Key Thought

Today's Prayer

Father, I know when I was saved you cleansed me by your Holy Spirit and that you came to live in me and make my body your temple through your Holy Spirit. Now I ask that the Spirit's presence and power be more real to me, not just to sense your presence but so that I can be like Christ in every way. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Today's Verses in Context

One time Jesus was praying in a place. When Jesus finished praying, one of his followers said to him, "John taught his followers how to pray. Lord, teach us how to pray too." Jesus said to the followers, "When you pray, pray like this: 'Father, we pray that your name will always be kept holy. We pray that your kingdom will come. Give us the food we need for each day. Forgive us the sins we have done, because we forgive every person that has done wrong to us. And don't let us be tempted (tested).'" Then Jesus said to them, "Suppose one of you went to your friend's house very late at night and said to him, 'A friend of mine has come into town to visit me. But I have nothing for him to eat. Please give me three loaves of bread.' Your friend inside the house answers, 'Go away! Don't bother me! The door is already locked. My children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you the bread now.' I tell you, maybe friendship is not enough to make him get up to give you the bread. But he will surely get up to give you what you need if you continue to ask. So I tell you, continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. Yes, if a person continues asking, that person will receive. If a person continues looking, that person will find. And if a person continues knocking, the door will open for that person. Does any of you have a son? What would you do if your son asked you for a fish? Would any father give his son a snake? No! You would give him a fish. Or, if your son asks for an egg, would you give him a scorpion ? No! {You are like all other people}—you are evil. But you know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father knows how to give the Holy Spirit to those people that ask him."

Related Scripture Readings

Surely you know that the people that do wrong will not get God's kingdom. Don't be fooled. These people will not get God's kingdom: people that sin sexually, people that worship idols, people that do the sin of adultery, men that let other men use them for sex or that have sex with other men, people that steal, people that are greedy, people that get drunk, people that say bad things to other people, and people that cheat. In the past, some of you were like that. But you were washed clean, you were made holy, and you were made right with God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

So, my brothers and sisters, we must not be ruled by our sinful selves. We must not live the way our sinful selves want. If you use your lives to do the wrong things your sinful selves want, then you will die spiritually. But if you use the Spirit's help to stop doing the wrong things you do with your body, then you will have {true} life. The true children of God are those people that let God's Spirit lead them. Also, the Spirit helps us. We are very weak, but the Spirit helps us with our weakness. We don't know how to pray like we should. But the Spirit himself speaks to God for us. The Spirit begs God for us. The Spirit speaks to God with deep feelings that words cannot explain. God can see what is in people's hearts. And God knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit speaks to God for his people in the way that God wants.

After the believers prayed, the place where they were meeting shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak God's message without fear.