The Holy Spirit Book: Pentecost; Holy Spirit, Come!

The Holy Spirit Book: Pentecost; Holy Spirit, Come!
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Over 2,000 years ago, the promise God made to Jesus’ followers was fulfilled on Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came upon them and filled them with His power.

“On the day of Pentecost, seven weeks after Jesus’ resurrection, the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them, and it filled the house where they were meeting. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:1-2, 4


The person, the purpose, and the power of the Holy Spirit is a promise God made to all believers.

“Peter replied, ‘Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away--all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Acts 2:39

If you have never received the baptism with the Holy Spirit, simply pray the following prayer from The Holy Spirit Book. Let today be your personal Pentecost. Holy Spirit, come!

Lord, how needy I am and how gracious and abundant You are in Your grace and provision for me. How thankful I am that I can continue to have more of You.

Thank you for fulfilling Your promise of the Holy Spirit and for all the ways He has come to minister to me and work through me. I am thankful for His presence and His power, and that You sent Him to be with me, to be in me, and to come upon me.

Holy Spirit, I want to receive Your complete ministry in my life.

Amen.

 

#theholyspiritbook #receivingtheholyspirit #pentecost #personalpentecost #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow 

©2023, 2017 Roy Lessin, “The Holy Spirit Book”. Used with permission, all right

The Holy Spirit Book: Author Reflections

The Holy Spirit Book: Author Reflections
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

In the final chapter of the book, Roy shares with readers some personal moments from his own life that tell how, as a lifelong student of the school of the Holy Spirit, he began to hear His voice and learn His ways. The following is a condensed excerpt from a personal story he calls, “The River.”

After co-founding DaySpring Cards and writing greeting cards for sixteen years, I came to a place where I felt I had nothing left to give. Darkness and despair settled over me. Eventually I stepped out of the creative division of DaySpring and seriously considered leaving the company.

It was in that dark time that the Holy Spirit brought a new light of hope to my heart. He strengthened my faith and began to rebuild my courage to move on. I was asked to write a premium devotional book. For years I had desired to write a devotional book for DaySpring, but the greeting card demands never allowed me to do it. God was truly granting me a desire of my heart.

During the time I wrote my first devotional, God was resurrecting something creatively within me that I knew had died. He opened up my understanding to something that changed my entire outlook on the creative process. What God showed me was a beautiful, clear, wide, flowing river. The headwaters of the river began at the heart of God. The river was His Holy Spirit. “This is My creative river.” He said. “It is an eternal river, for everything about Me is eternal. I am the Creator and My creativity is eternal.”

My heart immediately responded to what God was showing me. That day, by faith, I stepped into God’s creative river.

When I stepped in, there were new things I discovered. One was that the river immediately touched me. It washed, cleansed, refreshed and renewed me.

The second thing I discovered was the vastness of the river. There was plenty of room for me to move about, and there was also an abundance of water for others. There was enough creative room for all who would come.

A third thing I discovered was that the things God was sending downstream to touch my life were not meant for me alone. Each thing was meant to move downstream to touch the lives of others.

A final thing I discovered was that there was no striving in the river, only a flow. I didn’t have to try and make things happen. The flow was God’s, not mine.

I knew that He alone was the source of all I did. This realization freed me from pressure, stress, and burnout. My experience in God’s river moved me to a new level of creativity, joy, and rest in the work that God had given me to do.

#theholyspiritbook #theholyspirit #authorreflections #roylessin #roylessinreflections 

© 2023, 2017 Roy Lessin, “The Holy Spirit Book”. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

The Holy Spirit Book: The Promise for All Believers

The Holy Spirit Book: The Promise for All Believers
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

The Holy Spirit is God’s promise for all believers.

The promise of the *presence* of the Holy Spirit is fulfilled when we receive our salvation by faith. The promise of the *power* of the Holy Spirit is fulfilled when we receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit by faith.

