Good morning. Today is Friday, June 19th!

🥳 Congratulations on starting today with God, and thank you for letting us be a part of it.

— John 16:7

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit did not live inside people. He visited them.

He came upon Samson and he tore a lion apart with his bare hands (“the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him…” Judges 14:6).

He came upon David and turned a shepherd boy into the greatest king Israel ever had (“the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward” 1 Samuel 16:13).

But He could leave. And sometimes He did.

After David sinned with Bathsheba, his most desperate prayer was not, “forgive me.” It was:

“Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”
(Psalm 51:11)

Because David had watched what happened when the Spirit left someone.

The Spirit of the Lord departed from King Saul (“the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul…” 1 Samuel 16:14), and an evil spirit tormented him instead.

This is the world the Old Testament saints lived in. Visited. Empowered temporarily. But never permanently filled.

And then Jesus told His disciples something that should have devastated them:

“It is better for you that I go away…”

Because if He did not go, the Helper could not come (John 16:7).

The permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit required the completed work of the cross.

Sin had to be dealt with completely before God could take up permanent residence inside human beings.

And then Pentecost happened (“they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” Acts 2:4).

The same Spirit that visited Samson temporarily now lives inside every believer permanently.

Not visiting… Not departing… But living.

The peace you feel when everything around you is falling apart, that is Him.

The ability to forgive what should be unforgivable, that is Him.

The Helper, Jesus said, was better than His own physical presence, and He is inside believers right now (“your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…” 1 Corinthians 6:19).

David begged God not to take His Spirit from him.

Now, because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross, believers live under a new covenant where the Holy Spirit permanently dwells within them.

When you’re not sure how to pray, A.C.T.S. gives you a simple path to follow: Adore, Confess, Thank, and Ask.

Adoration: Holy Spirit, thank You for dwelling within us.

Confession: Forgive us for the times we ignore Your leading.

Thanksgiving: Thank You for the gift of Your presence through the cross.

Supplication: Help us walk closely with You each day.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

“Scars in Heaven” by Casting Crowns

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See you tomorrow,

Zach | Start With God