

We don’t know the exact timing of His return and the coming of His Kingdom either, but just as those disciples were, we also are called to receive the power of the Holy Spirit and be His witnesses. We must seek the fullness of His Spirit, become empowered, and eagerly participate in this great end time mission, a harvest that likely will dwarf all that has gone before, and be part of a rich welcome for our glorious and awesome God!

Numbers 24:17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

Daniel 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

A National Geographic article published today describing a real celestial event which took place at the time of the birth of Jesus reminded me of Risto Santala’s explanation in his book, “The Messiah in the New Testament in the Light of Rabbinical Writings”. He wrote about a conjunction of major planets that took place which could have led the wise men from the east, to Israel.

Santala reports that in 1603, Johannes Kepler observed a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces; he observed a “new, particularly brilliant and strangely colored star between Jupiter and Saturn, which soon faded.” Kepler suggested that the Star of Bethlehem could have been such an event. Later, Alfred Edersheim wrote, “There can be no doubt that the most remarkable conjunction of planets — that of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces, which occurs only once in 800 years — did take place no less than three times in the year 747 A.U.C., or two years before the birth of Christ (in May, October, and December). This conjunction is admitted by all astronomers.”

Santala writes, “The constellations of the zodiac were generally identified with different nations, Pisces, for example, being considered the patron constellation of Syria and Palestine, and the revealer of the End Times. Saturn was associated with Palestine in Babylonian astrology, whereas Jupiter was the royal planet, foreshadowing a political Golden Age. Thus, when Jupiter conjoined with Saturn in Pisces it was obvious that the Ruler of the End Times had been born in Palestine.”

Whether or not this was the “star” the wise men saw is debatable, but it strongly suggests that a real and significant celestial event did take place roughly at the time of the birth of Jesus. As millions around the world are celebrating His birth today, we ought to remember that one purpose for which God created the stars was, “for signs.” [Genesis 1:14]

But you also, are a sign…a sign of His birth and of His life. Whether you realize it or not, you also are a living, breathing, announcement of Messiah and of His light. And this holiday season, with the spiritual darkness so rapidly increasing, your calling and destiny is to SHINE!…to shine like the stars, in a darkening world, exactly in the same way that His coming to Bethlehem was announced, “a star out of Jacob”…What a destiny! Let us pray that as the season closes and the new year turns, we, His people, will be filled with the oil of his Spirit which will fuel this shining…even right up til the moment He comes, blazing back into this world…Hallelujah!

Romans 12:20-21 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Between the years 1861-1865 the United States found itself in the midst of a bitter civil war over the issue of slavery, and several other serious disagreements. By the time the North won the war nearly 620,000 soldiers had perished. There were many in the North who were so embittered that the South had dragged them into such a deadly conflict that they wanted the South to pay dearly.

At the end of the war, a group of Southerners gained an audience with President Abraham Lincoln. His gentle, kind and friendly personality quickly softened the hearts of his once-hardened foes and the Southerners left the interview with a deep respect for the man who had been their bitter enemy. Not long afterward, a northern congressman criticized Lincoln for “befriending the enemy!” He suggested that he should have had them shot for being traitors instead of welcoming them!

I love Lincoln’s response. He said, simply , “Am I not destroying my enemies by making them my friends?”

If you’re serving the Lord –- you can expect your share of enemies. Don’t let a root of bitterness grow up because of them –- but rather, seek to win them over with gentleness, kindness, and even love. Show your enemies the Lord’s grace and His peace through your Spirit-controlled response…and in so doing, you’ll “heap coals” upon their heads! Satan wants to provoke you through their hatred and opposition. Don’t let him! Instead, shock your enemies –- not with angry retaliation…but with Spirit empowered LOVE! Win them over; with so much work to be done, we need all the help we can get.

