YOU HAVE A FRIEND!

BIBLE PASSAGE:
But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith
and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait
for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
(Jude 1:20-21)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever gone through a time when you felt like there was
no other person who cared about you, or at least understood you?
If so, then you know how those feelings can begin to grow,
and if you aren’t careful, they can sweep you into a depressed state.

Here is the good news: someone (Holy Spirit) does care about you!
Not only does the Holy Spirit care about you, but He prays for you
when you struggle expressing your innermost feelings.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know
what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through
wordless groans. (Romans 8:26)

The Holy Spirit is a valuable gift from God, and we should guard our
relationship with Him as a prized treasure (not as a gift to be taken
for granted, but one to be cherished).
Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with
the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. (2 Timothy 1:14)

Not only do we need to build and cherish our relationship with the Holy Spirit,
but we need to know and remember that we have the potential
to grieve the Holy Spirit with our words and actions.
(yes, He can be grieved – He is a person who is part of the Trinity)
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)

As we saw in Ephesians 4:30,
we are sealed for redemption through the Holy Spirit.
We see the same message in the following verse.
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth,
the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him
with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, (Ephesians 1:13)

Through the Holy Spirit’s work in our life,
we are renewed and we become like a newborn with a new life to live.
We are no longer stuck in the rut of life we have been in,
but we are given a new life that is exciting with many many benefits
(including a closer fellowship with the Lord).
he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done,
but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing
of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, (Titus 3:5)

We are also sanctified (set apart for God’s work) by the Holy Spirit.
Imagine for a moment – the Almighty Creator of all things,
has chosen you to be a participant in His earthly mission
(that should boost the self-esteem of anyone who feels inferior).
to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty
of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an
offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:16)

When the Holy Spirit is given leadership of our minds, we experience the
grace of Jesus, the love of God, and fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14)

Through the Holy Spirit we say Jesus is Lord!
Why is that important? It means we praise Him and connect with Him!
Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit
of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,”
except by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:3)

The Holy Spirit speaks to us about our relationship with the Lord.
He encourages us to embrace our fellowship with Him.
Why? Because Jesus prays for those who belong to Him (read John 17).
So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, (Hebrews 3:7)

We are given new revelations through the Holy Spirit.
which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now
been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. (Ephesians 3:5)

We receive messages from God through the Holy Spirit.
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you,
when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those
who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.
Even angels long to look into these things. (1 Peter 1:12)

We learn to pray through the Holy Spirit,
and it builds us up by increasing our faith.
But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up
in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, (Jude 1:20)

Our personality changes
because we receive some great qualities through the Holy Spirit.
in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit
and in sincere love; (2 Corinthians 6:6)

We have a new hope when we connect with the Holy Spirit.
The world wants us to believe everything is hopeless,
but the Holy Spirit reminds us that our trust in God always gives us hope.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Romans 15:13)

Through the Holy Spirit, we develop a righteous spirit
which blesses us with a new peace and joy in our lives.
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,
but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, (Romans 14:17)

When we develop a fellowship with the Holy Spirit,
we are blessed with a new endurance that sustains us during difficult times.
You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message
in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.
(1 Thessalonians 1:6)

Through the Holy Spirit we are given special spiritual gifts
which are uniquely designed for us individually.
These gifts equip us for accomplishing what the Lord wants of us.
Makes sense doesn’t it?
God would not call us to serve without giving us what we need to be effective.
God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles,
and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrews 2:4)

We are also given a special power through the Holy Spirit;
a power to embrace the good and resist the evil we encounter.
because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power,
with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among
you for your sake. (1 Thessalonians 1:5)

Take the time to read Romans 8 and see how the chains that bind us
to a destiny of death are broken and we have a new focus through the Holy Spirit.

ACTION:
So, how do we connect with the Holy Spirit?
A simple starting point is to pray and ask Him to take control of your mind.
Everything good and everything bad originates in the mind
(that’s what the scriptures tell us in Romans 8:5-6).
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh
desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds
set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but
the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

When we are in control of our minds, sin can control us, but when
the Holy Spirit is in control, He can turn away sin’s grip on us.
This is why our mind needs new leadership (a leadership which is
much stronger, powerful, and spiritual than we could ever provide).

If we have any addictions,
we will not succeed in defeating them in our own strength.
But when we surrender our mind to the Holy Spirit, we have an advocate who
gives us the power to drive away the addictions which have kept us in chains.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, Thank You for loving us so much that You have given
the gift of the Holy Spirit to all who believe in Your Son, Jesus! I pray
that You will help me surrender my mind to the leadership of the Holy
Spirit. I now know that when He is in control I can become more righteous
and pleasing to You. Forgive me for failing to ask for His leadership and
surrendering to Him before now. I look forward to a new fellowship with
the Holy Spirit and to feel His presence and guidance in my life daily.”

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