The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Triune Godhead. He is the Helper that Jesus promised his Apostles would come. In Acts 1:4-8, before he ascended to Heaven, Jesus told them “not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised” . . . “for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” . . . “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” The Holy Spirit is equal to the Father and the Son and acts according to his own agency and will. He is our Sanctifier. Jesus affirms this trinity in his high priestly prayer for all his disciples in the world. In John 17:17-21, Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

Let your praises be lifted to the highest heavens as you take a moment today to give Glory to God! It is important to take a break from all your worries and issues to thank and glorify your Creator who hears your cries and loves you. When you choose to put your trust in the One who gives breath to your body, you will always be able to stand against whatever issue comes your way. That is a guarantee, and cannot be disputed! There will be tribulation in your life; that is expected. But the Lord your God reigns supreme over all your tribulations. He deserves the glory as you receive the blessings because you put your trust in him!

For many cultures, the Christmas season represents a time of giving. Generations of families have celebrated the holiday with the traditions of family gatherings, decking the halls with boughs of holly, giving one another thoughtful presents, and of course, attending church services to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Traditions are a way for people to connect and feel that they are a part of a whole. We are created to be relational, and our traditions are a way for us to communicate that connectivity with one another. The traditions surrounding Christmas have been, and continue to be, one of the most important times for Christians to celebrate an event that happened over two millennia ago—the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Remember: there is no Christmas without Christ. His birth, death, and resurrection are the reason we believe that we will live with Him in eternity. His gift to us is SALVATION. It is a gift freely given and is a love offering that ensures our way to the Father in Heaven. Have you received salvation in Jesus? Let Us Pray that you receive the gift of salvation by simply following the Roman Road that leads to the Father.

Have you ever wondered if things are well between you and God? Do you feel a strong, overpowering connection between you and the Creator of the universe? Are you actively showing this connection through your interaction with others? For the Christian believer living in the world today, there will be no doubt of your witness while in the company of others because they will know you by your fruit (Matthew 7:16). They will see and hear the way you stand in stark contrast to the culture of the world today. Millennia ago, in a culture not so different from our own, the Apostle John was presented with a special revelation to be written down for future generations to read and understand. This revelation was given directly to him by the risen Lord. The prophetic language of this message spoke of events that would occur in John’s near future as well as the far distant future culminating in an apocalyptic return of Jesus Christ. The intended message of this revelation was to communicate the condition of His Church through the epochs of its history. The first epoch of the Church would begin following John’s death, the last remaining of the Twelve chosen by Jesus. These chosen twelve are the pillars spoken of (Revelation 21:14), and their names are thus inscribed on these eternal pillars. The seven churches named were actual churches in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) during John’s life, and a message was sent to their leaders concerning their condition. The message to the seven churches then and now is the same, just as God is the same: yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The question is, do you have ears to hear?

There will come a moment when many of us are confronted by our sinful behaviors. For some, it can take a very long time; for others, it happens gradually, and our hearts turn to the Lord in repentance. For everyone, the heartfelt moment of repentance is an individual and personal one. The next step is confession which springs from a heart that has recognized its need for a Savior. Our brokenness is not easily seen because we choose to bury our wickedness and make excuses for ourselves. Or perhaps we simply don’t care. Either way, it will always be an individual decision. There is only One who came into this world to die by crucifixion in order to pay the wages of our treason. He died so we can live. But the invitation to live eternally with Him comes with an action we must choose. No one can do this for us. Eventually, we approach the crossroad to where the road will fork. The arrows at the crossroad point one way to perdition, and the other points us to Repentance that Leads to Faith. Have you reached the crossroads? Which direction will you choose?

Sometimes being single is not all that it’s cracked up to be. There are many benefits to having someone in your corner. After all, God created us to be relational creatures. The evidence is found in Genesis 2:18 (BSB) when God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.” It was God who established the covenant of marriage between the man and the woman, and blessed it as “good” as he did all of creation. Everything was idyllic for the couple until sin entered their paradise, and the two fell from grace. Cast out from the perfection of their safe surroundings and the presence of God, the couple had to learn to live in a dark world. Over time, they began to look at each other differently. Sin had clouded their vision and understanding of one another. They started to question the suitability of their choice of partner. The nagging question behind their speculative gaze was, “Should I have waited?”

In a culture of rapid and multiple dating, how does your faith in Jesus Christ guide your ability to make choices when it comes to waiting for and possibly meeting the person you will one day marry?

Am I going to hell? At one time or another, we’ve asked this question, but do we really want to know the answer? The inconvenient truth is often ignored or smoothed over by pastors and preachers in our churches today. It’s not a popular topic and would possibly clear church seats. But consider this: if someone is holding on to some very important information, but they’re afraid to tell you about it because they believe it’s going to offend you, would you trust that person to stand in your place and take the hit intended for you because you didn’t know the whole truth? There is liberty in truth. When you know the truth, you can make life-altering decisions. Be it in this life or the next. Otherwise, if you are not given the choice, then you don’t have liberty.

Every one of us will inevitably experience times of spiritual warfare; therefore, we need to be equipped. Are you armed for battle? Do you know how to defend yourself if attacked? For anyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ and has declared him Lord over their lives, you should also know that by doing so you have declared yourself an enemy of Satan. The warfare we become embroiled in can come at us in varying degrees of difficulty so we must understand that the battle is the Lord’s, but we are not left defenseless; God has equipped us with spiritual armor to withstand these spiritual attacks. Let us pray to God and thank him for the weapons against the enemy as we seek God’s Help During Times of Spiritual Warfare.

Many of us go year after year living with bitterness brought about by pain from past hurts. We have never forgiven the ones who hurt us. It is also likely that they are completely unaware that we carry around the burden of their offenses against us. For some, there is a fear of forgiveness because it means that we’ll be vulnerable to potential hurt from someone else. Then there are those who’ve forgiven their offenders but struggle with forgiving themselves. Many of us do not fully understand God’s way to forgiveness. Are you in bondage because of unforgiveness? Perhaps you will answer the call today and ask for God’s Help When It’s Difficult to Forgive.

This module is intended to focus our prayerful devotion on Jesus – the Word that became flesh – the incarnate Christ. When you pray during this module you are giving your heart over to intentional focus on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Before He was arrested and put to death, Jesus prayed for the disciples and their strength to persevere, but he also prayed for those of us living in the world today. He specified to His heavenly Father exactly who He was praying for – His Church – all who are united in faith and unashamed of the name of Jesus in a world that continues to deny His Lordship. May you receive an abiding peace as you pray through this module about Jesus – The Word Became Flesh!

Depression can be very debilitating for many people. It can be momentary or last for years if left untreated. Some people coping with this mental illness require a combination of counseling and drug therapy in order to return to a more balanced level of coping with the varied challenges facing our world. Others may experience a low-grade depression brought on by external situations, and, with prayer and patience, they can resume their regular lives. Regardless of your circumstances, God is still sovereign over any illness and is with you now. It is your faith that will sustain you through your difficulties. Do you believe this? Can you surrender control? It is for your perseverance that we pray for God’s Help in Coping Through Depression.

The problem we all have with sin is its pervasiveness in everything we encounter. One especially difficult problem that many of us are living with is addiction. Some of us can easily lay claim to one or more categories of some type of addiction that absorbs our time, talent, and treasure – all areas for which we would be useful to others instead of serving the self. If you are presently in bondage from some form of addiction that has been keeping you consciously or unconsciously fixated, pray these scriptures with us, and just ask for God’s Help for Breaking Addictions.