Daily Journal: 23 August

Infusion of the Holy Spirit

Portion from Daily Journal: 21 August: Sin is a burden that we carry. It’s brutally heavy. It’s bad for our hearts. It’s harsh on our minds. It ages our bodies. Sin causes us to be weak and separates us from the One person who takes that burden away. The burden of sin steals our joy and our confidence. It sweeps away hope. Jesus came to replace that and carry those burdens. He sent the Holy Spirit to help us. We are invited to live in freedom; to leave things with Him and live in the relief of what Jesus has done.

Romans 8:1 (NKJV)

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

John 16:6-8 (NLT)

[Jesus speaking] it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate [or Comforter, or Encourager, or Counselor] won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.

When God fills us with more of His Spirit, He infuses His life into our being, making dead the destructive tendencies and strongholds in our thoughts, our hearts, and our experiences. These experiences shape us. They warp us and limit us. The death of self – being aware of all those destructive things that hurt us – is painful because our feelings are raw and we wrestle with what we feel we need to hold onto to survive, to remain standing, not realising that by holding on to them, we remain broken.

Ephesians 5:18 (NCV)

Do not be drunk with wine, which will ruin you, but be filled with the Spirit. Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord. Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Praising, honouring, and making music to God, giving Him thanks for everything, inspires our spirit. As we keep running into God’s heart, into His presence, His Spirit fills us with His life, filling us with joy and power and His glory. As we recognise and embrace the love that He pours into our hearts, He fuses new connections of growth, acceptance, and understanding. Layer by layer, we are set free.

Romans 5:5 (NIV)

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Run, run, and keep running away from self’s destructions, straight into the enveloping presence of the Holy Spirit to show you what needs to die, what is dying, and why you can leave it behind now and let Him take over. Receiving the infusion of the Holy Spirit brings transformation to our lives in a way nothing else can because we are reconnecting with Him who made us.

Romans 15:13

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.