THE HOLY SPIRIT OUR GUIDE

STUDIES ON THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (III)

THE HOLY SPIRIT OUR GUIDE

SCRIPTURE:

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. Psalm 143:10

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. John 16:13

Did we not walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit? 2 Corinthians 12:18

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:16

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25

It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Acts 15:28-29 (From the Council in Jerusalem to the Gentile believers)

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. Acts 16:6

OBSERVATION:

Another important role of the Holy Spirit is as our Guide. The Greek meaning of guide here means to lead the way, like to lead a blind man. On our own, we are spiritually blind, and we need the Holy Spirit to help us and guide us as we walk this earth and live this life. We can choose to walk on our own, but will end up stumbling and making lots of wrong choices, but if we choose to let the Holy Spirit guide us, He will lead us on level ground.

In the book of Acts, we see that this is how the early Christians lived. The Church Council consulted the Holy Spirit before passing their decision regarding requirements for the Gentile believers, and later Paul and his companions found themselves being kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching in the province of Asia. It is the Holy Spirit who knows best, whether in day to day decisions or important church policy matters.

APPLICATION

Remember how the Lord said not to worry about tomorrow, but to take each day as it comes, seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Practically, we seek this in the best way by seeking to be led by the Holy Spirit. There are many times that we fail, many times that we fall back and make carnal decisions. However, whenever we can, let us come back to that spirit of wanting to be led by the Holy Spirit, of being conscious of how He may lead us. Our attitude should be one of uttermost humility, like a blind man dependent on his guide and we should learn to trust the Holy Spirit more and more, all the while becoming more and more ingrained in His Word.

How do we know we are being led by the Spirit? There are many who have thought they were led by the Spirit but went down wrong paths. Here is where, being grounded in the Word of God is so important, and understanding the tone of Scripture. The Scripture was inspired by the Holy Spirit Himself, and His leading cannot deviate from the Scriptures. Rather, it will bring out portions of Scripture all the more clearly to us in our time of need. Word and Spirit must always go hand in hand.

PRAYER

Precious Holy Spirit, we thank You so much that You are our perfect guide, and we can depend on You and trust You to lead us in everything. Help us, Lord, learn to develop a lifestyle of seeking You and listening to Your guidance. Sustain us, O Lord, and bring us back to trusting in You, even when we fall, and become ashamed. Let us always learn to look forward, forgetting our past, and straining towards what is ahead, always hoping and aiming to be led by You more and more! Be so real in our lives we pray, precious Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen. 

THE HOLY SPIRIT OUR TEACHER

STUDIES ON THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (II)

THE HOLY SPIRIT OUR TEACHER

SCRIPTURE:

He (David) gave him (Solomon) the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things. 1 Chronicles 28:12

 “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26

 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” John 16:14-15

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord Isaiah 11:2

OBSERVATION:

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was already active as teacher, giving clear instruction to Moses concerning the tabernacle and later to David concerning the temple to be built to God.

In the New Testament, Jesus also described the role of the Holy Spirit as teacher. While He walked the earth, Jesus was the Great Teacher, but after He went back to Heaven, He sent His Holy Spirit to be our Great Teacher. Specifically, the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and remind us of everything Jesus has said.

Focusing on the characteristic of the Holy Spirit described in Isaiah, we see that He is the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel, of knowledge. God the Holy Spirit is Omniscient. He knows everything that there is to know. In everything branch of science and learning, the Holy Spirit knows everything perfectly. Whatever problem we have, whatever difficulties we face, the Holy Spirit knows the perfect solution, and He dispenses His knowledge carefully as He sees fit. To let us know too much at this time may not be good for us. He also knows what knowledge He needs to reveal to us for that particular moment of need. Our part is to trust Him, and believe that He is able and willing to teach us what we need to know for a given situation. After all, as the Scripture writes, anyone who lacks wisdom should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault.

