The Spirit of The LORD is Life and Power

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light." 

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being." 

(Genesis 1:1-3; Genesis 2:7; See Chapters 1 and 2 in their entirety for the creation story, and Ezekiel 37:1-14 about the valley of dry bones.)

"You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth." (Psalm 104:30)

"There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD." (Isaiah 11:1-2)

"This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts. 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" ' "

"The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands shall also finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you." (Zechariah 4:6 & 9)

"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63)

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8; see also Acts Chapter 2, Isaiah 61:1-3; and Romans Chapter 8)

"When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." (John 16:13-14; see also John 14:15-21)

"That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:16-21)

- A Walk In The Garden Devotions

Today's Devotion: Jesus, Only Savior

Thanks be to God for sending His only begotten Son into the world to save sinners. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is He, and He has gone to prepare a place for His children, so that where He is, there we may be also. Thomas said to Jesus, "Lord we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" (John 14:5) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

When Philip asked to see the Father, Jesus said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." (John 14:9) Jesus also declared in John 10:9, "I am the door. If any man enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."

Praise Jesus, the image of the invisible God, our Great Shepherd of the sheep; full of grace and truth; the Word made flesh.

From a song of Moses:

"Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, as raindrops on the tender herb, and as showers on the grass. For I proclaim the name of the Lord: Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He." (Deuteronomy 32:1-4)

There is salvation in no other name or means of entering the kingdom of God. "And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him, and His righteousness, it sustained Him." (Isaiah 59:16)

Adopted by God, He has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying "Abba, Father!" (Galatians 4:6) The Holy Spirit of truth teaches us and gives us spiritual understanding—We are the holy temple of God and if we abide in Him and His words abide in us, we grow in grace and are fruitful in the knowledge of Him, having become partakers of the divine nature and recipients of exceeding great and precious promises, in this life and the age to come.

"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him and We will come to him and make our abode with him." (John 14:23) "God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." (1 John 5:11 & 12)

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent." (John 17:3)

- A Walk In The Garden Devotions

A Prayer for Today

Prayers to God, the Maker of our souls.

By My Spirit, Says the LORD of Hosts

With the anointing of God's Spirit and His grace in the lives of His saints, there is no mountain that can stand in the way of God's purposes.

Bible Reading: Zechariah 4:6-10

"This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts. 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of ''Grace, grace to it!" ' "

Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands shall also finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth."

Bless the Lord God of our souls! In every generation, He calls and anoints men and women to participate in His divine purposes in the earth and to give birth to what is conceived in the Spirit. He rejoices in seeing those purposes fulfilled. As workmen in His kingdom, as runners in the Christian race, under His watchful eyes, He supplies all the grace we need to fight the good fight of faith and to finish the course with joy! Thank You, Lord God!

Blessed Are They That Mourn

Are there tears in your eyes? Sorrow in your heart? Jesus cares for you and me. There is a Balm in your Gilead. "Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)

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More Encouragement For Our Daily Christian Walk

View Bible Verses About Joy

Overflow with Hope

Rejoice in Hope!

Blessed are they that mourn...

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you.

Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)

The Lord is near to all who are brokenhearted. May He comfort you in all your sorrows and lift the heavy burdens. May His peace that passeth all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. May you drink deep from His living water. Comfort one another with words of encouragement. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life.

Walking in the Light of God's Word

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. {Romans 10:17}

As we walk in the light of God's word, our faith becomes stronger and stronger. It's not sufficient to know the word, but to live the word. The word is our daily bread; the bread is life.

The Holy Spirit uses the word to transform our way of thinking, to give us insight into the attributes of God. We also learn what is pleasing to Him and what is not. 

"... He who received seed upon the good ground is he who hears the word of God and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces; some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." - Matthew 13:23 

The word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our pathway. The word hidden in our hearts keeps us from sinning, from grieving the Holy Spirit by whom we are sealed.

Therefore, let us draw near to God, and let His word take root in our hearts, and bring forth much fruit.

Today's Scripture Meditation:
Mark 4:1-20 

- A Walk In The Garden Devotions

The Old Christmas Story That Never Grows Old in Our Hearts

"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel." {Isaiah 7:14}


{Luke 1:26-33}

And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, "Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And behold, thou shall conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

{Matthew 1:18-20}

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost."

{Luke 2:7-14}

And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"


Reflection

Unlike the stories we read about in everyday life and are soon forgotten, or the news we discard as old news, the story of the entrance of our Lord Jesus Christ into the world, in human flesh, never grows old in our hearts.

The Christmas season is unlike any other celebrated on earth. Even those who have not experienced new birth, find themselves caught up in the joyful atmosphere and are giving glory to God.

God Himself in human flesh—born of a virgin—to save the souls of men. This prophecy and miracle cannot be fathomed by the human mind, but the born-again experience is real for all who have had an encounter with the true and living God and His Spirit that raises us from death to life, from darkness to light. Praise the Lord, our Emmanuel!

In His time, God brought to pass His perfect plan for the redemption of souls and restoration of broken lives. Before the foundation of the earth, He set in motion His divine purpose for you, me and the world. Receive the hope and blessed peace that He alone can give. Be filled with His unspeakable joy... be filled with His Spirit!

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

- A Walk In The Garden Devotions


Peace and goodwill to all, this Christmas season and always... In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today's Devotional: An Enduring Love

Pondering the greatest and ultimate sacrifice, Christ made on behalf of the human race, one's finite mind cannot fathom the enormity of it all. It takes the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into all truth, teaching us what we in ourselves are incapable of grasping. As we grow in the knowledge of him who gave us himself, we can then appreciate more and more the reality and relevance of his enduring love.

The dictionary defines love as “An intense affectionate concern for or passionate attraction to another person.” The Word of God says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) 

So fervent and intense was his love for lost souls, Christ did not regard the pain He would endure: The accusations, mocking, scourging, insults, taunts, betrayal, and denials. If he had considered these things, he would have done like his friends— He would have found the nearest exit and flee into obscurity, but His purpose was ordained, and He was intent on its fulfillment. Fulfilling the will of his Father was His mandate, and He was not to be stopped by detractors.

Such enduring love was demonstrated to the fullest extent. There are few who willingly give up their own lives without a fight. In His agony, you could hear Him in your heart whisper, “I love you.” You could feel it as He opened his mouth and said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

You saw it in His full surrender, as He gave them His hands and His feet. He did not clench His fist, but opened His palms to the thrust of the nails. He could have exercised His authority and divine powers in their midst. He could have disappeared to their utter amazement, but He didn’t...he endured!

He knew it was our sins that alienated us from true fellowship with our Maker; He knew we were prisoners of  His greatest adversary Lucifer and the fallen angels. Once the works of the devil were destroyed, and the sting was taken out of death, we could experience the healing of our own wounds.

“He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

Let us therefore thank God for His enduring love; He has shed his love abroad in our hearts. May we reciprocate and love the Lord our God, with all our heart, and mind and soul, and our neighbor as ourselves. Let us abide in His enduring love!


A Walk In The Garden Devotionals