God's Holy Fire: 'Receiving the Spirit'

Monday, January 13, 2025

"Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" [Paul] asked them. "No," they replied, "we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." ... Paul said, "John's baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus." As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.
— Acts 19:2 NLT; Acts 19:4-6 NLT

Key Thought

Faith and baptism in the New Testament, and especially in the book of Acts, are tied to the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we saw yesterday (Romans 8:9), the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is God's defining mark that we are adopted into his family. The promise of God's forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit are foundational blessings of our salvation and are received at our conversion (Acts 2:38-39) and continue to be ours. When we talk about the blessings of salvation and the grace of God, let's not forget to emphasize both the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38) and the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome temptation and sin (Romans 8:13). Conversion to Jesus means being reborn by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:3-7).

Today's Prayer

Holy God, your grace toward me is amazing! That you forgave all of my sins when I came to Jesus is such a wonderful gift - to know that you forgave me and made me a new creation, pure and holy! Forgive me, dear Father, for the times I have remembered this grace and forgotten the additional gift of grace - the Holy Spirit - that Jesus sent to live in me. I look to the Spirit's holy presence to strengthen me and lead me in the way of Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

5 Related Resources by Heartlight

Bottom Line!
Devo: God's Holy Fire
"While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the..."
The Essential Work of the Holy Spirit
Devo: Unstoppable!
"While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers...."
Including the Disciples of John the Baptizer in the Family of Jesus
Devo: Unstoppable!
"While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers...."
Ephesus!
Devo: A Year with Jesus
"Dear Beloved, In today's reading, you will find Paul arriving in Ephesus. Ephesus was a remarkable and important city in Paul's world. But the people..."
See All 5 Related Resources about Acts 19:2

Illustration

Illustration of Acts 19:2 NLT; Acts 19:4-6 NLT — "John's baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus."

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Monday, January 13, 2025

Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'Attention to Teaching' (He. 2:1-4)
"Dear Father, Help me to pay close attention to all of your teaching, lest I drift away from it. How shall I escape if I neglect so great a salvation?..."
Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Morning Thought: Mark 3:13
"Here was sovereignty. Impatient spirits may fret and fume, because they are not called to the highest places in the ministry; but reader be it thine....."
Daily Wisdom
A daily devotional featuring wise counsel found in Scripture.
James 4:13-15
"Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know..."
Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'In the Name of the Lord!'
"Then he said, "Today I [Goliath] stand and dare the army of Israel! Send one of your men to fight me!" … For forty days the Philistine came out every...."

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.

More God's Holy Fire

Translations