The Holy Spirit also plays an important role in reminding us of everything Jesus has said. The Holy Spirit does not take away from or supersedes the Lord’s teaching. Instead He brings us back to it, always highlighting to our minds the specific portion of teaching that is relevant for a particular situation. Again, there is that reminder for us to be well versed with the Word, especially the gospels, for it is from the Word that the Holy Spirit teaches us. The more the Word dwells in our minds, the more effectively the Holy Spirit comes alive in teaching us as we live life.

Besides that, the Holy Spirit also teaches us from Lord Jesus in Heaven. What Jesus tells the Spirit, He will tell us. The Holy Spirit does not tell us anything that He does not hear from the Son. Again, whatever the Holy Spirit tells us must be consistent with the Word. Otherwise, we must beware lest we are hearing from another spirit….

APPLICATION:

Remember that our Holy Spirit can be our teacher in all things. There is nothing that He does not know. Whatever specialization we are in, the Holy Spirit knows even more than us. Just like Jesus who knew far better than the fishermen the best place and time to fish, the Holy Spirit knows far better than us whatever job we are doing or need to do.

Remember that the Holy Spirit teaches us from the Word that He inspired. Particularly, we need to read the Gospels and be thoroughly familiar with them as the more effectively we do this, the more real the Holy Spirit will bring to our remembrance the relevant Scripture we need to know in time of need. For example, when beset by hunger, the Holy Spirit may bring to our remembrance “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of the Lord!”

Remember too, that our Holy Spirit teaches us from our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Whatever we learn, whatever help we receive, comes from our Lord Jesus by the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus is still our Great Teacher. In Him we can learn all things.

PRAYER:-

Thank You, Heavenly Abba Father, precious Lord Jesus, precious Holy Spirit. You are our Great Teacher, bringing Your perfect wisdom and knowledge to us in time of need. Help us learn to be good and attentive students, to listen for Your teaching, and to ask of Your wisdom in different situations, believing that as we ask You will answer and show us the way. We thank You and worship You and praise You, precious Lord.                                              

THE HOLY SPIRIT OUR ADVOCATE

STUDIES ON THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (I)

THE HOLY SPIRIT OUR ADVOCATE

SCRIPTURE:

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. John 14:15

But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. John 16:7

OBSERVATION:

Time and again during His ministry, the Lord reminded His disciples of the Holy Spirit whom He would send to them. The Greek Word that He used to describe the Holy Spirit was “Parakletos”, which literally means “one called to one’s side”. It was commonly used in a court of justice to denote a counsel or advocate for the defense. In its widest sense, it means Helper or Comforter. All this gives us the picture of the role of the Holy Spirit as our Comforter, our Helper, our Advocate, our Defender.

Note how the Lord said ““another” Advocate. The Greek Word to denote “another”, means “someone else similar”. When Jesus was on the earth, He spoke up for His disciples, protecting them and helping them whenever they were in need. Once He left, He promised He would send another like Him to be our Advocate. In fact, He said it was good that He went away so that this Advocate would come to us. Limited by his human body on earth, the Lord was able to only impact a certain number of people. However, the Holy Spirit who is unlimited in nature, is able to impact and help infinite numbers of believers all over the world all at the same time.

APPLICATION:

Meditate on the Holy Spirit as our Parakletos, our Advocate, our Defender, our Helper, our Comforter. Thank God for the precious gift of His Holy Spirit. An Advocate speaks on the client’s behalf, to stand up for him, and speak for his rights in a way the client is unable to on his own. If God is for us, who can be against us? We need to learn to trust the Holy Spirit, our precious Advocate. It is He who will help us and stand up for us when we are in need.

The word Advocate also reminds us that we are in a courtroom, before God. And thank God that we have not just one, but two powerful Advocates, for Jesus is also our Advocate. While the Holy Spirit is our Advocate with us on earth, Jesus is our Advocate before the Father in Heaven. And it is based on His Finished Work on the Cross that Jesus pleads our righteousness.

The next time guilt condemns us, and weighs heavily on our spirit, do not despair, but pray to Jesus and the Holy Spirit, thanking them, that they are our Advocates, defending us, helping us, speaking for us!

