God's Holy Fire: 'Eyes Opened'

Saturday, August 8, 2026

[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

Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'Christians Can Find Strength in God' (Ep. 6:10)
"In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless]..."
What Jesus Did!
A daily guide from the gospels that challenges readers to live for Jesus.
'Discover that God Is True!' (Jn. 3:31-33)
"[John the Baptizer said to his disciples,] "[Jesus] has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly...."
Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'Crisis Council' (Acts 4:5-7)
"The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, along with..."
Passion for Praise
A daily passage of Scripture emphasizing praise to our God.
'He Has it All' (Da. 2:19-23)
"Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. He said, "Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. He controls the course of....."

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