All of us receive the Holy Spirit when we are born again and can enjoy the presence of God in our lives, which is our focus today. This is different from the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Power as described in Acts 1:8 and the outpouring of His Spirit on the day of Pentecost, where the Apostles were baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues.

John 14:26–27: But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. (27) Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Jesus is speaking about the future work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life after His death, burial, and resurrection. In these two verses, Jesus tells us some specific ways the Holy Spirit will help, guide, and lead us. He then declares that He has given them peace, which is of great importance, as this is done prior to His death and resurrection.

This is significant as we see in Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a Child is born. Unto us, a Son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

One of the names of Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Knowing that He lives in us by the Holy Spirit, we can walk in peace at all times and be led by peace at all times. Sometimes, He gives us peace about doing something that goes beyond our understanding or human intellect.

We simply have a witness of what we should do. He brings us to a place where we know His presence, which manifests in an inward peace that surpasses all understanding.

Jesus has given us His peace. Learn to trust the inner witness of peace as a key means of being led by the Lord. When we lose peace over something, we know He is leading us away from something, or we need to stop and listen for the course correction.

When we have peace and continually follow it, we are following Jesus, and the results will always be good and in His will. I have told people to follow after peace for years, for the Prince of Peace is leading you and it never fails. When you have peace in your heart about something, it is the witness that Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is leading you.

In verse 26, Jesus said the Holy Spirit is our helper. It is a wonderful revelation to know that we always have a Helper in any and every situation in life. We can call upon Him in prayer and ask for His help. We can look to the Bible and ask Him to help us find Scriptures for every situation in life, and when He shows us the answers, it will build our faith and allow us to follow Him in peace.

The Holy Spirit will teach us, but we must spend time in His Word daily. Take time not just to read the Word but also to meditate in the Word. The Holy Spirit will give you revelation knowledge, guidance, wisdom, understanding, and discernment as you spend time in the Word of God and prayer. This will help you recognize His voice and hear what He is speaking to you. This allows the Holy Spirit to do something else that is very special for all of us.

The Holy Spirit will bring all things to our remembrance. That is exciting to me, and I have experienced this many times when I spoke or taught in a meeting. He always brings the Scriptures to my remembrance. The Holy Spirit will always bring up the things Jesus said to us.

John 16:13: However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but what He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

The Same Spirit

This next verse is one that we should meditate on a lot. It is extremely powerful when we realize who is dwelling in us. This verse reveals how the Spirit gives our mortal bodies life, health, and healing. Not only does He lead us, but He brings healing to us.

I believe we can get so full of the Holy Spirit that we can receive healing in our bodies. I have seen people healed in our meetings where we never laid hands on them or prayed for them. It was the manifestation of His glory and power coming upon them and flowing in their bodies.

Romans 8:11: But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

What an incredible revelation! The Holy Spirit that dwells in you today is the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. I don’t think He will have an issue leading us through life if we will let Him.

Romans 8:14: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.

If you are a born-again child of God, you will be led by the Spirit of God who dwells in you. You just have to follow His leading.

Romans 8:16: The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirits that we are children of God.

How do we know we are children of God? The Spirit who dwells in us bears witness to this truth. Learning to recognize the “witness” of the Spirit in you is a key to being led into all truth and carry His presence in your life.

Summary Points To Acknowledge Every Day

Now review these powerful points about the relationship you have with the Holy Spirit and what He will do in you today!

• The Father has sent us the Spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit is truth, so trust Him. Why?
• He will only guide us into truth.
• He will only speak on the authority given to Him by the Father.
• What He hears is what He speaks to us.
• He will show you or tell you things to come! You will know in advance!
• He is our Helper and our Teacher.
• He brings things to our remembrance.
• He gives us peace.
• He guides us with truth.
• And with the Father’s authority, He shows us things to come.

Meditate on these verses and let these words become a revelation that is quickened in your spirit. Declare these points out loud and let them become your faith-filled confession every day. Then follow Him!

It is wonderful to be a born-again believer in Jesus Christ because we receive the Holy Spirit and God's divine nature in us. We are new creations in Christ. The old sin nature of our spirit is replaced with a new created spirit in the same image, likeness, and nature of God. We find a joy and peace that surpasses all knowledge and understanding.

The love of God fills our hearts, and for the first time in our lives, we experience what it is to be loved by Almighty God, whom we now call our Father. This is not a religion. This is a RELATIONSHIP! The new birth of our spirit sets us free from sin and spiritual death. So how does this happen, and what did Jesus say about it?

Jesus met with a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He commented that he knew Jesus had to have come from God to do the signs Jesus was doing. The conversation went directly to man's need for repentance and being born again. Nicodemus did not understand this, but Jesus lovingly walked him through it, and now we will too.

John 3:3. Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 

Jesus makes it very clear that we must be born again, or a person will not see the kingdom of God. He also tells us that our spirit is born again, not our flesh.

