Daily Devotional, Sept 25, 2023 Bleached

"Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:11

One of the most reliable cleaning and disinfecting solutions of any mom is the bleach. It does not only make surfaces and clothing white by removing stains, it also removes unseen germs that could cause harm to anyone exposed to it.

Just as the bleach purifies both seen and unseen dirt, so does the Holy Spirit works to sanctify our minds and hearts from sins. It helps us Christians to remain obedient to the Lord, and be in fellowship with Christ Jesus “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please” (Galatians 5:16-17)

So how do we get filled with the Holy Spirit? Well, the good news is the Holy Spirit is with you the moment you received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour. It was a promise that Jesus made, and the Holy Spirit’s presence assures us that we are with the Lord always, as long as we continue to abide in Him. “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth.” (John 14:15-17).

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a privilege, and this privilege is offered to any person who is willing to surrender his life to Jesus. The continuous sanctification is a process that prepares us as we journey towards eternal life. It is having a life that lives God’s will and purpose. In the Gospel of John, the beloved disciple quoted Jesus as saying “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26)

A true test to see if a person is filled with the holy spirit is that he or she possesses the fruits of the spirit as written in St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

On the contrary, if the Holy Spirit does not dwell in a person, he will be focused on everything that satisfies the flesh such as power, pleasure and possessions. “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” (Romans 8:5).

Let us strive to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and staying with us, for it is only through it will we attain Christ’s peace.

Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on John 14:15-31 and Romans 8:5-9 to dig deeper on today’s topic.

Reflection Question: Do you believe that the Holy Spirit dwells in you? If not, what can you do to live a life in the Spirit?

Conversation with the Lord: Lord Jesus Christ, give me the confidence and the strength to abide in you so that your Holy Spirit could stay with me. I want to experience the peace that only you could give. Amen.