PRAYER:

Precious Lord Jesus, precious Holy Spirit, I thank You that You are my Advocates, my Helpers in time of need, my Comforters, my Deliverers. Thank You, Lord Jesus, that I have righteousness in You, not of my own, but completely from Your finished work on the Cross! Thank You, Holy Spirit, that You too are my Advocate, helping me and speaking for me, even after the many times I fail. Help me, precious, Lord. Let me not remain in guilt and hopelessness, but teach me to look forward and trust in You, that in all things You will defend me. Bless You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

   

The worship the Father wants

The worship the Father wants

SCRIPTURE:

But the time is coming and is already here, when by the power of God's Spirit people will worship the Father as he really is, offering him the true worship that he wants. God is Spirit, and only by the power of his Spirit can people worship him as he really is.” John 4:23-24

OBSERVATION:

How do we worship God? What is the kind of worship that the Lord wants? What does it mean to worship God in spirit and in truth? In her meeting with Jesus, the Samaritan woman pointed out one of the key reasons for the Jew-Samaritan divide. While Jews insisted everyone had to worship at the temple in Jerusalem, the Samaritans believed they were justified in worshipping God in their holy mountain. Jesus however, explained to her that the time was coming and had in fact already come when the true worshippers would worship God neither on the mountain nor Jerusalem, but wherever they were.

The important thing was not where God was worshipped, but how He was worshipped. And it was most important to worship Him in the way that He wanted. Jesus described this worship as worshipping God in Spirit and in truth. Because God is spirit, we need to worship Him in spirit. But what does this actually mean?

Now, we know that there is a spirit inside each of us, and it is our spirit that gives life to our bodies. Our bodies are gifts from God, and by which we are able to move and act and speak and do things. And we are to worship God with our bodies, presenting it as living sacrifices to Him. However, more than that, God requires something deeper than just worship from bodily actions. We can perform the outward actions of worship with our bodies and our mouths, but have no genuine desire in our hearts or our minds may be actually far off somewhere else.

God wants us to worship Him from our spirit deep inside us. The mind is also involved here, as we need to focus on God to connect with our spirit. Then, there is the will, the conscious decision to make our minds and heart focus on God to adore and worship Him as the great and mighty living God He truly is.

Still, on our own, no matter how hard we focus on our own, or what actions we do, or how much we will ourselves to worship, it is not enough. Worship from our carnal selves cannot please God. Rather, it is only in worshipping by the Holy Spirit that we can give God the worship He wants.

APPLICATION:

Therefore when we worship, ask God to pour out His Holy Spirit into us. Open wide our mouths, and receive the Holy Spirit He pours out into us. Then praise Him freely out of the Holy Spirit He pours into us. Our human spirits will rise with the Holy Spirit to give praise to God in the way that pleases Him most. Those of us who have received the gift of languages should praise God in that language as the Spirit flows out of us. Praise Him in tongues, and in our native language. Praise Him by yielding to the Holy Spirit to lead us. Nothing on our own can please Him, but when we allow the Holy Spirit to help us worship, God is pleased.

There is an element of faith here, as we must believe God pours out His Holy Spirit into us in Jesus name, and then we must open our mouths to let the Spirit praise and worship God through us. There is a cooperation and a yielding between us and the Holy Spirit, helping us to worship God, to worship Jesus!

PRAYER:

Precious Heavenly Father, we so long to worship You in the way that most pleases You. Pour out Your Holy Spirit into us more and more. Let Your Spirit overflow and move through us, and speak out marvelous praises to worship and glorify Your name! Fill us more and more O Lord, that we might praise You more and more! You deserve all glory, all power, all praise! Teach us O Lord to worship You. Grant us fresh ways to worship You by Your Spirit day by day. In Jesus name, Amen!

ETERNAL JUDGMENT

FOUNDATION SERIES ON THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST (VII)

ETERNAL JUDGMENT

SCRIPTURE:

Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt Daniel 2:2

"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.' Matthew 7:22-23

 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear. Matthew 18:40-43

Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ Luke 13:25-27

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. Romans 2:5-8

OBSERVATION:

The final foundation of the doctrine of Christ mentioned in Hebrews is Eternal Judgment. How crucially importance it is for us to live life today in light of this fearsome knowledge. God has appointed a day when everyone will be brought before Him for judgment.

