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The Holy Spirit Is How!
Jon Burgess11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asksfor bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks fora fish, will give him a snake instead?12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:11-13
Just prior to this passage Jesus was asked by His disciples to teach them how to pray. This is what He taught them:
Jesus gave the "What" of Prayer and the Holy Spirit is the "How" of Prayer. How do I connect with the Holy Father? Through the Holy Spirit. How do I discern the will of Heaven while living here on earth? Through the Holy Spirit. How do I receive the provision God has for all my needs? The Holy Spirit is how! Forgiveness is really hard especially when they have hurt me and think they are right in the hurting. The Holy Spirit is the One who has me let go so I can move on. He shows me how I have hurt others and need to ask for forgiveness. How do I avoid the temptationall around toward sexual sin, lying, or pride? The Holy Spirit convicts my heart and leads me in the way everlasting. How do I persist in prayer even when I feel like giving up? The Holy Spirit is how! He reminds me of the promises of God's Word when I forget. He fills me with the strength to persevere when my flesh is weak. He gives me power supernatural when I face the natural challenges all around me. The Holy Spirit is how a life of prayer becomes possible. This constant conversation with the King is what carries me through everything I face and helps me to overcome!
Thank You, Holy Spirit for this insight today! I've never quite seen the connection before. Jesus teaches what to pray and You are how I do it on the daily. The trust that I place in You in based on the beautiful promise that when I ask for You Holy Spirit I don't receive a different kind of spirit. There's a lot of mixturearound me, but I want to live Holy. There's a lot of talking going on around me, but I want to talk to You more. There's a lot of ways to go, but I want to follow in Your way! I pray for a fresh infilling of Your Holy Spirit today. That I would not try to go through this day on my own might or power, but by Your Spirit!