When we are born again, we receive a complete Holy Spirit and not a partial Holy Spirit. However, we do not receive the *power* of the Holy Spirit until Jesus baptizes us with the Holy Spirit...this is Jesus’ gift to us that was promised by His Father.

“This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the *promise* of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” Acts 2:32-33

Another way we can see the distinction between the gift of the Holy Spirit’s *presence* in our lives and His *power* upon our lives is found in the following passage of Scripture:

“Then Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! [Just] as the Father has sent Me forth, so I am sending you.’ And having said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit!’” John 20:21-22

In the above passage, Jesus breathed on them and they received within them the presence of the Holy Spirit. However, even though the Holy Spirit was now within them, Jesus further commanded them to wait in Jerusalem until He would baptize them with the Holy Spirit’s power.

“And behold, I will send forth upon you what My Father has *promised;* but remain in the city [Jerusalem] until you are clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:49

Even though it was Jesus’ will to send His people forth to do His work, He knew they were not equipped to go. Only He could make that possible by sending the Holy Spirit to empower them. His instruction to them was to wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon them before they went out to be His witnesses. His instruction is the same to us today.

His promise was not limited to a certain group at a certain time, then would go away. The gift of the baptism with the Holy Spirit was not just for the apostles or the early believers mentioned in the book of Acts. His promise was for each believer, in every generation, until His return. Our need of Him today, His fullness and His power is just as great, or even greater, than it was 2,000 years ago.

“For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:39

#theholyspiritbook #theholyspirit #thepromiseforallbelievers #roylessin

© 2023, 2017 Roy Lessin, “The Holy Spirit Book”. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

The Holy Spirit Book: The Fullness of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit Book: The Fullness of the Holy Spirit
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:4

Jesus experienced the power and the filling of the Holy Spirit in His own life and ministry (Luke 4:1). He also promised the power and the filling of the Holy Spirit to His followers. We need both the Scriptural understanding of Jesus’ promise as well as the personal experience of receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit.

There are many ways the Scriptures present the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise of spiritual power and the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The Bible uses a variety of words and phrases to describe this fulfillment. Two of these phrases are, “the baptism with the Holy Spirit” and “the filling with the Holy Spirit.” In Acts 2:4 we read that all the believers who were baptized with the Holy Spirit on the Feast of Pentecost were also filled with the Holy Spirit at the same time. The experience of the baptism and filling with the Holy Spirit is God’s will for us. It should not be a mystery to us. It should not be a “guess so” or a “hope so” attitude, but rather, and “know so” reality, just as it was for the first believers.

When we read the account of Jesus baptizing His followers with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, we discover that two things happened simultaneously. One is that the Holy Spirit came upon them *outwardly* (Acts 1:8, Acts 2:1-3); the other is that the Holy Spirit filled them *inwardly* (Acts 2:4).

Although the baptism with the Holy Spirit and the filling of the Holy Spirit happened at the same time, each represents a different aspect and ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This two-fold ministry represents the work of the Holy Spirit in power and fullness. It is vital to our spiritual witness and our spiritual walk. The Holy Spirit coming upon us is for the purpose of anointing and empowering; the Holy Spirit filling us is for the purpose of enabling us to walk as Jesus walked and being conformed to his image. (I John 2:6, Romans 8:29).

When the Holy Spirit is poured out *upon us*, it is a one-time experience that does not need to be repeated. The filling of the Holy Spirit within us is a life-long process, where we keep on being filled. Another way to say it is, “One baptism and many fillings.”

“Be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18

This verse can be translated from the original Greek text to mean, “Be filled, *and keep on being filled,* with the Holy Spirit.” The reason God’s will is so clearly stated in this passage is because this is God’s way of doing His work in us and through us. God is glorified in our lives when we have been emptied of ourselves and filled with Him.

