God's Holy Fire: 'Eyes Opened'

Saturday, August 8, 2026

Multiplication of Ministry: Year-End Information

Key dates and details about our year-end ministry transition and financial support.

 See Details
[John the Baptizer said,] "I did not recognize [Jesus] as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel." Then John testified, "I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him."
— John 1:31-32 NLT

Key Thought

Even though John the Baptizer and Jesus were relatives, John didn't immediately recognize Jesus as the Messiah. God had to make that clear for John by having the Holy Spirit reveal this truth about Jesus. That revelation from the Spirit was true at Jesus' baptism and in the proclamation of the early church and is still true today. (In John 14 and John 16, Jesus promised that the Advocate - the Holy Spirit - would come and reveal the truth about him!) If any of us is going to have our eyes opened and truly "see" Jesus, we need to ask for the Holy Spirit to make his presence and his purpose plain in our lives!

Today's Prayer

O Father in heaven, you are holy. Your ways are above my ways. So I thank you for coming and living among us as one of us in Jesus. I thank you for making yourself known through the work of the Holy Spirit. And I thank you for the Spirit's work as the Advocate who makes known the things of Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

1 Related Resource by Heartlight

He Is the One
Devo: What Jesus Did!
"[John the Baptizer said,] "I did not recognize [Jesus] as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel." ..."

Illustration

Illustration of John 1:31-32 NLT — "I did not recognize [Jesus] as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel."

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Saturday, August 8, 2026

Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'A Clean Life' (Ep. 5:6-7)
"Dear Father, Don't let me be deceived by the empty words of worldly people. It is because of these things that your wrath will come upon the sons of...."
Quotemeal
A daily dose of Christian quotes to inspire and encourage.
Quote by Henri Nouwen:
"Our life is full of brokenness - broken relationships, broken promises, broken expectations. How can we live with that brokenness without becoming bitter and..."
Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'God Does Miracles for His People' (Ex. 14:29-31)
"The people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides. That is how the Lord..."
Passion for Praise
A daily passage of Scripture emphasizing praise to our God.
'Give Thanks!' (Ps. 118:29)
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever."

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