John 3:6. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

He further explains this in John 3:15-16. “That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (16) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  His message was about the Love of God for humanity.

Jesus made it very clear to Nicodemus that He did not come into the world to condemn it but to save it and that the world through Him might be saved from sin.

John 3:17-18. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (18) He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

The Apostle John wrote in I John 5:12, He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son, does not have life. What life is he speaking about? It is eternal life, the everlasting life of God Himself.

When a person’s spirit is born again, they receive the gift of eternal life. They have the very life of God in them now. Our spirit being is recreated in the image and likeness of God, and we literally take on the very life of God and His nature in our Spirit being. Our old spirit dies, and we become a totally new creation.

II Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.

God’s Love For Humanity Is The Whole Message

Maybe you believe in God, but you have never been born again. Perhaps you don’t know much about God at all. Maybe you are born again, but you want to better understand the Scriptures related to the new birth. It’s like a love story!

Has anyone ever told you that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life? I have an important question for you. If you were to die this very second, do you know for sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you would go to heaven?

God loves the whole human race. He loves everyone the same. God, our Heavenly Father, and Jesus show us how much they love us. God sent Jesus, and Jesus laid down His life for our sins so we could be born again. They did this because they love us and want us to know them, be born again, and spend eternity with them in their Glory.

We can never be good enough or do enough good works to be saved, as we see in Romans that we have all sinned and fall short of His glory.

Romans 3:23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When we work, we receive wages because the employer said he would pay us on payday for the work we would do for him. Sin is the same way. It has a payday. It is death. Not just a natural death but a spiritual death that will keep us from eternal life in heaven with a loving God. It is final and irreversible.

But God loves us and shows us how much in Romans 5:8: For God demonstrates His own love toward us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We can’t earn it, and we don’t deserve it, but because of His great love, He died in our place, and God raised Him from the dead. Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, and we had a debt we could not pay.

He is calling us to the place of salvation through repentance of sin, as He declared in Matthew 9:13: “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” 

And it is God’s goodness that leads us to a place of repentance, as it is written in Romans 2:4: The goodness of God leads us to repentance.

On the Day of Pentecost, the people asked Peter what they must do to be saved. His answer still applies today.

Acts 2:37–39: Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (38) Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (39) 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.”

They were convicted of their sin by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God Peter shared. They realized their sinful and lost state and wanted to know what to do. So what must a person do to be saved? You must be born again. It is simple.

We repent for the forgiveness of sin, believing what the Bible says, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures (I Corinthians 15:3–4).

And in Romans 10:9 and 13: If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

If you have any reservations about your eternal destiny, or if you want to be born again and receive the gift of eternal life and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, pray this prayer out loud right now:

Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins and ask that you cleanse me of my sin so I may be born again. Set me free Lord Jesus. I thank You that You died for me. I believe You have risen from the dead and I will follow You from this day forward.  

Please fill me with your Holy Spirit. Give me a passion for the lost, a hunger for the things of your kingdom, and a holy boldness to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others.

I confess that Jesus Christ is now my Lord and Savior. I’m saved, I’m born again, I’m forgiven, and I know I am on my way to heaven because Jesus is in my heart. Amen!

If you prayed this prayer, congratulations, you are now a born-again believer in Jesus Christ. Always remember to run to God, not from God, because He loves you and has a great plan for your life. Follow Jesus!

If you prayed this prayer, go to the contact page and let us know. We will help you take the next steps in your walk with Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.

Congratulations on your decision to give your life to Jesus Christ. Now, there is one crucial step for you, and that is water baptism. In Matthew 28: 19, Jesus said, “Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

After Peter finished preaching on the Day of Pentecost, the people asked him what they needed to do to be saved. Peter’s response still applies today. This leaves no doubt that every new born-again believer should be baptized in water as soon as possible. Acts 2:38, Then Peter said to them, “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Finally, in Romans 6:4-6, Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in the newness of life. (5) For it we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, (6) knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 

Obviously, a person who has repented of their sin and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior should be baptized in water as soon as possible to identify with their own death to sin and publicly acknowledge they are now walking in the newness of life in Christ Jesus.

Contact our ministry if you have accepted Jesus and need to be baptized and we will help you.

Preparing for my morning devotions and prayer time, I went to the family room to get my Bible and heard the Holy Spirit speak to me to read Exodus 3. I knew He had something special for me. After reading the first five verses, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said, “My people miss My leadings because they fail to look at the burning bushes I place in their lives to get their attention.”

These natural events are divine setups.

Exodus 3:1-5. Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. (2) And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. (3) Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” (4) So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” (5) Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”

While I meditated about this, my thoughts turned to how often He had placed some “burning bushes” in my life that got my attention, which He used to lead me into events, ministry, or divine connections for previously unknown purposes. Maybe you can identify some examples of this in your own life.