#theholyspiritbook #theholyspirit #thefullnessoftheholyspirit #roylessin

© 2023, 2017 Roy Lessin, “The Holy Spirit Book”. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

The Holy Spirit Book: The Results of Spiritual Power

The Holy Spirit Book: The Results of Spiritual Power
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

“Then John testified, ‘I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon Him.’” John 1:32

According to Jewish law, the public ministry of the priests in the tabernacle was to begin at the age of thirty.

“From thirty years old and up to fifty years old you shall number them, all who enter for service to do the work in the Tent of Meeting.” Numbers 4:23

When Jesus came up out of the waters of baptism, He was 30 years of age. It was at this time that the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus and anointed Him with power to begin His public ministry.

“God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38

Jesus Himself knew that He needed the anointing power of the Holy Spirit to do the work God called Him to do. Although Jesus was fully God and fully man, He did not do His mighty works as the Son of God, but as the Son of Man who was anointed and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus wants to send us in the same way that He was sent (John 20:21). Because Jesus was sent by His Father, with the power of the Holy Spirit upon Him, how much more then, do we need the Holy Spirit’s power to do what God called us to do?

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works that these he will do, because I go to My Father.” John 14:12

#theholyspiritbook #roylessin #theresultsofspiritualpower

© 2023, 2017 Roy Lessin, “The Holy Spirit Book”. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

The Holy Spirit Book: The Importance of Spiritual Power

The Holy Spirit Book: The Importance of Spiritual Power
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

As believers, we are not to fill up our lives at the gas pump of “regular living.” We cannot live a Kingdom life on low octane human fuel. Instead, God wants us to fill up our lives at the source of “supernatural living.” That source, that Life, is the Holy Spirit.

Because spiritual power only comes from a supernatural source, it cannot come from a natural or human source. It is not found in personal influence, in personal success, in personal achievements, in personal wealth, nor in personal education. Kingdom work can only be done in a Kingdom way, and the way God does all His work is through the Holy Spirit.

“This is the word of the LORD of Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6

Only the Holy Spirit can make it possible for us to experience the life God has called us to live. IN fact, God has not given us the option to “get by” on the regular gasoline of our own resources. God does not tell us to do the best we can (even if we do ping a lot), and He does not tell us to mix fuels. God tells us to be filled with the Holy Spirit alone.

Empowerment by the Holy Spirit is available to every believer. This empowering is essential for holy living and for spiritual service. Jesus spoke about this when He met with His disciples after His resurrection and before He ascended to the right hand of the Father. (Acts 1:4-8)

None of us should push on in our own strength or try running until we are out of gas and end up parked by the side of the road with an empty tank. We not only need to be filled with the Spirit, but we also need to keep on being filled. His filling is abundant and freely given, and He is more than able to keep us full as we partake of His abundance, moment by moment, and day by day.

#theholyspiritbook #roylessin #spiritualpower

©2023, 2017 Roy Lessin, “The Holy Spirit Book”. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

