When the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost, it was like a rushing, mighty wind. [The Spirit] was given in no stinted measure; for it filled all the place where the disciples were sitting. So will it be given to us when our hearts are prepared to receive it.

Let every church member kneel before God, and pray earnestly for the impartation of the Spirit. Cry, “Lord, increase my faith. Make me to understand Thy word; for the entrance of Thy word giveth light. Refresh me by Thy presence. Fill my heart with Thy Spirit that I may love my brethren as Christ loves me.”

God will bless those who thus prepare themselves for His service. They will understand what it means to have the assurance of the Spirit, because they have received Christ by faith. The religion of Christ means more than the forgiveness of sin; it means that sin is taken away, and that the vacuum is filled with the Spirit. It means that the mind is divinely illumined, that the heart is emptied of self, and filled with the presence of Christ. When this work is done for church members, the church will be a living, working church.

We are to seek most earnestly to be of one mind, of one purpose. The baptism of the Holy Spirit, and nothing less, can bring us to this place. Let us by self-renunciation prepare our hearts to receive the Holy Spirit that a great work may be done for us, so that we can say, not “See what I am doing,” but “Behold the goodness and love of God!” …

We may talk of the blessings of the Holy Spirit, but unless we prepare ourselves for its reception, of what avail are our works? Are we striving with all our power to attain to the stature of men and women in Christ? Are we seeking for His fullness, ever pressing toward the mark set before us—the perfection of His character?—The Review and Herald, June 10, 1902.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 318
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Prayer Requests
—-Please continue to pray for E and children. R
—-My family are sick with a virus. The cough is horrendous. Lord heal us to Thine honor and glory. Also my cousin Cheryl had her hip replaced a couple weeks ago. She now had to have it redone and has sepsis. God I’m praying for Cheryl’s complete healing as Thy will. Thanks for praying. Debra
—-Prayers for my mother in law who is in the hospital and to be (or has been) sent to a sister in law’s home for hospice care. Her kidneys are shutting down and she cannot have dialysis. She is also 91. Aleta
—-Please pray that God will give me the strength to do the things that I need to do. My life is so hard. Thank you so much for your prayers. Connie
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Dear Friends,

Some years ago, when Ronnie Jay came home after college, he got cable television so he could watch his favorite channels. We all found a few favorite programs that we enjoyed as well. On one such program, it showed the experience of people who had bought homes that had been built long ago. Most were built in the 1800’s or slightly before or after that time period.

As the people remodeled their homes, they found such interesting items hidden in the walls or some long-forgotten nook or cranny. These items started the new owners on a search for information about the house’s original inhabitants. Sometimes the search revealed that some long-ago person had sins to hide and had secreted the evidence where they thought no one would ever know. Yet, years later they were being broadcast to the world.

So it is with us today. We may try to hide our sins, but they do not stay hidden long. Sometimes circumstances cause our sins to be evident fairly quickly, sometimes they are not known until the time Jesus spoke of in Luke 12:2, 3: “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.”

As we view our life and think of all of the things we have done that we do not what to have proclaimed to all, our hopes sink. We exclaim in sorrow, as did David, “For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.” “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. . . .Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Ps 37:4; 51:1-12

Praise God! We can get the forgiveness we need! He assures us, “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.” Isa 44:22 What a wonderful Saviour! “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” Ps 103:10-14

May we remember to “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecc 12:13, 14 May we heed Solomon’s words that we may be ready for that day, “he that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Prov 28:13 May we be ready for that great examination day when our names come up in the judgment is my prayer.

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/full-impartation-of-the-spirit.html

Let all who claim to keep the commandments of God, look well to this matter, and see if there are not reasons why they do not have more of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. How many have lifted up their souls unto vanity! They think themselves exalted in the favor of God, but they neglect the needy, they turn a deaf ear to the calls of the oppressed, and speak sharp, cutting words to those who need altogether different treatment. Thus they offend God daily by their hardness of heart. These afflicted ones have claims upon the sympathies and the interest of their fellow men. They have a right to expect help, comfort, and Christlike love. But this is not what they receive.

Every neglect of God’s suffering ones is written in the books of heaven as if shown to Christ Himself. Let every member of the church closely examine his heart, and investigate his course of action, to see if these are in harmony with the Spirit and work of Jesus; for if not, what can he say when he stands before the Judge of all the earth? Can the Lord say to him, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”? (Matthew 25:34)?

Christ has identified His interest with that of suffering humanity; and while He is neglected in the person of His afflicted ones, all our assemblies, all our appointed meetings, all the machinery that is set in operation to advance the cause of God, will be of little avail. “These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Luke 11:42). “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting” (Daniel 5:27).