Proverbs 6:27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

June 12, is independence day for the Philippines. In 1991 the day was forever marked by one of the strongest volcano eruptions in history. Mount Pinatubo, dormant for over 500 years, began to erupt, and three days later exploded with twice the power of the 1980 Mount St. Helen’s eruption. The release of power blasted a cubic mile off the mountaintop and the earth shook for eight hours. The eruption produced an ash cloud that rose over 50,000 feet into the atmosphere. If that wasn’t enough, Typhoon Yunga then struck the island nation with fierce winds and torrential rains which mixed with the ash creating what the locals called “Black Saturday!”

The United States was forced to abandon and eventually close Clark Air Force base, located just a few miles from Mount Pinatubo, due to the devastating blanket of fallen ash. When a vulcanologist was asked to account for the widespread damage which sent thousands of American soldiers and Filipinos fleeing, he replied, “When a volcano is silent for many years, people forget it’s a volcano and begin to treat it like a mountain.”

Now here’s a lesson from nature. We should always be aware of how our sinful nature has the potential to erupt. It would be a big mistake to ignore this possibility simply because it has lain dormant for a season…even a seemingly long one.

Solomon writes a profound statement in his book of Proverbs, which, when paraphrased goes something like this; “Can someone play with fire in his lap without incinerating his clothes?”

The enemy of our souls would love for us to believe that we can somehow play with sin, without it negatively affecting our spirit and our walk with the Lord — oh how deceptive Satan can be!

D.L. Moody was a fairly simple man and I love the way he dealt with sin. He said, “When you’re thinking sin, think scripture!”

Let’s be on guard! Sin is a dormant volcano which can erupt at ANY moment and set our house on fire. How do we prepare? First, by being aware of the possibility…then…;”Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee”. [Psalm 119:11] Let’s meditate upon His Word, allowing it to sink deep into our minds and our hearts, so that the only fire which burns there…is the fire of God’s Holy Spirit. Amen.

Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:

As we celebrate Shavuot throughout Israel today, my spirit is anxiously awaiting what God will do! As I’ve been studying revivals for the past few weeks, the Lord has been revealing two recurring themes:

First, that He has often used obscure and unknown individuals to lead revivals, and that even these men whom He used so powerfully never considered themselves to be “special”, but often wanted to stay out of the limelight.

And secondly, I haven’t read a story about a revivalist who did not first go through a personal revival himself! Revivals were not sparked until these men went through a season of personal desperation and yearning for the fire of God – and only after this season were they used of the Lord to change their generation.

How does this speak to us, obscure, unknown individuals? It shows us that a true and deep hunger for God can grow into a significant and powerful calling on our lives — a specific mission which God Himself will empower! It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, old or young, educated or uneducated — each of us has a potential destiny to accomplish great things for the Kingdom of God! But in order to go on and do those awesome works in His name, we need to be in a state of revival!

As we celebrate this day of Shavuot — let us seek hard after our own personal revival! We’re alive for such a time as this — to be spirit-filled vessels of revival to this lost and dying world! Press in, press on, and go forth in His Power…because there is so much work to be done!

Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

As we approach Shavuot this Sunday night, we’re looking at the promise given 2000 years ago: that normal people will lead extraordinary lives; that disciples, who were terrified on the night of Jesus’ death, were transformed into bold saints of God; and that fishermen, tax collectors, and housewives – normal everyday people – became empowered, and turned the Roman Empire inside out and upside down!

In Acts 2, we read about the initial outpouring of the Spirit during Shavuot. Just a few chapters later the same saints who had been once filled to overflowing, sought to be refilled again [Acts 4]. It was not a one time experience, but rather a constant refilling of the Spirit which they needed to change their world. They repeatedly sought to be empowered to accomplish whatever task God assigned to them. They just kept going back, to the well that never runs dry, and so they kept getting filled – and refilled — and refilled again!

Don’t ever become spiritually “satisfied”! Seek to be filled — once filled — seek to be refilled! And refilled again! How do we live in a constant state of revival? By always seeking MORE! In doing so, God will empower everyday folk like us to turn our world inside out and upside down!

