“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” (John 14:26 NLT)

Have you ever experienced the Holy Spirit’s biblical intervention? Maybe you were struggling in a certain area of your life. Or you were facing a difficult temptation. Or you were unsure of what to do in a situation. Then suddenly, a passage of Scripture jumped into your mind—one that spoke clearly to your circumstances. And—here’s the amazing part—one that you don’t remember memorizing. It may have been a passage you heard in a sermon a few months earlier or one that you talked about in a Bible study ten years ago.

If, in that moment, you wondered where that passage came from, Jesus offers the answer in John 14:26: “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you” (NLT). The Holy Spirit reminds you what you need to know when you need to know it.

That work extends to other areas as well. The apostle Peter wrote, “And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it” (1 Peter 3:15 NLT). Sometimes that’s not possible. Sometimes people ask questions that you can’t answer immediately. Sometimes you draw a blank when you’re asked to explain some aspect of your faith.

That’s when the Holy Spirit intervenes. Thoughts come to you. Answers that you didn’t know you had. You start sharing, and the words that come out are so good that you want to take notes on yourself. You say to yourself, “This is good stuff. Where did it come from?” It didn’t come from you. It came from the Holy Spirit. He’s reminding you of what you know.

Of course, that doesn’t excuse you from the discipline of Bible study. You can’t just hold your Bible up and say, “I pray that all of these things will go into my brain right now.” You still must discipline yourself to read, study, and memorize Scripture. You must put in the work to know and understand what God’s Word says. If you do that, you can trust the Holy Spirit to remind you of what you know at crucial moments.

That’s why, before you study Scripture, it’s important to pray for the Holy Spirit to illuminate what you read. Paul wrote, “That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.’ But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets” (1 Corinthians 2:9–10 NLT).

Once those secrets have been shown to you, they can be recalled again and again. The Holy Spirit will bring them to mind to strengthen and guide you when you need them.

Reflection question: In what area of Bible study do you need the Holy Spirit’s assistance? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.” (Romans 8:26–27 NLT)

There will be times when you don’t know what or how to pray. You may be overwhelmed with a burden. You may be discouraged. You may be depressed. You may be afraid. That’s when the Holy Spirit steps in to help you.

Referring to the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you” (John 14:16 NLT). The word Advocate also can be translated as Comforter. It comes from the Greek word parakletos, which means “called alongside to help.” The Holy Spirit comes alongside you to assist you in your prayer. He serves as an advocate in interceding for you and pleading your cause before the Father.

Let’s face it, some prayer requests are too complex to put into words. Some situations are beyond your ability to fully grasp. Some cause you to confront your self-interests in uncomfortable ways, requiring you to choose between what’s easiest for you in the short term and what’s best for you in the long term. In situations like these, arranging your thoughts and emotions into coherent sentences may seem next to impossible.

The good news is that sometimes the most profound prayers are nothing more than a sigh or a groan—an emotional SOS, signaling that you’re overwhelmed and don’t know what to say. I can attest. After my son died, I struggled to come to grips with the reality of his being gone. I prayed to God, but I didn’t always know what to pray. So, sometimes I just said, “Oh, Lord.” Sometimes I just groaned. Sometimes I just cried. Sometimes I just sighed. But that was all I needed to do because I wasn’t crying out against God; I was crying out to Him for help. And His Holy Spirit was ready to assist.

The apostle Paul wrote, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will” (Romans 8:26–27 NLT).

Don’t let a lack of words keep you from praying. No matter what you’re experiencing, take it to the Lord. Give Him your sighs, your groans, your tears, your anxiety, your rage. Even if you can muster no more than “God, please,” it’s enough for the Holy Spirit to work with. He will make your needs known to the One who can bring ultimate good from any situation.

