The Spirit Sets My Gaze on Jesus
Aligned with the source, power flows without strain
Devotional Credit: Abide Above by Miles Stanford, entry titled “The Spirit’s Object,” with quotations from J. B. Stoney and J. N. Darby
Photo Credit: Unsplash
The heart of today’s reading is simple and steady. The Holy Spirit does not point me back to my own effort, He lovingly turns my attention to Jesus. Even when He exposes what is out of step within me, He does so to redirect me in the Lord, not to leave me staring at myself. Thank you, Miles Stanford, for the clear reminder that the Spirit’s constant ministry is to make Jesus the center of my thoughts, my words, and my ways.
Growth, then, is not a quest for spiritual tricks or secret knowledge. Growth is the Spirit engraving Jesus upon the heart, shaping how I think, speak, and walk. There may be missteps, yet the direction is unmistakable, like a traveler whose compass keeps drawing him toward true north. The object of the believer’s life is the Lord Jesus Christ, not a self-improvement project.
We are told that what we truly know in God is what the Spirit has unveiled. So we wait in trust, not as spectators doing nothing, but as sons and daughters who rest in a living union. The Holy Spirit has joined us to the Lord, spirit to Spirit, so that the Christian life is not performance by imitation, it is participation in His life.
This also means the Cross stands at the doorway of yielded living. The flesh and the world have been judged at the Cross, and the Spirit trains our hearts to reckon that as true. From this settled place, He glorifies Jesus in us, turning our gaze from the mirror to the Lord who is our life. This is where relief meets reality, where peace anchors obedience, and where Jesus is seen through ordinary people who have learned to rely on the One who lives within.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I have joined your spirit to the Lord, and I dwell in you. I turn your attention to Jesus, for I glorify Him in you. When I show you what is restless or misplaced within, I do not leave you with yourself, I bring you to the Lord who is your righteousness, your peace, and your life.
I write the life of Jesus upon your heart, not on cold stone. As you behold Him, you are changed from one degree of glory to another. Your growth is not the product of pressure, it is the fruit of our union. I work in you to will and to do what pleases the Father, and I lead you as you walk by the Spirit, not by the impulses of the flesh.
Consider the Cross, where the old man was crucified with Christ, where the flesh was judged, where the world was shown to be empty. Reckon this as true. Present yourself to God as one alive from the dead. Set your mind on the things above, where your life is hidden with Christ in God. I bear witness that you are the Father’s child, and I teach your heart to cry out, Abba, Father.
You stand in grace through Jesus. Continue as you began, by faith, not by works. Christ in you is the hope of glory. Let the peace of the Messiah rule in your heart. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. In all of this, remember, you are part of His body, joined with all who are in the Son. Together you share His life, and together you display Him in the world.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of placing a phone on a wireless charging pad. You do not create the power, you simply align the phone with the coil so the current flows. If the phone is off center, there is no charge. A slight shift, a quiet settle, and power moves freely.
Life in the Spirit is like that. Jesus lives in you, and the Holy Spirit aligns your heart with Him. You are not trying to generate godliness, you are trusting the Lord within you to express His life through you. Today, when a tense conversation begins to heat up, pause and settle onto the “charger.” Whisper, Lord, I yield this moment to You, live Your patience in me and through me as I answer. Then speak with the gentle honesty that He supplies.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that I am one spirit with the Lord. Thank You that Your Spirit turns my attention to Jesus, not to my inadequacy. Thank You that the Cross has ended the rule of the flesh, and that I stand in grace through Your Son. Today I receive what You have already given, union with the Lord, peace that rules the heart, wisdom from above, and power made perfect in weakness. I rest in Your faithful work within me and I thank You that Jesus will be seen in my words and ways.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
1 Corinthians 6:17; John 16:14; 2 Corinthians 3:3; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 2:13; Galatians 5:16 to 25; Romans 6:6 to 11; Romans 8:1 to 14; Galatians 2:20; Romans 5:2; Colossians 1:27; Colossians 3:1 to 4; Colossians 3:15 to 17; Ephesians 1:3; Ephesians 3:16 to 19; Romans 12:1 to 2; Romans 8:15 to 17; Galatians 5:24; John 15:4 to 5