Jesus Christ

Gift of the Holy Ghost Bible Devotional

Read Acts 9:15-21

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes mistakenly referred to as “The Mormon Church”), I enjoy, along with 14 million others, an incredible gift–the gift of the Holy Ghost. While everyone is born into the world with the Light of Christ, or light of conscience, the Gift of the Holy Ghost is greater–like the difference between a 150 Watt bulb and a laser light. The gift of the Holy Ghost is conferred today, as it was anciently, by the laying on of hands, and is only to be found in the Lord’s Church (Acts 8:14-20). The Spirit may touch and does touch lives of good people of all faiths all over the world, but the gift of the Holy Ghost only reaches those who receive it by one in authority in The Church of Jesus Christ. We invite you to learn more by following the links provided at the end of this post.

This gift–the gift of the Holy Ghost– offers comfort, direction, insight, power, strength, cleansing, renewal, healing and other spiritual fare. The Holy Ghost, a personage of Spirit, is able to communicate with our spirits directly, since we are spirit children of God. Through this gift, the Holy Ghost prompts us and allows us to step out and step up in faith in myriad ways as we move through mortality. The gift is a true compass which guides us in clear and best paths towards our greatest potential and deepest joys (2 Nephi 32:5).

Stepping out in faith, as prompted by God’s Spirit, always brings clarification of God’s plan. After Gideon took God’s word and put it to the test at the water’s edge with prospective soldiers, he gained confidence in God’s vision of victory and methods (Judges 7:4-7). When Ananias went to see Saul, he received additional information. As Saul submitted himself to the ministry of Ananias, he discovered more about God’s personal plan for his life. “You’re a chosen vessel of Mine. I’m going to use you to bear My name.” Saul hadn’t conceived that before. (He had never read the book of Acts!) He knew nothing of what was in store for him until Ananias took that initial step of faith. Both men discovered that God Himself chose Saul to be His instrument and that intense suffering would mark his ministry (Acts 9:1-22). That’s the way God operates.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost is Personal

Have you ever had a prompting of the Holy Ghost to move, to change residence? “Where?,” ” “how,” and a host of other questions surface, especially if you planned on staying in the same place for some time. Sometimes, stepping out in faith means question marks on friends’ faces and causes wonderment all around. Sometimes, others are slow to grasp what we grasp through the Spirit as it relates to our personal lives. If you have had such a divinely-inspired move, and you watched it unfold, didn’t you marvel? I remember knowing it was time to move out of state. At first, I didn’t even know where that meant. As I acknowledged the directive, that came rather unexpectedly, and with two confirmations, bringing tears of gratitude and re-assurance. But I had no home pre-arranged in the new state, and my former spouse no job lined up. Fasting, prayer, study of the area and a two-week trip out West, and the house was identified and chosen. That same house was then abruptly pulled off the market. Yet, I still knew it was ours. Two weeks later, it was back up for sale and our offer accepted. Neither space nor time allow me to describe the things God has shown us since we made the decision to move. The move was providential and provided for my girls the needed associations and examples of righteousness that would continue to undergird them and their faith in Christ. As a family of three, we have both survived and thrived a lot of spiritual and temporal changes. But now, as God continues to put the finishing touches on His magnificent plan and portrait, what I see is absolutely beautiful. Until I took that initial step of obedience, all I had was, “It’s time to go.” As one religious speaker said, “Surprises always bring about clarification of God’s plan.”

Obedience always stimulates growth. Following the Holy Ghost, which is God’s voice to us through the third member of the Godhead, drives the roots of our faith much deeper. And that obedience and responsiveness to His will stimulates growth in every area of life. We’re stretched emotionally, often physically, but most importantly, spiritually.

Ananias’s compliance with God’s surprising plan allowed him to witness supernatural power. No one else in Scripture witnessed the scales miraculously falling from the contrite Pharisee’s eyes. Only Ananias. When Saul’s sight returned, Ananias’s own eyes were also opened to the amazing power of God to transform a life. Obedience always stimulates growth.

Step out on faith, and you’ll always find that God has prepared the way steps ahead, much better than we could if we designed it with our limited vision and incapacity to see around corners or to know all the variables.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost is a gift conferred on members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after baptism. It sets us apart from other Christian denominations in that we claim, humbly but boldly, that the authority to perform God’s ordinances of salvation has been restored to the earth in our day, and exists only within the Savior’s above-named restored Church.

Additional Resources:

The holy spirit is a member of the Godhead. Learn more at the official site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called by friends of other faiths as the “Mormon Church”).

Learn about Jesus Christ.

Request a free copy of the Book of Mormon.

Tags: gift of the holy ghost, gifts of the holy spirit, Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, the holy ghost

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