Reflection question: When have you needed the Holy Spirit’s assistance with a prayer? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

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“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22–23 NLT)

How do I know if you’re a Christian? For that matter, how do you know if I’m a Christian? You can’t see my heart. You can’t see my faith. But you can see the results of my faith. Jesus said, “Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions” (Matthew 7:20 NLT). I can’t determine if you’re a follower of Jesus merely by your profession; I need to see evidence in you. And that evidence is spiritual fruit.

Spiritual fruit doesn’t grow overnight; it takes time. Sometimes the best judge of the growth in your life is another person. You may be introspective and ask, “Have I become more like Jesus in the last twenty-four hours?” But that’s like trying to watch your kids grow. The growth is too subtle to notice in real time. But someone who hasn’t seen your kids in months may say, “Wow, they’ve really grown!” Similarly, you may not see spiritual growth in your own life. But someone else might say, “You’ve really changed!” That’s the work of the Holy Spirit in you.

And that’s important because Jesus said, “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name” (John 15:16 NLT). Jesus wants to see spiritual fruit in your life.

The apostle Paul identifies the fruit in Galatians 5:22–23. It starts with love—love for God and for others. Jesus said, “If you love me, obey my commandments” (John 14:15 NLT). We bear spiritual fruit when we show our love for the Lord. We show our love for the Lord by doing what He says. The Holy Spirit helps produce spiritual fruit by reminding us of God’s commands.

Jesus also said, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:35 NLT). We bear spiritual fruit when we show love to others—especially to people who are hard to love. The Holy Spirit helps in this area by reminding us of the love that God has shown us.

We express that love by maintaining a spirit of joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Another translation of Galatians 5:22–23 puts it this way: “Things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely” (MSG).

How do you bring forth this fruit? Jesus said, “But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!” (John 15:7 NLT). You remain in Christ. You sink your roots deeply in the soil of God’s Word. You get your nourishment from it. You stand strong when conditions get bad. You invite the Holy Spirit to cut away the dead or unhealthy branches in your life. That’s how you produce spiritual fruit.

Reflection question: What does spiritual fruit look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

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“And because of what Christ did, all you others too, who heard the Good News about how to be saved, and trusted Christ, were marked as belonging to Christ by the Holy Spirit, who long ago had been promised to all of us Christians. His presence within us is God’s guarantee that he really will give us all that he promised; and the Spirit’s seal upon us means that God has already purchased us and that he guarantees to bring us to himself. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.” (Ephesians 1:13–14 TLB)

In biblical times, when goods were shipped from one place to another, they were stamped with a waxed seal and imprinted with a signet ring bearing a unique mark of ownership. Important royal documents were sealed in wax and imprinted with the royal seal. No one other than the intended recipients would dare open them.

That’s the context for the apostle Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:13–14. The Holy Spirit seals us. That means God has put His imprint on the lives of all believers.

So, the devil comes along, ready to ruin a life—until he sees the imprint that reads, “Property of the Lord Jesus Christ.” And suddenly his options are limited. There’s only so much he can do to someone who’s been sealed with the Holy Spirit.

You’ll also notice that Paul says the Holy Spirit’s “presence within us is God’s guarantee” (Ephesians 1:14 TLB). The Holy Spirit’s presence in our life guarantees our inheritance until we actually claim it. Think of it in terms of a deposit.

Let’s say you want to buy a car. You find the model you want to buy. To get it, you must put down a deposit. A deposit is a show of good faith—evidence that your intent to buy is real.

Now let’s look at it in terms of salvation. God says, “Because you believe, you will go to Heaven when you die.”

You say, “Well, that’s great. But it’s hard to fully grasp.”

So, God says, “I want you to know that I’m serious, so I’m going to give you the Holy Spirit as a down payment guaranteeing your inheritance.”

It’s called proof. We all want proof that God is at work in our lives. It’s great if someone else has proof, but we all want personal proof to know that God is working in us.

