Many are familiar with the great story of Elijah calling heaven’s fire down on Mount Carmel as he battled the wicked prophets of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. It’s a great story for sure. But there’s a story before that story that speaks to the way Elijah was known for living his life, a life of being led by the Holy Spirit. Can that be said of you and me?

David was first anointed as king with oil and the Holy Spirit when he was a teenager. He was anointed to lead a nation to serve the one true God. David was again anointed as king with the Holy Spirit when he was an old man about to die. He was anointed to use his tongue to point to the one true King. Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to anoint your life so that others are seeing King Jesus?

Oh, the sad saga of Saul. In the beginning, the Holy Spirit used him in mighty ways for the sake of Israel. But in the end, some of the saddest words in Scripture were spoken of Saul as an indictment of the lack of relationship he had with God. May we cultivate such a relationship with the Person living within us that those words would never be said of us.

The book of Judges continues to baffle and bewilder as Samson plays patty-cake with Philistine women and the Spirit of God. Because of God’s great mercy and grace, He continues to grant Samson strength when needed. But that does not eliminate Samson from the fateful consequences of his flesh. Let’s be determined to grow in the strength of the Holy Spirit, thus defeating our flesh more and more.

When Jesus told His disciples to be careful when making vows, He may have had this story from Judges in mind. While Jephthah was filled with the Spirit of God as a mighty warrior to defeat the Ammonites, he was also guilty of making a very foolish vow that appears to have cost his daughter her life. Yes, we should be Spirit-filled, but we must guard ourselves against emotionalism and immaturity.

In Judges 6:34, Gideon’s might did not come from his own weak and frail frame but from the Spirit of the Lord who rested upon him. Gideon’s leadership ability to rouse 32,000 men to his side for battle did not come from the way he blew a trumpet but from the Spirit of the Lord who rested upon him. Sometimes, we may have to ask God to “pardon” our lack of faith, our many doubts, our very real fears, but that doesn’t stop the Spirit of God from filling us and using us!

We’ve all probably been there… facing difficult and scary situations that could very easily cause all of our courage to melt away. But as Joshua learned and now teaches us, to be filled with the Spirit of God is to be filled with a courage that doesn’t melt under the heat of the moment.

As crazy as it sounds, a donkey is yet more proof that the Spirit of God was very active in the Old Testament. As wicked as Balaam’s heart was, God still used him to accomplish the purposes of the Kingdom. Don’t be like Balaam; make sure your heart and your motivation stay pure. And don’t let a donkey be more filled with the Holy Spirit than you are!

There are a lot of “buts” in the Bible. In fact, it has been said that the whole character of the canon of Scriptures is based on contrast. There is always a negative and a positive, with a “but” in the middle. Caleb helps us understand how to walk on the right side of those contrasts by walking with the right Spirit!

Who needs reality TV when we have the Bible? Despite all their whining and complaining, God blesses His stumbling, bumbling, and mumbling children with an outpouring of His very Spirit. May we want so much of the Spirit that we could even “share” with others if we were able!

From the pages of Exodus, we see the Spirit of God already filling His people to use their “craft” to build up the Kingdom of God. May we invest our time and energy in not only knowing what our “craft” is for His Kingdom today, but may we be filled with His Spirit as we are employed as His “craftsmen” for His glory!

We don’t need to go far in Genesis to find the Holy Spirit using dreams to accomplish the purpose of the Kingdom of God. Allow the story of Joseph and Pharaoh to challenge and inspire you. And may it be said of you, as Pharaoh said of Joseph: “Can we find anyone like this, one in whom is the Spirit of God?” Sweet dreams are you continue to surrender to the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit!

While we know the Flood is a story of judgment against man’s evil and wicked heart, we also find incredible revelation and inspiration as we examine the two birds used to help Noah find land. May we always be a place where the Holy Spirit of God can land and find a home!

Due to the Fall in Genesis 3 and sin’s sinister effects, the Spirit of God has had to quarrel and fight with mankind ever since. Make the decision today to routinely ask the Holy Spirit to soften any and all resistance to Him so that He does not have to strive or contend with you. Habitually give the Spirit permission to move in your life!

From the start, the very breath of God is blasted into man to bring life into every part of his being. That’s great news for any of us who might be feeling as if we’re in a valley of dry bones. Let God’s Spirit do what He does so well – breathe life back into those bones of yours!

We don’t have to look very far to find the first mention of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. We see Him hovering over creation changing chaos into order, emptiness into fullness, and darkness into light. May we continue to see the creative work of the Holy Spirit in our lives every day.

Paul wraps up this section of his letter to the Romans in these two majestic verses. Pay attention to the power of God’s love. Trust in that power, and truly believe that you can never be separated from that love.

We take a short but important break from our podcasts in Romans to invite us to pray for Jerusalem and all of Israel. Pray for peace. Pray for hope. Pray for salvation in the name of Jesus, the Messiah.

Unfortunately, we usually don’t have to think too long and hard to come up with reasons that make us feel “less than” in our lives. Weight and appearance, jobs and money, friends and relationships… the list goes on and on. But for those of us in Christ, we have been promised the status of “more than”!

A late Sunday night conversation that turned into a week-long argument made the point loud and clear: Even as we profess our love and loyalty for Christ . . . HOW MUCH MORE is His great love for us! There truly is nothing that can separate us from it!