Welcome, Holy Spirit
Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts. And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:18-20
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In order to live filled with the Holy Spirit, there is only one prerequisite: acceptance, belief, and trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior and our Lord. However, we experience the manifestation of the Spirit’s power and of Christ in our lives as we daily yield ourselves to his control. In the original text, verse 19 reads, “Speaking to ourselves.” This means making a conscious choice to praise the Lord and to center our lives on Christ. In doing so, we are laying down the welcome mat to his Holy Spirit’s presence in our hearts and lives. Each day we can celebrate God’s goodness and faithfulness. Take a few minutes to meditate on the numerous ways he has blessed you and your family. Ask to be filled with his Spirit, and don’t forget to give thanks to him. There is no better way to live than to spend our days extolling him with his praise always on our lips (Psalm 34:1, niv, niv).
Prayers:
FATHER, I welcome your Holy Spirit to fill me and have full control of my life. Thank you for your precious empowering Spirit and all you have done in my life. If I were to stop and really begin counting all the ways you have blessed me, my heart would overflow with praise to you. Oh, Holy Spirit, fill my heart with that kind of gratitude and praise.
Quotes:
THE GREAT REASON WHY THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS GIVEN FROM HEAVEN WAS TO MAKE CHRIST’S PRESENCE MANIFEST TO US.
Andrew Murray (1828–1917)
The One Year Bible Readings for today are: Isaiah 51:1–53:12; Ephesians 5:1-33; Psalm 69:19-36 and Proverbs 24:7.
