Category: Holy Spirit

One Spirit

Ruth Kirk

Here is a video recording of today’s prayer: One Spirit

God is Spirit (John 4:24; NLT).

There is… one Spirit (Ephesians 4:4; NLT).

Spirit of God,
You help us in our weakness,
Teaching us what to ask
And how to pray.

Spirit of Christ,
You walk with us in sorrow,
Pleading on our behalf
Both night and day.

Spirit of Truth,
You guide us in our darkness,
Lighting our path with love
Along the way.

Holy Spirit,
You are in all creation,
So we are one with you,
Though we are clay.

Thine incorruptible spirit is in all things (Wisdom of Solomon 12:1; KJV). 

The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17; NLT). 

We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand (Isaiah 64:8; NLT).

References 

Verse 1:
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you (Romans 8:11; NLT). 

The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for (Romans 8:26; NLT).

The Spirit teaches you everything you need to know (1 John 2:27; NLT).

Verse 2:
They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward (1 Peter 1:11; NLT).

The Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me (Philippians 1:19; NLT). 

Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us (Romans 8:34; CSB). 

He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf (Hebrews 9:24; NLT). 

Verse 3:
When He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth (John 16:13; AMP). 

The Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6; NKJV). 

Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light (Micah 7:8; NLT).

Verse 4:
Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13; NLT).

I’m not asking

Ruth Kirk

The Spirit [comes to us and] helps us in our weakness. We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should, but the Spirit Himself [knows our need and at the right time] intercedes on our behalf with sighs and groanings too deep for words…

Spirit,
I’m not asking you
To teach me how to pray:
Instead, please pray on my behalf
For all those who are ill.

Spirit,
I’m not asking you
To tell me what to say:
Instead, please intercede for them
According to God’s will.

…And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes [before God] on behalf of God’s people in accordance with God’s will (Romans 8:26-7; AMP).

References 

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them (1 Timothy 2:1; NLT). 

He knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust (Psalm 103:14; NLT). 

May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10; NLT).

If you have faith when you pray for sick people, they will get well. The Lord will heal them, and if they have sinned, he will forgive them (James 5:15; CEV). 

Life

Ruth Kirk

Your hands have made me and fashioned me (Psalm 119:73; KJV).

You fashioned me, Lord,
From the dust of the ground,
Mixed with earth’s waters,
And warmed by the sun.

You quickened me, Lord, 
With your life-giving breath:
Your Spirit within is my soul –
We are one.

The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17; NLT).

References

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 soul (Genesis 2:7; NKJV).

This is what the sovereign LORD says to these bones: Look, I am about to infuse breath into you and you will live (Ezekiel 37:5; NET). 

The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life (Job 33:4; NKJV).

God is Spirit (John 4:24; NKJV). 

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you (Romans 8:11; NLT). 

The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV). 

Paradox

Ruth Kirk

Today I saw that we live in God, just as fish live in water. However, we may not always recognise His constant presence within us, around us, and in all things. The following Bible verses, from several different translations, encapsulate this particularly clearly for me:

– There is… one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).
– There is one … God and Father of all, who is over everything, through everything, and in everything (Ephesians 4:5-6; GWT).
– In him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28; NIV).
– Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them (1 John 4:16; NIV).
– I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! (Psalm 139:7; NLT).
– Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38; NLT).

Unfortunately, it is possible to go to church, read the Bible, and even pray, without ever realising the astonishing truth that we are living in God, and He in us. As Jesus said: “They may indeed look, and yet not perceive; they may indeed listen, and yet not understand” (Mark 4:12; CSB).

In the light of Jesus’ words, here is today’s blog, which is called, “Paradox”:

In the morning I earnestly seek for God (Isaiah 26:9; NLT). 

We seek you, Lord,
Whilst living in your hand,

And search for you,
Whilst gazing on your face.

We long to hear your voice, Lord,
Whilst you speak,

And fast, in darkness,
Till we see, and taste.

Taste and see that the LORD is good (Psalm 34:8; NET).

References 

Verse 1:
The life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being (Job 12:10; NLT).

Verse 2:
I gaze on you in the sanctuary (Psalm 63:2; CSB).
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek (Psalm 27:8; NIV).
O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you (Psalm 63:1; NLT).

Verse 3:
Let me hear your voice (Song of Songs 2:14; NLT).
God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it (Job 33:14; NLT).

Verse 4:
You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the LORD? No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people (Isaiah 58:5-6; NLT).

Who among you fears the LORD and obeys his servant? If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the LORD and rely on your God (Isaiah 50:10; NLT).

Then when you call, the LORD will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors! Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon” (Isaiah 58:9-10; NLT).