If this life was all there is, and we fade into nothingness after we die, we would be perfectly happy to eat, drink and be merry. However, the Bible clearly gives us a stern warning that death is not the end, and that there will be a day of judgment. At the end of the day, it does not matter what we think, or how angry we are at the way God has planned things or how He has brought various circumstances in our lives. All that matters is that we are to be judged based on what is given us, and we must give account of our lives before the living God!

Again and again, the Bible tells us of a great separation, between those who will enter God’s kingdom, and those who are thrown into the blazing furnace of eternal suffering. All of us are evil, all of us are destined for eternal death and suffering, but thanks be to God, He has given us the hope of salvation through His Son.

Our part is to respond to His great invitation of mercy, and accept His precious gift of salvation. Again, He warns us not to be deceived. This Salvation does not give us a license to go on sinning and still inherit eternal life. The Lord warns us that some will profess to have known him, to have fellowshipped with him, and even to have done miracles in His name. Yet, He would not accept them, because they still lived lives of continual sin.

To know God is to turn away from sin. There must be a constant regeneration, a turning away from sin that depicts the life in a true follower of Jesus Christ. When we turn to God, He forgives our sins, but we are to leave our lives of sin. This is an ongoing process because we still struggle with sin, but if we keep on persevering and looking to God, He gives us the grace and strength to overcome and move from glory to glory. Again, we must remember, we are saved to move away from sin. If we persistently go back to sinful ways, there is no more sacrifice of sins left. We must not give up, but keep struggling to fight against sin, to truly press on and experience, freedom not to sin.

APPLICATION

We are called to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. To follow Christ as the way of salvation is not a matter of profession but active living out the faith we have in following Him. If we believe He is real, then we must live in a way that pleases Him, otherwise, our actions prove our professions false. Sin attracts, and promises great enjoyment, but the pleasures are only temporary, very temporary, and the consequences can be eternal. Let us fix our eyes not on what is seen, which is temporary but what is unseen, which is eternal!

PRAYER

Heavenly Father God, precious Lord Jesus, we thank You and praise You for Your grace and Your warnings in Scripture which leads us to fear You and steer ourselves away from sinful living that can forfeit us our salvation. Help us put our whole trust in You, Lord, and lean on You for Your grace and power to move away from sinful living to a holy living which pleases You. Forgive us for our careless and flippant attitude to sin. Strengthen us, and give us wisdom, that we may not take sin lightly, but turn our lives more and more towards You, in light of Your eternal judgment. Help us, precious Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD

FOUNDATION SERIES ON THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST (VII)

RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD

SCRIPTURE:

“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. John 5:28-29

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.1 Corinthians 15:51-57

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. Revelation 20:5-6

OBSERVATION:

The sixth of the key foundations written in Hebrews is the Resurrection from the dead. There are actually two great resurrections in Scripture. The first resurrection comes at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus, when He returns on the clouds with great power and glory. There will be the trumpet call of God and the voice of the archangel, and the dead in Christ will rise first. The second resurrection happens at the end of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ with His saints, when everyone will be brought back to life again to be judged before God, and anyone whose name is not found in the Book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire to everlasting torment.

What will happen at this first resurrection? Paul describes an incredible change where those in Christ will receive new bodies which are imperishable and spiritual. This first resurrection will include those in Christ who died earlier as well as those in Christ who are still living when Jesus returns. Our current bodies are weak and perishing, decaying constantly as we grow older, but the new bodies that we will receive in Christ are invincible, immune to disease and sickness or any kind of deterioration. We get an idea what this new body will be like by looking at our Lord’s actions after He rose from the dead. He could suddenly appear out of thin air in the presence of the disciples, seemingly able to pass through walls and over great distances in a short time. Yet He could also eat, and His disciples were able to touch Him. He also bore on His body the marks of His suffering at the hands of the Romans soldiers and from the cross. He was also able to fly, ascending up to Heaven in front of the disciples. Blessed and holy that have part of the first resurrection. What are these resurrected for? They will form the world government with the Lord as the Head, and will have various levels of authority given them based on how well they served the Lord faithfully during their lives on earth.

