Most Tender-Hearted Lord, I acknowledge the generosity and love You showed to me when You gave me the gift of the Holy Spirit. He is the Comforter, Leader, and Teacher I need to successfully answer my calling. Through His power and the dispensing of grace, I’ve been given the power to overcome sin. I am grateful for the fact that He protects me from evil, encourages me to remain faithful to You and is teaching me how to be obedient to Your commands. He fills me with joy and perseverance when I am going through trials, difficulties, and pain. I need Him to give me the wisdom to deal with daily problems, provide me with the compassion I need in dealing with others, and show me how to give unconditional love like the love You show to me. I need Him to cultivate in me a deeper devotion to You, the ability to stay calm in the middle of a turmoil, and the desire to give others a helping hand.
I have come to see the working of the Holy Spirit in my life in the following ways:
- I have developed a strong desire to talk about You. I just cannot keep the knowledge of the wonderfulness of belonging to You to myself. I feel the urge to share You with everyone I meet.
- Darkness is pushed out of the way and I feel a newness of life which comes from Your dwelling in me. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to clean up my life and help me learn how to stay away from temptation. My flesh wants me to serve myself but the Holy Spirit shows me how to serve You and my fellow man. As I war against the enemies of my soul, I need a reinforcement that will convince me to do good and flee from evil.
- He produces miraculous experiences through His working in my life. Most of the miracles are small, but they are miracles none the less. They come in the form of taking away a desire to smoke or drink in excess; praying for healing of someone and seeing them get better; and seeing a relative or friend, out of nowhere, give themselves to You.
- He fills me with joy. It lifts me above my circumstances and causes me to sing praises to You. I can see beyond my limitations or circumstances to a “happy ending.” Hope becomes an active and vital part of my life. It produces within me a feeling that things will get better. It is a joy that is radiant and contagious within me that I want to pass on to others.
- He creates in me a desire to obey You in all things and strive to live the way You did. Love becomes the highlight of my life because I learn to love like You … unconditionally. I am seeing love through Your eyes as meaning … the will to do good for others.
The Holy Spirit is the catalyst that animates the church and I’m glad to be a part of sharing in this gift.
Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin. And You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.