All who are to be saints in heaven will first be saints upon the earth. They will not follow the sparks of their own kindling, they will not work for praise, nor speak words of vanity, nor put forth the finger in condemnation and oppression; but they will follow the Light of life, diffuse light, comfort, hope, and courage to the very ones who need help, and not censure and reproach.—The Review and Herald, August 4, 1891.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 311
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Prayer Requests
—-Prayers for my daughter and son who are preparing for their examinations fourth form and grade 8 may they be the heads not tails. Rahel
—-Prayers for Maya. While she seems to have recovered from the potential bout of Covid, she’s got lots of new complications. Doc say she has osteoporosis in her hips, making it incredibly painful for her to try to walk. Her pulse oximeter broke and it is discontinued. Doc has written a script for a new one, but due to the pandemic they are on a 2-year back order. They can do infusions to help build up her bone density, but it’s not even approved for use in children. She recently had a blood draw that has resulted in a nasty bruise. Poor Mom Jenny is having a lot of guilt, questioning if she could have done something different to have a better outcome (demanded sooner testing, more fights with insurance, etc). So prayers for Maya and her family, they just really need a touch from Jesus. Jennifer
—-Please pray for us! We are having a multitude of trials. Connie
—-Please continue to pray for E and children for guidance and protection. R
—Bill and Cheryl L. have come done with COVID And were in intensive care on respirators but home now and not doing well. Appreciate the prayers and the moving of God’s hand. Michael
—-Please include Arden Joy in your prayers for her sinus arithmea in the heart and high uric acid. Arturo
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Dear Friends,
With Halloween only a few days away, I thought that I would share an article with you that deals with this holiday of the evil one.
Rose
“Should Christians Celebrate Halloween
by Debra J. Hicks

Please check all that apply. This year for Halloween, I’ll probably:

Dress the little ones up in costumes and escort them around our neighborhood to collect candy.
Check out the local haunted house.
Get together with some buddies to watch a scary movie.
Dress up in a devil suit and scare the neighborhood kids that knock on the front door.
Turn off the porch light and hope nobody finds me eating the three bags of Snickers bars I bought for trick-or-treaters.
Most people see nothing wrong with the activities listed above. They consider Halloween festivities to be a harmless way for their children to have an evening of “fantasy and fun.”

But does this standard hold true for Christians? Is dressing up like ghosts, goblins, and witches really “no big deal”? Or is it glorifying and empowering Satan?

If we have truly committed our hearts and our lives to Christ, we will set ourselves apart as people who seek to reflect God’s goodness and love to the world. Because we become like the things we behold, the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:8 counsels Christians to think deeply about-and to continually fill our minds with-what is good. A careful, honest look at Halloween reveals little or nothing that is good. Instead, it is a day that points toward Satanism, fear, and gluttony.

“For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15, NIV).

Although the word Halloween means “holy or hallowed evening,” history shows that nothing could be further from the truth. Halloween is clearly a relic of pagan times, and it has never reflected true Christian virtues.

The customs connected with Halloween are most commonly traced to a festival celebrated by the Druids-priests of the Celtic tribes that occupied northern and western Europe. This celebration, which dates back several centuries before Christ, began each year on October 31 and was called the festival of Samhain, the lord of death.

As part of their worship of Samhain, the Druid priests built huge bonfires on which both animals and humans were sacrificed. This barbaric practice continued openly for hundreds of years, until Rome conquered Britain and outlawed it.

Years passed, and Rome continued to conquer new territory and increase in power. The people of each conquered nation were forced not only to become Roman citizens, but also to become members of the Roman church. As you can imagine, these new “converts” cared little about Christianity and clung tenaciously to their cherished pagan practices.

So, since the Roman church was unable to get people to abandon their heathen festivals, it decided to “sanctify” some of them. The Druids’ celebration in honor of the lord of death thus became All Saints’ Day, which was to be observed by all churches. Officially, it was proclaimed a day to honor all the saints who had died, known or unknown. But in practice, it remained what it had always been-a pagan celebration of the “Day of the Dead.”

Throughout its history, Halloween has been thought of as the time when supernatural forces prevail. Anton LaVey, author of “The Satanic Bible” and high priest of the Church of Satan, says that Satanists consider Halloween the most important day of the year. He says that on this night, satanic, occult, and witchcraft power are at their highest potency level, and that any witch or occultist who has been having difficulty with a spell or curse can usually achieve success on October 31st because Satan and his powers are at their best that night.

Divination, or fortune telling, is also believed to reach its highest powers on Halloween, as people are eager to learn what might happen to them in the upcoming year. Even today, predictions of leading psychics and astrologers are generally released about the time of Halloween.

Clearly, the rites and symbols of this holiday reveal that it is still a day that glorifies Satan. Look around you. Though October 31 is still a month away, you can probably see evidences that Halloween is approaching. Pictures of ghosts, goblins, witches, skeletons, and devil-faced pumpkins appear on store windows everywhere. Horror movies are promoted on television and in the theaters, and most bookstores give prominent attention to books dealing with death and the occult.

As Christians, we are not to associate with the things of Satan. Christ Himself said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24).

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

Since its beginning, the festival of Halloween has played upon people’s fears. The Celtic people believed that on the night of October 31, demons, witches, and the spirits of all those who had died within the past year roamed about freely. Most people were afraid to leave their homes on this night. Those who absolutely had to go out wore grotesque masks and terrifying costumes. They reasoned that if they looked horrible enough, the spirits would think they were one of them and would do them no harm!