How about the second resurrection? There is great fear here in knowing that one may not find his name written in the book of life and be thrown into the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Who are those who find their names written in the book of life? Firstly, it is called the Lamb’s book of life, meaning that it is those who follow the Lamb who will find their names there. Secondly, in the book of Revelation, it describes those whose names will not be found in it - those who are unclean, deceitful liars, cowardly, unbelieving, sexually immoral, idolators and practicians  in magic arts. Thirdly, speaking to the church of Sardis, Jesus said that to those who overcome, He will never blot out of the book of life. This also means that some whose names are already in currently can have it erased from it. We need therefore to make sure we press on and overcome in being faithful to Him till the end.

APPLICATION:

The First Resurrection is our great Christian hope for the future, and because of it we look forward to the Second Coming of Christ, when He will come to redeem all things, starting with us who are in Him. It is also a great deterrent for us to beware lest we miss this great resurrection. The Apostle Paul Himself made sure He was faithful to God, lest he himself be disqualified after preaching to others. How then can we ourselves not carefully work out our salvation with fear and trembling?

Let us never forget nor take for granted this great hope of the Resurrection that we have, looking forward every day to the glorious coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever grateful for His calling, always pressing to be faithful in our service. Even so come, Lord Jesus!

 PRAYER:

Precious Lord Jesus, we look forward to Your glorious coming! We so thank You for calling us to this glorious hope! Keep us safe O Lord, and committed in our hearts to follow You until You come, no matter what the cost. We praise You and love You and thank You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen!

LAYING OF HANDS

FOUNDATION SERIES ON THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST (VI)

LAYING OF HANDS

SCRIPTURE:

'He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf. Leviticus 1:4

And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them. Mark 10:16

… they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." Mark 16:18

Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:17

For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 2 Timothy 1:6

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. Acts 13:2-3

So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; Numbers 27:18

Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. 1 Timothy 5:22

OBSERVATION:

We first see the laying of hands in the Old Testament when the priest would lay his hands on the animal used as the burnt offering, and the guilt and sin of the worshipper would be transferred to the animal. This already gives us a picture of how hands are used as a conduit of transference of something from one place to another.

When Jesus walked the earth, a beautiful scene often in our memories is that of Jesus letting the little children come to him. He would take them in His arms and bless them, laying His hands upon them. Blessings would flow from the Lord to them through His hands.

The Lord also laid hands on people to administer healing. In the same way, healing power would flow through His hands, to heal people. Later, He also asked His disciples to do the same, to lay their hands on the sick that they would recover.

Laying of hands was also important in administering the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as recorded in the book of Acts. Spiritual gifts and anointing were also transferred through the laying of hands, like in Timothy’s case.

Also, the early church practiced laying of hands to commission new elders. Paul warned Timothy not to be hasty in particular to this commissioning, as to appoint an ill-suited elder could bring considerable damage to the church.

APPLICATION

Laying of hands should be a vital part of our Christian lives. Parents should often lay hands on their children and bless them in Jesus name. Whenever anyone in our family or friendship circle is sick, we should lay hands on them and speak healing in Jesus name. We can even lay hands on ourselves to pray for blessing or healing in particular areas.

In church life, we can ask our trusted leaders to lay their hands on us to bless us and administer the Holy Spirit and His gifts upon us. Leaders should lay hands on mission teams going out to minister, and also lay their hands on new members or leaders of ministry.

PRAYER

We bless You and thank You, Heavenly Father, for teaching us to lay hands. Help us remember, Lord, to reach out and bless others and bring Your healing to others, and even to ourselves. Increase our faith that we might believe, and expect Your work to be done  faithfully in our lives. May Your will be done in our lives, and help us grow more and more to know You deeply. In Jesus name, Amen.