My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. James 1:19-21

There’s an old fable about a Cherokee Indian elder who was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them, “A fight is going on inside you. It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight going on inside of you is inside every other person, too.”

The children thought about it for a minute, and then one child asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee elder replied simply, “The one you feed.”

A Rabbi expressed it this way: “The two wolves symbolize the Evil Inclination (Yetzer Hora) and the Good Inclination (Yetzer Hatov). The former thrives on bodily appetites, while the latter thrives on Torah, prayer, and good deeds. Eventually, one swallows the other.”

Paul talked about in his letter to the Galatians, telling them to live by the Spirit, and not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. He said the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.

In case the Galatians didn’t know how to identify these traits, Paul spelled them out: sexual immorality, impurity debauchery, idolatry witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. And then he went on to enumerate the fruits of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Reading this causes me to take inventory of my inner self. Clearly, I can see the two wolves within me. Clearly they are in competition. Clearly, on my own I have not the ability to triumph good over evil from within. But the wonderful part of the story is that through the Spirit of Christ, I can overcome all things and I can be the kind of person God uniquely created me to be. I can be all things through Christ who strengthens me.

So, I encourage you to do as I did. Take an inner inventory. Decide who you want to be and who God wants you to be. And, above all else, make sure each day that you take time to feed the right wolf.

Question: How is your spiritual hunger being fed? What are some other sources of nourishment that you could be taking advantage of?

Mister Rogers was right after all: There is only one you. But this information is much more important than to just be boosting your self-esteem. It is to help you better serve others by being more confident about your God-given role in life.

No one else fits your shape. No one else has your blend of gifts, talents and natural abilities—making you very important in the whole scheme of things. “God made our bodies with many parts,” wrote Paul, “and He has put each part just where He wants it” (1 Corinthians 12:18). And as it is with the human body, so it is with the Body of Christ — the corporate collection of all who believe.

But this uniqueness goes beyond giftedness; it reaches as well into the depth of each of our experiences in life. No one else has your life. No one else has your pain, your hardship, your joys and sorrows. Everything in life shapes us and we are shaped by everything for a reason: so that we can touch others in a unique way based upon who we are and what we’ve been through. God doesn’t waste anything in our lives.

Every piece of our lives and experiences can be used of Christ to touch someone else. We were made for each other; we live for each other; we even die for each other. We die with hope so that others who live might see the reality of Christ in even the darkest of hours. God uses everything.

Are you just getting by, or are you living for a reason? Think about your unique gifts and ask yourself how those gifts are benefiting others. What specific way is God using you to touch others in the Body of Christ?

Do you seem to have an extra measure of wisdom, or mercy, or discernment, or knowledge, or administration, or desire to serve? These will help determine how you can look for opportunities to help others.

And then think about the things you have gone through so far in your life—especially the difficult or challenging things where God has met you with His presence and power. That information is not just for you, it’s for you to empathize with and encourage others who have encountered similar struggles.

God isn’t messing around here. There are no accidents with our lives. Whatever we have received and experienced has shaped who we are, and because of that, we are qualified servants. There is truly no one else like you … for a reason.

Question: How has God crafted you uniquely, to make you uniquely you?

“But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to testify about Me with great effect, to the people in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, about my death and resurrection” Acts 1:8

Evangelists were gathered in Amsterdam, Holland from more than 130 countries around the world to attend the International Conference for Itinerant Evangelists sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. On the third night of this historic event I was asked to bring the address on “How to be Filled With the Holy Spirit.” Just before I was to speak, a note from Billy Graham was handed to me. It said, “I consider this one of the most important addresses of the entire conference.”

According to the hundreds of thousands of surveys which our ministry has taken all over the world, 95 percent of the professing believers do not understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This includes a majority of pastors, evangelists and missionaries. In fact, if I had only one message to give to the Christian world, it would be how to be filled with the Holy Spirit and how to walk moment by moment in the fullness of His power. Indeed if I had to choose between introducing a non-believer to Christ or helping a defeated, fruitless, impotent Christian to understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit and share his faith in Christ with others, I would choose the latter because inevitably the end result would be far greater in terms of the number of people who would be introduced to Christ.

The one great need of the Body of Christ today that transcends all other needs is to be awakened to the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit, to be empowered and controlled by Him, to allow Him to exalt and honor our Lord Jesus Christ in and through us, for that is the purpose of His coming. “He (the Holy Spirit) shall praise Me and bring Me great honor by showing you My glory” (John 16:14).

On hundreds of occasions throughout the world I have spoken on this subject and always, when the invitation is given, a good percentage indicate their desire to be filled with the Spirit. The Scripture promises, “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.” Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness? If so, you are a candidate for the fullness of God’s Spirit. You can by faith appropriate His fullness right now by claiming His promise that God will release His power through you in order that you may be an effective witness for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Bible Reading: Romans 15:15-21

Today’s Action Point:
Today I will claim by faith the fullness of God’s Spirit in order to live the supernatural life and to be a more fruitful witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. I know that it is the Holy Spirit who will enable me to live that exciting, supernatural life.

