God's Holy Fire: 'Are We Asking?'

Saturday, January 3, 2026

[Jesus said,] "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
— Luke 11:13 NIV

Key Thought

James told early followers of Jesus that they lacked many things in their spiritual walk with the Lord because they did not ask for them or because they asked with the wrong motives (James 4:1-3). So often we fail to have the blessing of the Holy Spirit in our lives because we don't ask for the Spirit. God longs for us to request the Spirit's presence and power, but the Father is not going to force the Spirit's influence into our lives. He wants us to request the Spirit and to submit to the Spirit's leading and direction in our lives. So let's ask the Father for the Spirit and follow the Spirit in all that we do!

Today's Prayer

Almighty God, my loving Father, I thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit given to me when I came to Jesus. But, dear Father, as I face the challenges of temptation, deal with grief and loss, face challenges that are overwhelming to me, and seek to bless your children, I confess that I need to recognize and access the power and presence of your Holy Spirit in my life. Please fill me with your Spirit and show me how to use his blessing and guidance. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

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9 Related Resources by Heartlight

Luke 11:13
Devo: Today's Verse
"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask....."
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Illustration of Luke 11:13
E-card of Luke 11:13 - If you.. know how to give good gifts to your children, then how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!
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"[Continuing his teaching on prayer, Jesus said,] "You fathers — if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for...."
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Why do we not ask for something God longs to give? Phil Ware begins a four week challenge that coordinates with the SpiritFire daily devotional challenging us to invite the Holy Spirit into our daily lives.
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Illustration

Illustration of Luke 11:13 NIV — [Jesus said,] "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

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About This Devotional

God's Holy Fire is a daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Thoughts and Prayer for God's Holy Fire are written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

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