If you’ve received Christ as Savior and Lord, God has placed the Holy Spirit in your life. Has your life changed for the better since you began your personal relationship with Christ? Do you sense the Holy Spirit’s presence in you, giving you strength that you never had before? Do you have a peace in your life that you’ve never known before? If so, you have proof that God’s Holy Spirit is at work in your life. And you have assurance that your inheritance is waiting.

Reflection question: What proof do you see that God is at work in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

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“The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (John 6:63 NLT)

When you became a Christian, you did not do so by your own act of will. Yes, you believed. But it was the Holy Spirit who convicted you. The Holy Spirit showed you your need for Jesus. And the Holy Spirit ultimately converted you.

That’s why Jesus said, “The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63 nlt). And it’s why He said, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life” (John 3:5–6 NLT).

Because the work of the Holy Spirit is so vital, the devil targets it in his attacks against us. More specifically, he tries to make us question the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. He tries to make us doubt what we know to be true. He tries to make us ask, “Was I really converted?”

Unfortunately for us, the devil’s timing is usually impeccable. He prowls around after we’ve made a regrettable decision or given in to a troublesome temptation. He’ll try to make us feel like frauds, “pretend Christians.” He’ll raise doubts in our minds about whether the Holy Spirit really worked in our lives.

He also tries to make our Christian faith feel like a burden or an obligation, or tries to make us believe that we’ve outgrown our faith—that it’s something that belongs in our past. Anything to distance us from the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

We need to recognize the devil’s strategies and the lies behind them. The apostle Paul wrote, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39 NLT).

The Holy Spirit personally gives us the assurance that Christ has come into our lives. Paul also wrote, “For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we really are God’s children” (Romans 8:16 TLB).

That is the wonderful inner conviction and witness of the Holy Spirit. You just know that you belong to Christ. It’s hard to explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it. But it’s as real as the breath you’re drawing right now. I have that conviction in my heart. Do you? Has the Holy Spirit given you the inner conviction that, yes, you are a child of God?

Reflection question: How did the Holy Spirit convert you? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

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“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” (John 16:13 NLT)

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.” One of the core truths that the Holy Spirit guides us into involves righteousness. If you were to ask a random assortment of people whether they consider themselves righteous, most would probably say yes. Most people like to think of themselves as good, relatively speaking.

Most people also recognize that there are certain plateaus of goodness. At the top are the saints who sacrifice almost everything to help others. Their goodness puts everyone else to shame, although they would be much too humble to ever acknowledge that.

Most of us resign ourselves to the fact that we will never reach their level of righteousness. So, we settle for good enough. We say things like, “I may not always be an angel, but I’m not a devil either,” or “At least I’m not as bad as certain other people,” or “I may not be perfect, but I have a good heart.” We treat righteousness like the cut line in a golf tournament. We just have to be good enough—or just a little better than others.

The problem is that, when it comes to righteousness, perfection is the cut line. That’s the truth the Holy Spirit guides us into. The apostle Paul wrote, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23 NLT).

In Jesus’ day, the scribes and Pharisees were revered for their righteousness. They spent their days contemplating and debating the smallest details of God’s law. They observed every ritual. They held themselves to the highest religious standards.

Yet Jesus said, “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!” (Matthew 5:20 NLT).

I remember the first time I read that as a young Christian. I thought, “Now wait a second. Weren’t the Pharisees extremely devout men? How could my righteousness exceed theirs?”

Here’s how: Theirs was a false righteousness. Theirs was a self-righteousness. Even their best efforts fell far short of God’s standard of perfection.

The Holy Spirit says, “You are not righteous enough on your own. You need the righteousness of Christ imputed into your account because you are a sinner. But if you will trust in Jesus, this righteousness will be given to you.” If we repent, ask God to forgive our sins, and receive Christ as Savior and Lord, we receive His righteousness. So, when God looks at us, He sees the perfect righteousness of His Son. And He welcomes us into His presence forever.

That’s the truth the Holy Spirit guides us into.