The Holy Spirit Book: Recognizing the Voice of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit Book: Recognizing the Voice of the Holy Spirit -Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow When the Holy Spirit speaks, He will speak to us with words and in ways that we will understand. If He wants us to know something, we will know it. If He wants us to go somewhere, He will show us how to get there. If He wants us to do something, He will equip us to do it, in His strength! Because each member of the Trinity is a divine person, each One has a voice and is a communicator. God the Father has a voice, and He speaks. (Genesis 24:7) Jesus Christ has a voice, and He speaks. (John 10:27) The Holy Spirit has a voice, and He speaks. (Revelation 2:29) Each person of the Trinity communicates with each other, and They communicate with us. “All that belongs to the Father is Mine; this is why I said, “The Spirit will tell you whatever He receives from Me.” John 16:15 The voice of the Lord in our lives is like the sound of no other voice. When we learn to recognize His voice, it will be as familiar as our own mother’s voice. Jesus said that when He speaks to His sheep, the sheep recognize His voice and follow Him, because they will not follow the voice of a stranger. Because God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are good communicators, we need to be good listeners. The voice of the Holy Spirit in our lives is an inner voice. His voice is closer and more intimate than any audible human voice, for He speaks to us in the deepest part of our beings. “The person who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.” 1 Corinthians 6:17 We need to be wise and discerning as we listen for God’s voice. There are many voices trying to get our attention. The voice of the enemy tries to deceive us to follow his voice, the voice of the world tries to pressure us to follow its demands, and the voice of others tries to persuade us to follow their point of view. Our desire and prayer should focus on pleasing the Lord in our responses and not hardening our hearts when we hear His voice (Hebrews 3:15). Here are several important truths to help us hear and identify God’s voice in our lives. WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKS TO US, He is clear and specific. (Acts 11:12) WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKS TO US, His voice will most often be a still small voice that is calm and gently in tone. He will often nudge us or prompt us. (1 Kings 19:12) WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKS TO US, it will be in agreement with Christ’s heart, will, and ways, and will be consistent with God’s divine nature and character. (John 19:4-5) WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKS TO US, we will have peace and we will walk in peace as we obey. (Psalm 85:8) WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKS TO US, He will always be in agreement with the Truth of God’s Word. (John 16:13) WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKS TO US, we need to be good listeners who desire to obey. (1 Samuel 3:7-10) God will speak to us through the Scriptures, through His Son, and through the witness of the Holy Spirit. We also discover in the Scriptures that God can speak to us through circumstances, through dreams and visions, through the voice of His people, through spiritual gifts, or through His angelic messengers. The question we should be asking is not whether God speaks to us, but whether or not we are good listeners and are willing to do His will from the heart once He reveals it to us. #theholyspiritbook #roylessin #recognizingthevoiceoftheholyspirit

©2023, 2017 Roy Lessin, The Holy Spirit Book, Meeting in the Meadow. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

The Holy Spirit Book: A Prayer, The Promise of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit Book: A Prayer, The Promise of the Holy Spirit
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

LORD, with a heart washed clean through the blood of JESUS, I come to you to be baptized and filled with the HOLY SPIRIT. I present myself fully to You, as a yielded vessel, to obey and glorify You. Use me as it pleases You.

I come to You unconditionally. I come to You thirsty. I come to drink. I come by faith, trusting in Your promise to baptize and fill me with the HOLY SPIRIT. Thank You for Your promise and for the gift of the HOLY SPIRIT.

JESUS, I ask You to baptize and fill me now with the HOLY SPIRIT in this moment. By faith and with gratitude, I receive Your gift. HOLY SPIRIT, I drink of You.

JESUS, thank You for baptizing me with the HOLY SPIRIT. HOLY SPIRIT, thank You for filling me with Your presence, and for coming upon me with Your power.

Amen.

© 2017, 2023 Roy Lessin, The Holy Spirit Book. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

#theholyspiritbook #aprayer #prayer #prayerontheholyspirit #royelessin

The Holy Spirit Book: Receiving the Fullness of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit Book: Receiving the Fullness of the Holy Spirit
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

“As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, O God.” Psalm 42:1 NLT Spiritual thirst is longing after God. It is a need within us that we must have God and no substitute. Just like our body needs water and must drink, so our spirit needs God’s presence and we must drink of His Spirit. A thirsty person is not passive or indifferent about his need for water. A thirsty person does not need to analyze water, study water, or debate water – the need of a thirsty person is to drink water. Are you spiritually thirsty? If you are, then Jesus promises to give you drink. No one needs to be spiritually dehydrated or die of spiritual thirst. This is Jesus’ promise. Come to Him, the One who will baptize you and fill you with the Holy Spirit. He has promised to satisfy your thirst and place within you the river of the Holy Spirit that will never run dry. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6 NKJV Receiving the baptism and filling with the Holy Spirit is not difficult. FIRST, prepare you heart to receive: Confess and forsake all sin. (Proverbs 28:13) Give yourself fully to the Lord. (Romans 12:1) Set your heart on obedience. (Acts 5:32) NOW, receive the baptism and filling with the Holy Spirit by faith. (Galatians 3:14) You receive God’s gifts, not by striving, but by trusting; not by working, but by believing; not through fret, but through faith. Receiving the baptism and filling with the Holy Spirit is as simple as drinking water. If you are thirsty, drink. ASK Jesus now to baptize and fill you with the promised Holy Spirit. © 2017, 2023 Roy Lessin, The Holy Spirit Book. All rights reserved, used with permission.