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Are you tired of living a defeated Christian life? Learn how you can find significance.

“Good teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

“If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

The young man said to Him “All these I have done from my youth. What do I still lack?”

Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven and come, follow Me.” (taken from Matthew 19:16-212, NKJV)

Are we “doing the commandments” or are we following Jesus? The difference between the two is the carnal mindset verses the surrendered Spirit-filled life. The carnal mind practices religion, knowing the rules and doing “all the right things.” The Spirit-filled life is a relationship with Jesus that knows His heart and His voice and lives in His presence and will, moment to moment.

When we are living in a carnal mindset, we can experience a lot of frustration, lack of fulfillment, difficulty in reading, enjoying, and understanding the Word, inconsistent prayer life, unanswered prayer, broken relationships, fear, discouragement, and a lack of the fruit of the spirit.

The experience of the Spirit-filled Christian is peace, joy, a love for and desire to spend time in His Word. It is a rich prayer life that brings results, faith, boldness, healthy relationships, and the ability to know His presence and recognize His voice in the Word, in nature, through others, or the still small voice in your spirit.

“If anyone serves me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor” (John 12:26 NKJV).

Living the Spirit-filled life is a decision we make each day. Ask yourself the question, “Can I honestly say that today I have done what God has asked of me?” If you have responded with repentance in the areas that He has convicted you of sin, stepped up and done the good works that He has put before you, and if your heart is to seek first His kingdom, then you are practicing walking in His will and His Spirit.

Lord, I surrender myself and my plans to you today, convict and forgive me of any sin that hinders me from hearing your voice and knowing your direction. Fill me up with your Holy Spirit that I can live this day engaged with you, knowing Your presence, and being Your hands and feet to the people around me.  Amen.

Questions: Can you honestly say that today you have done what God has asked of you? What is the result of a Spirit-filled life?

“Jesus looked at them intently, then said, ‘Without God, it is utterly impossible. But with God everything is possible’” Mark 10:27

“An hour in prayer can give the believer enough power to overcome the second most powerful force in the universe,” sagely declared an anonymous observer.

God’s Word gives us many “exceeding great and precious promises” that confirm the truth of this wise observation – and the truth of the scriptural promise that with God everything is possible. One of these precious promises declares, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31,KJV).

Sometimes renewed strength – spiritual strength, God’s strength – is all we need to face the problem or difficulty or testing or trial that confronts us.

In the gigantic tasks God has given us to do in the work of Campus Crusade for Christ [now “Power to Change” in Canada], often it is the confirmed realization that with God everything is possible that keeps us going on, trusting God to do that which no man could possibly do.

God’s indwelling Holy Spirit, making possible the supernatural life, constantly empowers and enables us to reach out and attempt great and mighty things for God – always an outreach that involves the needs of others more than our own personal needs, as great as they may seem to be at times.

Bible Reading: Mark 10:23-27

Today’s Action Point: “Dear Lord, give me a heart like Yours – one that reaches out to the ends of the earth, and the end of the block, with the good news of the gospel, always believing that nothing is impossible with Your help.”

Questions: What has God been calling you to do that you have been ignoring? Can you trust Him to do what He has been nudging you to do?

Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. (Romans 8:39) As the speaker in the video says, “Safety is not the absence of danger. It is the presence of God.” Do we really believe that? Martin Luther King Jr once said “Take the first step in faith. You do not have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” How can you take a step of faith today to start living “dangerously alive”?

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How You can be Filled with the Holy Spirit!
Video: Spirit-Filled Life: The Chocolate Milk Analogy
Become an online mentor – Help others from home, online, on your own time

Please open your Bible and read: John 14:23-26

Jesus guaranteed His followers it would be to their benefit if He left the Earth. He could then send the Holy Spirit, who plays an essential role in the life of each believer. (John 16:7) The Spirit serves as our:

Security. At salvation, we are placed in Christ and sealed in Him by the third person of the Trinity. The Spirit’s indwelling presence marks us as the Father’s children and is a pledge that we will belong to God forever. (Ephesians 1:13 – 14)

Helper. God the Holy Spirit provides wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. (1 Corinthians 2:12) Because He is divine, He knows ways to help us that no human could figure out. He strengthens us when we are weak and prays for us when we do not know how. (Romans 8:26)

Guide. The Holy Spirit can direct us appropriately because He knows the truth of every situation, the hearts of people around us, and our own attitudes and motives. His guidance will always be right because He knows the Lord’s will for us. (1 Corinthians 2:9 – 11) We can trust what He says – He doesn’t speak on His own initiative but communicates only what He hears from God. (John 16:13 – 14)

Spiritual Power Source. The Spirit releases His power into our lives for the purpose of fruitful service and godly living. (Ephesians 3:16) This divine energy and authority is always available to us, as long as we are yielded to His control.

The Holy Spirit is a VIP – a very important person. Fully God, He lives within us to carry out our triune God’s divine purposes. Are you following His lead?

Questions: Has this devotional increased your understanding of the Holy Spirit’s ministry in your life in any way? How so?

About the Author: Charles Stanley