Monday, December 13th
Read Luke 1:39-41
And at that time Mary arose and went quickly into the hill country to a town of Judah, and she went to the house of Zachariah and, entering it, greeted Elizabeth. It occurred that when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Understanding the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the third part of the Trinity of God is vital to our life in Christ.
- Do you rely on God to lead and guide you, or do you tend to compartmentalize, only letting Him into certain areas?
- Romans 8:9 describes how the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts to lead and guide us in every aspect of life.
- Pray for the grace to open the door to every room in your heart to the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Read John 16:13-14
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.
The Holy Spirit enables us to understand and interpret the Word of God and guides us in knowing truth. The Word also describes the Holy Spirit as the Comforter, Counselor, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener and Standby.
- Sometimes the truth is hard to take. If God revealed truth to you that required change, how would you respond?
- Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth. Thank Him for being with you, and helping you to know, understand and embrace truth.
Read Galatians 5:19-25 (NLT)
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
“Follow the Spirit’s leading in EVERY part of our lives?” Look at the lists again…the sins…okay, and now the benefits of the Holy Spirit living in you. Okay, honestly, the sins are full of heartache and destruction. The benefits are a dream come true!
- Do you battle with passions /desires that are not of God? Pray and picture yourself leaving it all at the foot of the cross. Okay, now get up and walk away; that’s right, leave it there!
- Pray and thank God that it is the Holy Spirit you are living by.
- Ask Him for grace to follow His leading in every part of your life.
Read Luke 1:42-43
And she cried out with a loud cry, and then exclaimed, “Blessed, favored of God, above all other women are you! And blessed is the Fruit of your womb! And how have I deserved that this honor should be granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
Our society places such a premium on position, intellect, and possessions, much higher than spirituality. Would we be so quick to call Mary blessed?
- How do you rank your spirituality in importance compared to your position, possessions or intellect?
- As we come to know Him more fully, our gratitude deepens.
- Thank God today for the gifts of His Spirit that you might know Him better, and treasure His presence.
Read Luke 1:44-45
For behold, the instant the sound of your salutation reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy and blessed with joy is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her from the Lord.
It’s amazing how Elizabeth knew, by the Holy Spirit, what was going on in Mary’s life. Read Mary’s reply in Luke 1:46-55
- Mary couldn’t wait to “magnify the Lord!” Make this your goal…to magnify the wonders of God with your life.
- Ask God to be magnified in you, and to create opportunities for you to magnify Him.
Pray:
God, You are merciful; You sent Your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation. We ask for grace to truly hear their words of warning and wash our hands of our sins, that we may celebrate aright the remembrance of the birth of Christ. We await, with joy, the second coming in glory of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer. Christ lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen.
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