Fire of God – The Holy Spirit

Fire of God

Fire of God, rain down on me. Reign in my heart, O Lord, your will let it be.
Spirit of God, change me from within,
Renewed by your holy grace, no more a slave to sin.
Fire of God, rain down on us. Reign in our lives, in true righteousness.
Spirit of God, guide us on our way. Shower us from above as we go forth this day.
Call us to spread your love in all we do and say. Fire of God.

I tried to do things on my own, but life was empty at best.
I had no peace of mind in my restlessness.
But, now I have you in my heart, my Savior, Lord, and friend,
And my life has meaning now, that will never ever end.
Your love burns brightly in my life, so deep in my soul;
Turning my life around, making me whole.
You give the words for me to say, when I am at a loss.
My Lord, I’ll follow you, no matter what the cost!

And now my greatest goal in life is to go where you send,
To do your mighty will, to serve you without end.
Show me what you would have me be, what you would have me do.
My heart is yours to have.  My life I give to you.
Your love burns brightly in my life, so deep in my soul;
Turning my life around, making me whole.
You give the words for me to say, when I am at a loss.
My Lord, I’ll follow you, no matter what the cost!

Fire of God!

In Acts chapter 2, we see an amazing event.  After Christ’s ascension, the disciples of Jesus were hiding in a room behind a locked door and were not being very effective witnesses.  The gospels relate that while Jesus walked with them, he often admonished them for their lack of faith or inability to understand even the simplest of concepts.  Following his arrest, they were scattered, and Peter denied even knowing Jesus three times when confronted.  Then after his crucifixion, they hid, and even after the resurrection of their beloved Master, they feared arrest and had no idea where to go and what to do.  

Pentecost changed all of that. 

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

Acts 2:1-4

The chapter goes on to tell how Peter, the man who struggled with impulse control and denied his Lord, now stood in front of crowds of people and boldly and coherently spoke of the hope of Jesus Christ. These dazed, confused and frightened men were now on fire about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  They spoke openly about Jesus, a political topic which carried with it the promise of persecution and even death.

The Holy Spirit is perhaps probably the most misunderstood of the Trinity. Many do not even realize that he is, in fact, a person.  He is the spiritual manifestation of God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son that indwells each person who is saved.  

And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.  

Ephesians 1:13-14

He is the proof of your salvation.  I have sometimes been asked, “How do you know that you are saved?”  My answer is the Holy Spirit.  When you are saved, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit who reassures you of your salvation, and you know that you are saved.

The Bible also tells us of many other functions of the Holy Spirit.  He is credited with:

• Identifying the Messiah (Luke 3:22)
• Allowing us to believe and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior (1 Corinthians 12:3)
• Bringing joy and praise to God (Luke 10:21, Acts 13:52)
• Showing us how to witness and giving us the words to say (Luke 12:12, Acts 1:8)
• Counseling us and teaching God’s Word (John 14:26)
• Helping us through difficult times (Acts 7:55)
• Providing strength and encouragement (Acts 9:31)
• Helping us to make decisions / giving direction in our lives (Acts 13:2 & 16:6)
• Warning us (Acts 20:23)
• Giving us hope, peace and the power of Christ Jesus in our lives (Romans 15:13)
• Renewing our lives (Titus 3:5)
• Working miracles and giving us special gifts (Hebrews 2:4)
• Praying on our behalf (Jude 1:20)
• Allowing us to live a fruitful life / creating change in our lives (Galatians 5:22-26)

The Bible tells us that when we accept Christ as our Savior, we are made new again.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”    How does this change occur?  How do we go from pathetic and powerless creatures, mired in sin, to a new life of abundance and joy?  It is through the Holy Spirit.  

If you give your life to God and it is truly your desire to do so, the Holy Spirit will work within you to change your spirit in to that of Jesus Christ.  Galatians 5:22-23a says, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  When we accept Christ and pray for renewal, the Holy Spirit goes to work in us.  He won’t take you by force, though.  You have to let him work.  If your desire is to remain steeped in sin, he will not violate your free will.  The choice is yours.

My life is a personal testimony to the powerful work of the Holy Spirit.  Since giving my life to Jesus, I am a new person.  His Spirit has changed me from within in a way that is visible to others. He has also given me gifts and talents that I did not possess before, in order to enhance my ministry.  The Holy Spirit is a very powerful part of faith and not one to be overlooked.

If he is so powerful, why is it that we hear so little about the Holy Spirit today?  The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:5 this about people in the last days.  “They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.  Stay away from people like that!”  In other words, as life on earth draws to a close, religion will become an empty shell of phrases and recitations.  For many, the necessity of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will be lost, as well as the power of the Holy Spirit to create changed lives.  Some will even deny the Holy Spirit only to glom on to the false and satanic spirits associated with things like fortune tellers and witchcraft.

If you desire the life-changing experience of the Holy Spirit in your life, make God your first priority.  Build a relationship with him through prayer and regular reading of his Word.  Pray for the healing and the enhancing work of the Holy Spirit in your life and for the gifts of the Spirit.  Then, use those gifts to minister to others.

Related Devotional

Are You on Fire?

For a discussion of the Holy Spirit as well as other related topics, we recommend “Drawing Near” by John Bevere.  Bevere focuses on finding true intimacy with God on a daily basis.

Below is a series by Francis Chan on “Understanding the Holy Spirit” on YouTube.  Although these are a little longer, they are well worth taking the time to watch.  Francis is a wonderful and insightful speaker who inserts humor along with the truth of God’s Word.  This is a fantastic series that will give you a better understanding of the Holy Spirit and how he can be a powerful force in your life.

Music and lyrics by LuAnne Barnet.  Copyright (c) 2003 LuAnne Barnet.  All Rights Reserved

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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