(John 14:16-18) “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” Before Jesus left this world, he promised his disciples that he would come back for them, but also that he would indwell within them forever during his absence. He promised us 5 things concerning the Holy Spirit: 1) He would Remain in you “that he would abide with you forever” and never be taken away. (Eph. 1:14) Tells us that we are “sealed” by Him until the day of our “redemption.” 2) He will Remind us of God’s truth. “he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance.” The Holy Ghost is our guide into God’s Word and a reminder of it if we take time to study it. 3) He will Reveal Christ in us. Not just in word but also in practice. The Spirit is constantly teaching us how to be more Christ like. 4) He will Reprove us of Sin. “Reprove” means to convince or convict. Our job as believers is to obey and preach God’s Word to people, but it’s the Sprit’s job to convince them of His truth. God, in His infinite wisdom, placed His Spirit within us not only to know truth but to help us convince others of their sin. 5) He Relates to us God’s will. He does so in 3 ways; 1st) Prayer, 2nd) God’s Word, and 3rd) through godly council. A Spirit filled man will answer you in the Spirit, but a carnal man can only answer you in the flesh.
( Gen 41:41-43) “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt... A nd he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.” When Joseph was introduced to us in chp.37, he was a young inexperienced 17 year old boy, and yet 13 years later God raised him up to rule the nation of Egypt. So, what made him different ? The Answer : “ Time,” and his faith in God ! You see time is a wonderful teacher; 1) Time strengthens endurance . Endurance and faith can only be strengthened over time. Like exercise, we start out not able to do much but over time we find that we can do more. You see, God allows us to go through the ups and downs of life, to help us gain not only spiritual maturity, but also spiritual abilities. Spiritual endurance therefore enables us to handle life’s trials better. 2) Time strengthens patience . Although Joseph, ...
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