Trust and courage

Ruth Kirk

I trust in you, LORD; I say, “You are my God.”
(Psalm 31:14; NIV). 

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit:
Lord, I trust in you.
Three in One, and One in Three:
I know you’ll bring me through.

Give me courage, Lord, to face
My fear, my darkest vale:
With you beside me, Elohim,
I know I will not fail.

Give me courage, now, to face
My dread, my hour of need:
For though I’m weak, Lord, you are strong –
With you, I will succeed.

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever (Psalm 73:26; NLT).

In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.
(2 Samuel 22:30; NLT).

References 

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NLT). 

He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore I would rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:9; LB). 

Deliver us

Ruth Kirk

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13; KJV). 

Deliver us
From all temptation:
Keep us, Lord,
From doing wrong.

Then we will rejoice
In you,
For though we’re weak, Lord,
You are strong.

Deliver us
From doing evil;
Keep us from
Deliberate sin.

Then we will not grieve
Your Holy Ghost,
Who lives, and prays,
Within.

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30; NIV).

References 

He knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust (Psalm 103:14; NLT). 

The LORD is glorious and strong (1 Chronicles 16:28; NLT). 

Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin (Psalm 19:13; NLT).

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good (Romans 12:21; NLT). 

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you (Romans 8:11; NLT). 

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? (1 Corinthians 6:19; NLT). 

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words (Romans 8:26; RSV).

My Lord, my God

Ruth Kirk

I put my hope in you, LORD;
you will answer me, my Lord, my God.
(Psalm 38:15; CSB). 

When I say: “My Lord, my God”,
This means:
The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

I say these words with all who love
The Lord our God,
And with the heavenly host.

I say them with all living things,
With all creation, height, depth, time
And space:

My Lord, my God, I praise your Name:
One Love, one Light, one Truth,
One boundless grace.

The grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.
(Titus 2:11; NLT).

References 

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 (Luke 2:13-14; KJV). 

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).

God is love (1 John 4:16; NLT).

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12; NLT).

The Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6; NKJV).

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14; NLT). 

3.2.24: Facing my fears

Ruth Kirk
B&Q lift: Ruth Kirk.

The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.
(Romans 8:26; NLT).

Holy Ghost,
Please help me
In my weakness:
For you know every fear
I need to face.

Holy Ghost,
Please give me strength
And courage
To stand up to my fear like Christ:
With faith.

Holy Ghost,
Please help me,
In my anguish,
To endure my dread, Lord,
Just like him.

Holy Ghost,
I put my trust
In Jesus:
Now, I’ll overcome my fear,
And win!

Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”
(Matthew 26:42; NLT).

References

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever (Psalm 73:26; NLT). 

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit (Ephesians 3:16; NLT).

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 4:22; NLT).

Remain grounded and steadfast in the faith (Colossians 1:23; CSB).

He said to them, “My soul is crushed with anguish to the very point of death” (Matthew 26:38; WNT).

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:4; RSV).

19.1.24: Pray within me

Ruth Kirk
Pray within me: Ruth Kirk.

The Spirit [comes to us and] helps us in our weakness. We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should, but the Spirit Himself [knows our need and at the right time] intercedes on our behalf with sighs and groanings too deep for words. And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes [before God] on behalf of God’s people in accordance with God’s will  (Romans 8:26-7; AMP).

Pray within me, Holy Spirit:
Intercede on my behalf.
Pray for those who face life’s sorrows,
In accordance with God’s will.

Pray within me, Holy Spirit:
You alone know what to ask.
Pray for all who suffer fear and loss,
And everyone who’s ill.

Pray within me, Holy Spirit:
I am weak, but you are strong.
Pray for me, whatever comes,
And help me, please, to praise God still.

Hope in God! For I shall still praise him for the saving help of his presence (Psalm 42:5; HNV).

References

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).

I will beg the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see him nor know him; but ye know him, for he abides with you, and shall be in you (John 14:15-17; DBT).

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised (Job 1:21; NIV).

17.1.24: Lord of all

Ruth Kirk
Light and fire: Ruth Kirk.


There is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all (Acts 10:36; NLT). 

Lord of all, in heaven above,
Thank you for your constant love,
Your light and fire, your truth and peace,
Your deep compassion, without cease.

Thank you for your sacrifice,
Your mercy, Lord, which will suffice,
Your Holy Spirit and your Son,
Your miracle of Three in One.

Thank you for your tenderness,
For all you do to heal and bless,
Your comfort, Lord, your staff and rod,
And, most of all, for being God.

Remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other (Deuteronomy 4:39; NLT).