Faithful on Fridays Blog

Twelve Men

Can you guess what the most popular New Years resolution is? No surprise; it’s to lose weight. Yet after 6 months, more than half of the people have given up. I think goals for the new year are important but I want to keep them reasonable so that I last longer than 6 months.

Drawing closer to God is a goal of mine this new year. After reading some scriptures that have the number twelve in them I noticed that there were twelve men in Ephesus who had the same desire. Acts 19:1-9 tells the story. Paul asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit since they believed. The men answered that they didn’t even know there WAS a Holy Spirit! Surprisingly, these men had confessed their sin, believed in Jesus and were baptized but weren’t instructed in the Holy Spirit. I think it’s still like that today for many Christians. We believe in Jesus Christ and try with all of our hearts to follow in His ways. We want to draw closer to Him but don’t know how. That’s the primary role for the person of the Holy Spirit; He will help you in kingdom living.

So I ask you the same question, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?” If you find yourself lacking in power to walk in victory, unable to be at peace in your soul, or unable to reconcile your relationships; you need the Holy Spirit. If you’re unable to forgive, believe lies about yourself, or walk in fear; you need the Holy Spirit. The greatest benefit of having the Holy Spirit is that He’s living in you. He is always with you and He’ll never abandon you (John 14:15-18).

Those scriptures also tell us that He is your Advocate. What’s an advocate? It’s like having your own defense attorney. That’s what the original language was referring to. The Holy Spirit will defend you to the end. He will stand alongside you, when you aren’t even aware and plead your defense. He will campaign for you, encourage you, and be your spokesperson. Call out to Him today; He’s waiting to hear from you and bring you help. Don’t be one of those who give up after 6 months, draw closer to Him and stay there. When you rely on Him to give you His power, kingdom living becomes a reality.

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him … (2 Peter 1:3a NLT)

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (Ephesians 6:10 NLT)