 

 

APPLICATION: Why does God command us to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Are you thirsty for the fullness of the Holy Spirit? Are you ready to drink of the Spirit by faith? Write your own prayer to receive the baptism and filling of the Holy Spirit. Pray that prayer, asking Jesus to baptize and fill you with the Holy Spirit. Receive the Spirit now by faith. Record the date and share what Jesus has done for you.

#theholyspiritbook #theholyspirit #receivingthefulness #roylessin

The Holy Spirit Book: One Holy Spirit, Many Ministries

The Holy Spirit Book: One Holy Spirit, Many Ministries -Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow The Holy Spirit had many ministries in the life of Jesus. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He was indwelt by the Holy Spirit His entire life, and at the Jordan River, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit when the Spirit descended upon Him. It was this particular ministry of the Holy Spirit that would equip Jesus for the next three plus years of completing the work God called Him to do. If Jesus himself —the Son of God— needed to be anointed by the Holy Spirit to do His Father’s will, then how much more do we need the same anointing power? “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38 NKJV Jesus told us of three distinct ways that the Holy Spirit would minister in the lives of believers. He told us that the Holy Spirit would be with us. This is His promise of spiritual companionship. “The Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:17 NKJV He told us that the Holy Spirit would be in us. This is His promise of spiritual intimacy. “The Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:17 NKJV He told us the Holy Spirit would come upon us. This is His promise of spiritual power—when we are baptized with the Holy Spirit. “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 NKJV Even though the disciples received the life of the Holy Spirit within them, they still had not received the power of the Holy Spirit upon them. This is why Jesus told them to wait for His promise to be fulfilled before they went into the world as His witnesses. This happened to them on the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 1 and 2). Like the disciples, it is important for us to have both the Scriptural understanding of Jesus’ promise as well as the personal experience of receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit on our lives. Although each of us will serve God differently, according to His specific will for our lives, each of us needs to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve Him effectively. APPLICATION: How is your life impacted as a result of the Holy Spirit dwelling with you...being in you...coming upon you? Considering how vital the ministry of the Holy Spirit is in our lives, how can we learn to be more responsive to what He has been sent to do?  © 2017, 2023  Roy Lessin, The Holy Spirit Book. Used with permission, all rights reserved. #theholyspiritbook #theholyspirit #learningabouttheholyspirit #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow

The Holy Spirit Book: A Prayer: The Power of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit Book: A Prayer: The Power of the Holy Spirit -Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

 

 

JESUS, what a perfect work You have done, what a perfect SAVIOR You are, and thank you for sending the perfect Helper, the HOLY SPIRIT. Thank You that the HOLY SPIRIT has come, not only to be with me and to live in me, but also to fill me and empower me to serve You. I know that without the HOLY SPIRIT’s presence and power You could not have pleased the FATHER, done His will, and completed the work He sent you to do. Help me to realize how dependent I am on the HOLY SPIRIT day by day, and moment by moment, and help me to do His will today and every day. Amen. © 2017, 2023 Roy Lessin, The Holy Spirit Book. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

The Holy Spirit Book: The Meaning of Spiritual Power

 