But if not, be encouraged, and let’s learn how God utilizes natural events or supernatural things to get our attention so He can lead us down the path set before us. It could be to another place or experience in Him.

That Bush Is Not Being Consumed

First, we see that the Lord appeared to Moses in a flaming fire from the midst of a bush, but He did not reveal Himself to Moses at that point. The Lord was there in the fire. Moses saw the fire but was unaware that the Lord was in the fire or anywhere near the fire. Moses did not know or acknowledge the Lord’s presence at this time, but the Lord had gained Moses’ attention by what appeared to be a natural occurrence. The bush is surrounded by fire, but it is not being consumed. That fact piqued his curiosity to the point he had to turn and investigate.

I believe we are no different. The Lord puts “burning bushes” in our lives to get our attention, as He did with Moses. He does not reveal Himself to us but watches how we react to the sign first. Will we stop and look at the burning bush? Will we turn our attention away from everyday life to consider a particular or even peculiar event to see what it is about?

How often do we walk away from a “burning bush” where the Lord is standing because we don’t recognize it for what it is? Maybe we are too busy, so we don’t give it our attention, and even if we see it, we find it easy to discard.

But Moses looks at the burning bush and notices the bush is not being consumed. This has his attention, and he even calls it a great sight. I can picture Moses standing and looking at this burning bush, wondering how this could be happening as the feelings of curiosity enlarge in his heart. His attention moves away from caring for the flock of sheep and turns to the burning bush that is not being consumed.

But remember, up to this point, the Lord has not revealed Himself to Moses. The Lord has gained Moses’ attention but has not yet revealed Himself to Moses. Finally, Moses turns his attention away from his sheep business to investigate this great sight. Now it gets exciting!

From the Natural to the Supernatural –  God Is Revealed

Moses is seeking to understand a natural event that will lead him directly into God’s supernatural presence, where God majestically reveals Himself and his plan to Moses to set His people free. God still uses natural events to get our attention and to lead us all the time. If we stay in the Word and walk in the Spirit, we will become more aware of these burning bushes in our lives, have more encounters with the Lord, and have more opportunities to walk in His blessing and be a blessing to others.

Now, we see God’s response to Moses’ decision to look at this incredible sight. There was no revelation of God’s presence to Moses until he turned to investigate the naturally occurring event. Exodus 3:4: So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”

After, and only after Moses turned to see the burning bush, did God reveal Himself from within the fire. Then and only then did God call Moses by name. This is a crucial point. We need to be open to looking at the divine intersects that God places in our paths of everyday living, and sometimes, they are subtle and sometimes unusual. Be open and be curious. Slow down and ask the Lord to reveal Himself in the situation. You will be amazed at how often He sets you up for a special event, experience, or opportunity.

Moses immediately responds, “Here I am.” God tells Moses, “Do not draw near this place,” and directs him to take off his sandals, for the place where he stood was holy ground. It was holy ground because of the Lord’s manifested presence and Glory in the fire. Taking off his sandals was a way of honoring God.

Follow The Progression

Moses is taking care of the family business on the mountain, where he has led the flock of sheep owned by his father-in-law. It’s another day of business as usual. This is just another typical day when, suddenly, Moses sees a burning bush that is not being consumed by the fire, and he is totally unaware of God’s presence.

• He had no idea that God was in the fire.
• He had no idea that God was standing there watching him.
• He had no idea how his decision to turn and investigate this site would impact life as he knew it.
• He had no idea that God was about to reveal Himself and manifest His glory.
• He had no idea that the very God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was about to call Moses into the ministry to deliver His people from their bondage in Egypt, as foretold to Abram centuries earlier.

He was unaware that a simple investigation of a bush would change his life for eternity and impact thousands of generations.

I wonder. How often does the Lord stand near us or in our churches, desiring to speak to and reveal Himself to us, only to be ignored by religious traditions, worldliness in the church, and concern for ending the service on time?

How many times does He stand near us at the store, or wherever we may go, desiring to have us witness or pray with a person, and we walk away because we are too busy to see the burning bush in front of us, totally unaware that the Lord was standing next to us?

God has plans for our lives and often sets them up well in advance. The key for us is the same as it was for Moses. Take time to look at the burning bushes God places in your life. Consider all of the little things God does to get your attention so He can reveal Himself and the plans He has for you.

Right now, ask God to help you be sensitive to His leading and make you keenly aware of the natural events He does to reveal Himself to you, call you, do great work in your life, or be a blessing to others. You will discover God’s presence, and in His presence is the fullness of joy!

Choose to yield your whole heart to Jesus so you can recognize the “burning bush” He places in your life. You will find yourself in a place to hear His Voice, receive His guidance, and all else He has for you.

Prayer Focus

Heavenly Father, help me recognize the natural events in my life where I will find your presence and directions like Moses at the burning bush. I want to know your presence and walk in your plan for my life. Help me to understand the covenant promises so I may walk in them so others may see you in me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.