Act 2:38-39 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

One of the greatest moves of God took place in 1727 on the estate of Count Zinzendorf. Count Zinzendorf was a strong believer who was deeply influenced by the faith of his grandmother and aunt. At the tender age of 22, he opened a portion of his estate to refugees seeking asylum from the religious persecution throughout Europe.

After five years, this fledgling settlement of three hundred was growing; but in the midst of their growth, divisions were arising among the brethren over doctrinal issues. Then on May 22, 1727, the Moravians made a covenant with Zinzendorf whereby they committed themselves to the Lord, confessed the sin of religious quarreling, and “sincerely renounced self-love, self-will, and disobedience…deciding, each one, to be led by the Holy Spirit in all things.”

Later that same year, on August 13th, after a week of fasting and prayer, the Moravians whose average age was around 30, were gathered, when an outpouring of the Holy Spirit took place. Count Zinzendorf called it the Moravian Pentecost. This led to over one hundred years of continuous prayer, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which supplied spiritual power to one of the longest sustained outreaches the world has ever known. The revivals led by the Wesley brothers that took place in the United States and England was a direct result of the Moravians. In 1867, one of the earliest missions established in the Modern State of Israel was also fruit of this move of God.

So what can we learn from this amazing revival? First, it began when the brethren laid down their differences and came together in prayer, determined also, to lay down their lives for the Gospel’s sake. Secondly, the outpouring of the Spirit is always connected to spreading the Gospel in power, which leads to widespread radical change in the world of that generation.

As we approach the festival of Shavuot (Pentecost), let’s be stirred with a sense of urgency, also….to lay down our differences as believers, and then lay down our lives for the Gospel, so we can be eagerly expecting to be renewed with the power of God — not only for our own spiritual quickening, but for all the souls who have yet to receive this awesome gift! With so much work to be done — let’s do it in His Power!

Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

D.L. Moody has been influential in my personal life as I study and read about his life and ministry in the 1800’s. I remember reading a story about how D.L. Moody was preparing to lead a revival throughout England to which an elderly pastor protested and said, “Why do we need this ‘Mr. Moody’? He’s uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?”

A younger, yet wiser pastor stood up and responded, “No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody.”

Do you truly want to be monopolized by the Holy Spirit? Let’s face it — the degree of fullness of the Spirit of God is in direct proportion to the intensity of our true desire. The reality of the spirit-filled life is — we have as much of God as we truly want.

As we approach the festival of Shavuot (Pentecost) let’s seek to have a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to monopolize our lives and in doing so — we’ll be empowered to do the great things God has called us to do in these days!

Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Shortly after WWI, Lawrence of Arabia was entertaining some of his Arab friends in Paris. He showed them the sights of the city: the Arc d’Triomph, the Louvre, the Champs Elysees. It was a remarkable irony to Lawrence that these amazing sights were not what most impressed his Arab friends — but rather the bathtub faucet of their hotel room. They were completely astonished that someone could turn a handle…and get all the water he wanted.

As they were preparing to leave Paris, Lawrence found his foreign friends in the bathroom with wrenches trying to disconnect the faucet.

They said, “It is very dry in Arabia. What we need are faucets. If we have them, we will have all the water we want.” Lawrence had to explain that the water did not come from the faucets, but rather from the water supply to which they were connected. It doesn’t matter if you have a faucet — if you’re not connected to the water supply!

As we approach the Jewish festival of Shavuot otherwise known as the day of Pentecost, we’re reminded of how God endued those in the Upper Room with power from on high! They waited – and waited – and waited, for the promised coming of the Holy Spirit. They didn’t go forth proclaiming the gospel UNTIL they were filled with power from on high. I believe as they were in prayer in the upper room, God was revealing different sins in their lives that He wanted them to deal with, so that He could fill them to overflowing. The Lord did not want these saints just to be faucets — but rather, conduits of his power!

Let’s spend time today making sure all the obstructions are cleared — so that we can be the spirit-filled saints God has called us to be in these last days! There’s so much work to be done — but let’s be sure we’re doing the work, fully endued with power from on high!