The Holy Spirit Book: The Meaning of Spiritual Power -Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow There are two important Greek words that are used in Scripture to help us understand the meaning of spiritual power. One word used for power is found in Matthew 10:1. It is the word exousia. “And when he had called unto Him His twelve disciples, He gave them power (exousia) against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” Matthew 10:1 KJV Exousia means having the power of authority. A policeman who is able to stop moving traffic on a busy street is an example of the power of authority. The policeman does not have the physical strength to stop the traffic, but because he represents the law of the land, and because he is backed by the police force, he can direct the traffic to stop or to go. The other Greek word that is used for power is dunamis. In English, this word can be translated as “dynamo” or “dynamite.” This word is found in Acts 1:8. “But ye shall receive power (dunamis), 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.” Acts 1:8 KJV In this passage, Jesus was not speaking about the power of authority, but the power of might, strength, enabling, equipping or boldness that would be upon and within the lives of those gathered in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost. Receiving the Spirit’s power would bring a dynamic change into each life. Jesus did not say that receiving the dunamis power of the Holy Spirit was optional. He said that it was essential for them to be His witnesses. Their witness to the world was to be more than a witness to His life on Earth and His death on the cross; it was also to bring witness to His resurrection, His ascension, and His glorification at the right hand of the Father. Their lives were also a witness to the promised gift of the Holy Spirit that would equip them for service. © 2017, 2023 Roy Lessin, The Holy Spirit Book.  #theholyspiritbook #holyspirit #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow #spiritualpower

 

APPLICATION: Why do you need spiritual power to be Christ's witness? What kind of witness would you be without it?

The Holy Spirit Book: A Prayer; The Purpose of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit Book: A Prayer; The Purpose of the Holy Spirit
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

 

 

LORD, have your way with me. I want to walk in the HOLY SPIRIT, and walk with the HOLY SPIRIT in surrender, in dependency and total trust. I place no confidence in my flesh—in my own resources, in my own strength, or in my own understanding. I lay aside all the things in my life that are about me and my own way. I take up my cross to follow You; I depend on the HOLY SPIRIT to be like You; I receive from the HOLY SPIRIT all I need to live for You, this day and in all my tomorrows. Amen. © 2017, 2023 Roy Lessin, The Holy Spirit Book. Used with permission, all rights reserved. #theholyspiritbook #biblicalteaching #roylessin #dayspring #setapartkc #theholyspirit #prayer

The Holy Spirit Book: The Spirit Against the Flesh

The Holy Spirit Book: The Spirit Against the Flesh
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Excerpt from Chapter 6 The Spirit Against the Flesh

 

 

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of your flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh… Galatians 5:16-17 NASB The way the Holy Spirit wants us to walk is very different from the way we naturally want to walk. The Bible tells us in Galatians 5:16-17 that our flesh (how we live when the Holy Spirit is not in control of our lives) is in direct contrast and conflict with what the Holy Spirit desires for us. Consider the flesh and the Spirit having a conversation over different choices we need to make. Here is how it might take place: The flesh says: “I want to pursue my goals.” The Spirit says: “Pursue my purposes.” The flesh says: “I have great ideas.” The Spirit says: “Seek My wisdom.” The flesh says: “I have a great plan.” The Spirit says: “I have a perfect plan.” The flesh says: “I am working hard.” The Spirit says: “Receive my power.” The flesh says: “I am weary.” The Spirit says: “I will renew your strength.” The flesh says: “I am trying to live a good life.” The Spirit says: “I will make you holy.” The flesh says: “I need to be dynamic.” The Spirit says: “You need My anointing.” The flesh says: “I want recognition.” The Spirit says: “Seek My approval.” The flesh says: “I want people to like me.” The Spirit says: “I want people to glorify Jesus.” The way we have victory in our lives over the demands of the flesh is to walk in the Spirit. We will fail if we try to reason with the flesh or use our own strength to fight it. “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25 NKJV © 2017, 2023 Roy Lessin, The Holy Spirit Book. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

 

 

 

APPLICATION: Which of the above conversations between the Spirit and the flesh can you identify with most? Why are the desires of your flesh in disagreement with what the Holy Spirit desires? How can this conflict be resolved in your life? Read Romans 8:1-11 + Romans 6:12-13.  #theholyspiritbook #holyspirit #devotional #roylessin #biblicalteaching