Fear is a big part of modern Halloween celebrations, as well. Spooky decorations, horror movies, and haunted houses make a very real impression on little children. Is there any wonder so many youth have nightmares or are afraid to be alone in the dark? Satan delights in filling people’s minds with thoughts of fear, death, and destruction. It is a tactic he has used for centuries to keep mankind under his control.

God, on the other hand, longs to give His children peace. He doesn’t want us to be paralyzed by our fears. In fact, the Bible says that Christ died “that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:15, NKJV).

“Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31, NKJV).

Several days before their festival began, the Druid priests would go from house to house demanding food or other items they would use in their worship of Samhain, the lord of death. If a villager refused to give them what they wanted, the priest would put a demonic curse on the home. It was no idle threat, either. Someone from that house usually died within the year. It is from this abominable practice that our present-day “trick-or-treat” custom evolved.

While it is true that trick-or-treat is no longer primarily about curses, it is about gluttony. Children go from house to house, filling grocery bags full of candy and then returning home to feast on their great treasure. Often, those who stay at home to hand out the candy consume great amounts of it themselves!

Even this element of Halloween, which in comparison might seem harmless, does nothing to glorify God. The Bible says that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We should not be polluting that temple with food that clouds our perceptions and draws us away from God.

“Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11).

Satan is no doubt jubilant that such a large portion of this “Christian nation” views a holiday in his honor as something that is harmless fun. Could it be that by our carelessness, we are contributing to the extraordinary power Satan seems to have on October 31?

No matter how fun or exciting it may seem, Halloween is no celebration for a Christian. If we truly seek to glorify God, then how can we devote one day of the year to worshipping Satan? We can’t.

The Bible says, “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).”

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/more-charity.html

The gospel of Christ makes progress in every human agent that is consecrated to the Lord’s service. The Holy Spirit takes possession of everyone who has a willing mind, not that that person may work the Holy Spirit, but that the Holy Spirit may work its miracle through the grace that is poured upon the human agency. The goodness of God becomes a working power through a consistent life, through fervent love for Jesus, and through heaven-inspired zeal. Those who are in association with Jesus will partake of His melting love, and manifest His overflowing sympathy for souls who are yielding to Satan’s specious temptations. They will plan and study and exercise tact, in order that they may make a success of so presenting the unselfish love of Christ that sinful and impenitent hearts may be won to loyalty to Jesus, who gave His life for them….

Lose no time; confess Christ without delay. It is the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth that testifies of Christ. Jesus said, “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

To grieve the Holy Spirit which would make you a witness of Christ is a terrible thing. You know not when you may grieve the Spirit for the last time. The Holy Spirit does not work upon the human heart to compel you to give yourself to Christ, to force you to yield your conscience: but [the Spirit] shines into the chambers of the mind in a way to convict of sin, and to entice you unto righteousness. If you do not confess Christ now, the time will come when, overwhelmed with a sense of the great things that you have lost, you will make confession. But why not confess Christ now while mercy’s voice invites you?—The Youth’s Instructor, August 1, 1895
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 300
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for guidance for E and children. R
—-Please pray for Dr. T as he recovers from a mini stroke. Rose
—-I have been asked to pray for a small child about three years old, his name is Bentley.
They think he may have cancer, but are needing more tests to complete the diagnosis.
He is being raised by his grandmother. His legs hurt alot and when the doctor touched them the child screamed out in pain. B
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Dear Friends,

Before I retired from working in the court system, one of my duties was to schedule alcohol evaluation appointments for the defendants who had pled guilty to driving while intoxicated. (This consists of an interview and a test. The evaluator then sends a report with recommendations to the sentencing judge.) For years, I would try to find an appointment that fit their schedule the best, but so many defendants did not appreciate my trying to accommodate them but hassle me and argue with me so much, that I finally decided to assign the appointments on a first come first serve basis. There were a few defendants, however, who did ask if there were a better time for their appointment. Those who asked I tried to accommodate.

Occasionally, a defendant would not go for his evaluation even though I warned him what would happen if he did not. (If one failed to get the alcohol evaluation, the judge often issued a bench warrant.) Just so, our Great Redeemer has provided the way of salvation, but how seldom we appreciate it. How often we fail to reach out and accept His free gift. (Rom 6:23) The consequences of that failure are far more serious than a bench warrant!

How often we wound His Great Heart of Love by our ingratitude. He has a plan for our life. Yet, how often we grumble and complain and fight against the very One Who was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. (Isa 53) He knows what is best, yet so many times we want our own way. If we follow His plan, we will have the joys of a clear conscience and peace in our heart. If we do not, we cause ourself much grief.

May we cooperate with our Dear Saviour as He guides us on that rough and rugged path that leads to His Heavenly Kingdom, “because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matt 7: May we “work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in [us] both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Phil 2:12, 13 14 May we “give diligence to make [our] calling and election sure. For so an entrance shall be ministered unto [us] abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/a-mind-submissive.html