When the Spirit Puts Things to Rest
The noise stops when the source changes.
Devotional Credit: Days of Heaven on Earth, A. B. Simpson
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Some struggles are like a treadmill. Lots of motion, no arrival. A. B. Simpson reminds me that trying to put my old patterns to death by personal grit keeps me on that treadmill. The Holy Spirit is the One who does the decisive work. My part is surrender, trusting the Spirit within to carry out what Jesus already won.
This is not a call to self-punishment. It is an invitation to rest in the finished work of Jesus and the active presence of the Spirit. When I count myself dead to sin and alive to God, I am not pretending. I am agreeing with what the cross accomplished and what the Spirit applies.
The Spirit does not merely trim bad habits. He deals with the root, then nourishes new life. He leads with a steady hand, never with panic. Where I once tried to choke down desires I could not conquer, I now yield to the One who has already conquered. He turns my yes into His power at work.
Thank you, Dr. Simpson, for pointing our eyes away from ourselves and back to the Living One. The Spirit does what I could not do. He sustains what I could not keep. In Jesus, death to sin becomes a doorway into real life.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am with you and I am in you. I lead you to put to death the deeds of the body, not by your strain, but by My power. You have been crucified with Jesus, and the life you now live, you live by trusting Him. Reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God. Present yourself to Me, and I work in you to will and to do what pleases the Father.
Abide in Me, and My life bears fruit in you. Where the old desires once called the shots, I now quiet them and grow new desires. You are hidden with the Messiah in God. When He appears, you will appear with Him in glory, and even now His life is being formed in you.
I am renewing you from the inside. I teach your heart to say yes, then I supply the strength that yes requires. This is not passivity. This is yielded participation. Walk with Me. Keep in step with Me. As you do, I make holy what once felt impossible. I finish what I start.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a noisy bathroom fan buzzing overhead. The sound fills the room, and for a while you try to ignore it. You talk louder. You clench your jaw. Then you remember the switch on the wall. One simple turn, and the power that fed the noise is cut, and the room falls quiet. You did not fix the motor. You yielded to a greater supply line. The source changed the sound.
In the same way, the Holy Spirit within cuts power to old reactions as we yield. Today, if a sharp email lands in your inbox and your first instinct is to fire back, pause and turn to the Lord. You might whisper, Lord, I entrust this reaction to You. Express Your patience and truth through me right now. Then write with clarity and kindness, or wait in quiet until He leads. The switch is not your willpower. The switch is your yielded yes to the Spirit who lives in you.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that in Jesus I am dead to sin and alive to You. Thank You that Your Spirit dwells in me, leading me to put to death what does not belong and to walk in newness of life. I affirm that You work in me to will and to do Your good pleasure. I agree with You that the old has been crucified with the Messiah, and a new life is already underway. I rest in Your provision, Your presence, and Your power. I praise You that what You begin, You complete.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Romans 8:13, Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:6-11, Romans 6:11, Romans 12:1-2, Philippians 2:13, John 15:4-5, Colossians 3:3-4, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Ezekiel 36:26-27, Titus 2:11-12, Hebrews 10:14, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, Galatians 5:24-25