Reflection question: How would you respond to someone who said, “I’m going to Heaven when I die because I’m a good person”? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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“And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me.” (John 16:8–9 NLT)

Over the next few days, we’re going to look at the nature and work of the Holy Spirit, one of God’s greatest gifts to us. The Holy Spirit performs vital duties in this world. Yet many of them go unnoticed because we simply take them for granted. But it’s important for God’s people to understand and celebrate His work. So, let’s start with this one: The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin.

Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me” (John 16:8–9 nlt). The Holy Spirit shows us that we are sinners. He communicates the amazing truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection. He shows us that we need to turn to God. Without the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, none of us ever would have come to Jesus.

That’s why, when I pray for a nonbeliever, I say, “Lord, convict them by Your Holy Spirit.” If I tell someone that Jesus has made my life fuller and better, and that I have joy and peace, they will think, “Well, that’s fine for you.” But what they need to realize is that they’re a sinner in need of a Savior. And that’s the work of the Spirit.

The Spirit convicts us of our sin—not to drive us to despair, but to send us into the open arms of Jesus. On the Day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter delivered a sermon. Some of the people in the audience were culpable in Jesus’ crucifixion. Acts 2:37 says, “Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’” (NLT). The Holy Spirit was doing the piercing.

The idea of piercing someone’s heart may be a little unsettling—if you imagine the act as an attack with a knife. But what if the blade is a scalpel? And the one wielding it is a highly trained surgeon? And the piercing is a necessary procedure to remove a cancerous tumor? Suddenly the scenario is reframed as a life-giving act of mercy.

So it is with the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. He reveals the ugly truth—that we are sinners, powerless to save ourselves. He reveals the dire consequences—that we face God’s eternal judgment. And then He reveals the life-giving truth—that God made salvation possible through the sacrifice of His Son.

The Holy Spirit pierces our hearts—not to weaken us or destroy us, but to save us. He shows us just how much we need Jesus.

Reflection question: What did the convicting work of the Holy Spirit look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

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“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” (Jeremiah 29:13 NLT)

This is a go-to scenario for people trying to poke holes in Christian logic: A person from a remote region, who’s never had any exposure to Christianity or the Bible, dies. What will happen to that person?

I believe that God will judge us according to the light we have received. We will not be held accountable for what we do not know. That, however, does not excuse us from all responsibility. Otherwise, we might say ignorance is bliss.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God “has planted eternity in the human heart” (NLT). He has hardwired us to know Him. That means from the day we’re born, we’re on a quest, a search to find meaning and purpose in life. God put that restless desire inside us. We were created in His image. We were born with a soul—and an inner emptiness that only He can fill.

And though our internal compass points us toward God, we still go our own way. The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:19–20, “They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (NLT).

Some people may say, “I have my own standards that I live by.” But I would venture to guess that you probably don’t even live up to your own standards. You violate the rules you think are right.

Others might say, “I’m a sincere seeker of truth. I just haven’t found what I’m looking for.” If you’re a sincere seeker of truth, I believe that you will find your way to Jesus Christ. The Lord said, “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” (Jeremiah 29:13 NLT). God will make Himself real to you if you really want to know Him.

Don’t worry so much about the person who’s never heard the gospel. Think about yourself because you have heard the gospel. And knowledge brings responsibility.

For the record, here’s the gospel in a nutshell. We have all sinned. We have all fallen short of God’s standards. There is nothing we can do to meet the righteous requirements of God. God loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus Christ, who was fully God and fully man, to die on the cross for our sin. He bodily rose again from the dead. If we will turn from our sin and put our faith in Christ, we will be forgiven. We can know that we will go to Heaven when we die. And we can find the meaning and purpose we’ve been looking for in this life.

That’s the gospel truth. Now that you understand it, you’re responsible for responding to it.

Reflection question: How can you make sure that the people around you understand the gospel? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

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Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.