The Holy Spirit In You

The Bible teaches that God is everywhere. He is omnipresent. However, God's will is to indwell believers. He makes His home in your heart. Believers in Jesus Christ become the house of God. You are God's temple. The Holy Spirit is in you. "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God" (1 Corinthians 6:19).

The Holy Spirit is in all who truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit indwells you to do God's will. He changes your heart. He gives you new desires. God works in you according to His good pleasure. "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). God is pleased with you, because the Holy Spirit is working in you.

The Holy Spirit is in your heart. That is your mind, will, and emotions. He is doing more in you than you can understand. He is always doing more than you ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). The Lord will use your life to bring glory to His name. The Holy Spirit gives you the ability to do God's will.

Thank God today that the Holy Spirit is in you. Rest in the assurance that He will never leave you nor forsake you. Rely on God's ability to do more through you. Give God all the glory for what He does in you and through you. Remember, wherever you go and whatever you do, the Holy Spirit is in you.

The Prince of Princes

 The Prince of princes (Daniel 8:25) is our Lord Jesus Christ in prophecy.  The expression refers to the one who is ruler over rulers, the highest one above all rulers. Jesus said after his glorious resurrection, "All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). He is the "God of gods" (Daniel 11:36). Jesus is the "King of kings" (Revelation 19:16). These titles make it clear. Jesus is Lord over all.

Daniel (8:17, 23) speaks of the "time of the end." Jeremiah the prophet called it the "time of Jacob's trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7). It is a time when God's wrath will be poured out on planet earth (Revelation 16:1). It is the final period of history we know as the great tribulation (Matthew 24:15-22). 

The background for Daniel 8:23-26 is the end times, when Antichrist will oppose God and God's people. The "king of fierce countenance" is the Antichrist. He will be an evil character like unto Antiochus Epiphanes in several ways. Compare Daniel 8:23-26 with Daniel 8:9-14. Both blaspheme God and persecute the Jewish people. Both claim to be gods who deceive the people.

All of the above sets the stage for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Prince of princes, Lord over all, will defeat all his enemies with the sword of his word (Revelation 19:21). That's when Jesus our Lord defeats Antichrist. The beast and his false prophet are "cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Revelation 19:20).

How to Trust God

Trust God's word. The Bible gives you the written promises of God. You can trust the promises of God, because He is the Promise-Keeper. His word of promise is your sure foundation. You can trust God through every situation of life. Trust God with absolute confidence in His word of promise. 

All relationships are built upon trust. Your relationship with God is trusting Him. God is trustworthy. As a child will trust his father, so God invites you to trust Him as your Father in heaven. If an earthly father can be trustworthy, your Father in heaven is infinitely much more. In God you trust as your Father in heaven.

Trust God when you don't understand. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding"(Proverbs 3:5). We cannot understand all the ways of God. Trusting God is confidently believing in His ability to help us and direct us.

Trust God in all circumstances. "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust" (Psalm 91:2). No one can force you to trust God. On the other hand, no one can stop you from trusting God. If your heart is changed by the grace of God, you will trust in the Lord.

For Whom Christ Died

Greek scholar A.T. Robertson commented on Hebrews 2:9, "that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone." He wrote: "This phrase is purpose, not result. The author interprets and applies the language of the Psalm to Jesus and puts Christ's death 'instead of every man,' as the motive of the Cross. His death was in behalf of everyone, and was sufficient for all, efficient for some" (A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament) 560. 

The gospel offers an atonement that is sufficient in value for all sinners. The invitation of the gospel is offered to all, because the atonement of Christ is sufficient for all. In a word, the atonement is unlimited in the value and worth of sufficiency. That's what A.T. Robertson meant when he wrote that it is "sufficient for all."

The atonement is sufficient in its scope, but it is also efficient in its application. It is applied only to those who repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38-39; Acts 16:30-31). For this reason, A.T. Robertson could write that the atonement of Christ is both "sufficient for all, efficient for some."

The atonement of Christ is sufficient in value for all. The gospel is offered freely to all. However, the saving power of the atonement is applied only to those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). Therefore, Dr. Robertson concludes that it is "efficient for some."

Receive God's Grace

Receive God's grace as unmerited favor. There is no way we can merit nor earn the favor of God. It comes to us only as the gift of God. Faith in Jesus Christ saves us by the grace of God. Don't fall for the idea that you can somehow be good enough to merit God's favor. Grace is not for good people. Grace is for sinners, and that includes all of us (Romans 3:23).

Receive God's grace as salvation from the law of sin and death. It is by grace through faith we are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9). God works in and through us to do his will by grace. The Spirit of grace works in our hearts, which is the mind, will, and emotions. God's grace gives us the ability and desire to do God's will (Philippians 2:13).

We do not receive God's grace in vain. "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (First Corinthians 15:10). As a believer, you can say," by the grace of God, I am what I am."

Receive God's grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace reveals God to us and in us. It's not what we do for God (Romans 11:6). Grace is what God has done for us in Christ. All that we are, or ever hope to be, is by the grace of God.

Your New Birth

Your new birth is through the Word and the Spirit. The word of the gospel is about the Word who became flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord (John 1:14). New birth is through faith in Christ who died for our sins, our Lord Jesus risen from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The Holy Spirit, who inspired the written word of God, brings your new birth through the gospel of Christ.

Your new birth means you are transformed, cleansed, and renewed (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 2:4; 1 John 1:7). Your mind, will and emotions are transformed and renewed. You are cleansed of all sin. It is by the Holy Spirit who regenerates you, that you become a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Before new birth, you were spiritually dead, but now made alive in Christ Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. You witness an actual miracle of God in your life. It is the power of God unto salvation, through the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16; 10:9).

The same Spirit of God who moved in creation, now moves in your new birth. When you are truly born again, that is regeneration. If anyone is in Christ, he has become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Holy Spirit regenerates your heart, which is the mind, will and emotions (Romans 12:2). The gospel comes to you not in word only, but in power and much assurance through the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians. 1:5).

How God Saves You

Grace saves you through unmerited favor. There is no way you can merit nor earn the favor of God. It comes to you only as the gift of God. Faith in Jesus Christ saves you by the grace of God. Don't fall for the idea that you can somehow be good enough to merit God's favor. Grace is not for good people. Grace is for sinners, and that includes all of us (Romans 3:23).

God saves you from the curse of sin and death. It is by grace through faith you are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9). God works in and through you to do his will by grace. The Spirit of grace works in your heart, which is your mind, will, and emotions. God's grace gives you the ability and desire to do God's will (Philippians 2:13).

God saves you by grace alone. "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (First Corinthians 15:10). Every believer can say," by the grace of God, I am what I am."

God saves you through love divine. Grace gives God's love to you, while you were yet a sinner. His love is received through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5, 8). It's not what you do for God (Romans 11:6). Love is God's grace for you at the cross of Jesus. All that you are, or ever hope to be, is by God's grace.