Week 2 - Listen & Learn | Day 14

SCRIPTURE - JOHN 14:25-27

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

OBSERVATION

In this passage, Jesus prepares His disciples for the moment He will no longer be physically with them. The thought of losing His presence and His voice must have been overwhelming. But Jesus comforts them with a promise. He tells them that even though He is leaving, He isn’t abandoning them. Instead, He is sending His Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus would continue to speak to them, teach them, and remind them of everything He had already said. Before, they had Jesus with them. But now, they would have His Spirit in them. Jesus didn’t move farther away–He drew closer. Jesus still speaks to His people today through the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, the Spirit came upon select people in specific moments. But Jesus promised something far greater. He said that His Spirit would be given to all who believe. It’s the same Spirit who empowered Moses, who spoke to Elijah and Samuel, and who moved through the apostles as they preached and healed. The same Spirit who spoke then is the Spirit who speaks now. Not to a few, not in rare moments, but to all of God’s people- everywhere, at all times.

APPLICATION

Through this fast, we’ve been learning how to listen to God’s voice, and many of us have likely already heard from Him. But listening to God and learning from Him doesn’t end with the fast. God wants to keep speaking to us, teaching us, and reminding us of what He said well past these 21 days. And because God’s Spirit is in us, we can hear from Him at all times. The fast has trained us to hear from God, but the Holy Spirit sustains us to hear from Him in the days, weeks, and years to come. 

How can you position yourself to continue hearing from God? What spiritual rhythms and disciplines does God want you to carry over from the fast into your everyday routine? Maybe it’s a habit of starting your day in Scripture, or finding time throughout your day to spend a few minutes in prayer. Because we have the Holy Spirit, we can continue to hear from God in new ways. But without systems in place to help us slow down and listen, we risk missing out on what He wants to teach us. When we take time to acknowledge God’s presence daily, His Spirit goes with us. When we’re tired, He gives us rest. When we’re tempted, He gives us strength. When we’re worried, He gives us His peace. If you keep listening, God’s Spirit will keep leading you.

PRAYER

Today, take time to acknowledge the presence of God’s Spirit with you. Pray that He would continue to speak to you, teach you, and remind you of the things He has said. Ask Him to help you listen to His voice and be led by His Spirit long after the fast is over. 

God, thank you that through your Spirit, I have access to your presence at all times. Thank you that I don’t have to be in a specific place or doing a certain thing to hear from you. Help me continue listening to your voice and learning from you every day of my life. Amen. 

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