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Open Heaven Devotion

  • 16 Jul 2023

THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT III

MEMORISE:  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30

READ: Jude 1:21 -24

21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:

23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

MESSAGE

Our memory verse of today reveals another very important role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer - preserving us unto the day of redemption. 'The day of redemption' in the memory verse is talking of the ultimate redemption when we safely arrive in the Kingdom of God. The reason is that there is no eternal assurance that once you are saved, you are forever saved. There are examples of people who started well but ended up badly. For instance, after King Saul was ordained by Samuel, he prophesied and the people asked: "Is Saul also among the prophets?" (1 Samuel 10:11). Unfortunately, after King Saul got into trouble for disobeying divine instructions, he went after a familiar spirit. 1 Samuel 28:7 says:

Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that l may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.

King Saul did this despite the fact that the Bible says in Isaiah 65:24:

And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

In John 16:7-14, we see that the Holy Spirit guides us into all - not some - truth. Many things we ought to know about God, our Saviour, ourselves, the written word of God, the devil, the world in which we live and so on are explained to us by the Holy Spirit.  We cannot gain an understanding of God without the Holy Spirit. The word of God would be ordinary literature without the Holy Spirit's illumination.

The Bible says in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit will show us things to come

The spiritual decadence in the end- time Church has been foretold by the Holy Spirit (1 Timothy 4:12). It is a pity, however, that  some children of God are not taking advantage of the Holy Spirit's guidance to keep us from falling. May you not fall, in Jesus' name.

PRAYER POINT

Holy Spirit Divine, please keep me to the uttermost end . Help me to finish well and strong, in the mighty name of Jesus.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 4-8

HYMN 8: I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR

1 I need Thee ev'ry hour,

Most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine

Can peace afford.

Refrain:

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;

Ev'ry hour I need Thee;

Oh, bless me now, my Savior,

I come to Thee.

2 I need Thee ev'ry hour,

Stay Thou nearby;

Temptations lose their pow’r

When Thou art nigh. [Refrain]

3 I need Thee ev'ry hour,

In joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide,

Or life is vain. [Refrain]

4 I need Thee ev'ry hour,

Teach me Thy will;

And Thy rich promises

In me fulfill. [Refrain]