By: Juliet Constantine

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Romans 8:9-11)
 

God gave The Son, The Son gave The Spirit. The Spirit gives us life, and the gift goes on, and the gift goes on, and the gift goes on and on and on… Blessings that go with the gift of The Holy Spirit are numerous. The gift certainly goes on. I am pleased to know that one of the main gifts of The Holy Spirit is to quicken us, to give us life in Christ Jesus. The Spirit’s work of quickening will be accomplished when we cooperate with Him by abiding in Christ.

The Holy Spirit quickens us to live for Christ. Abiding in Christ is allowing His words to be our sword, and faith our shield. As our consciences are activated, and we now see sin as it really is; in faith, we can reach out to Jesus to rescue us from the evil of sin, its power and its woe. There comes a time in one’s life when enough is enough, whatever it may be, the limit has been reached. You’ve had enough. It’s the same with sinning.

As the Holy Spirit awakens our perceptive faculties through the study of God’s word, and the truthful state of our life is now clear, we come to realize that the flesh profiteth nothing. Sinning isn’t worth it. Thank God for the process of sanctification. We can look to Jesus who is our object lesson. “We are to be crucified with Christ, buried with Him, and then quickened by His Spirit. Then we are filled with His life.” (UL284)

In her book Sons and Daughters of God, Ellen White advised that “Only to those who wait humbly upon God, who watch for His guidance and grace, is the Spirit given. This promised blessing, claimed by faith, brings all other blessings in its train. It is given according to the riches of the grace of Christ, and He is ready to supply every soul according to the capacity to receive. The impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ. Those only who are thus taught of God, those only who possess the inward working of the Spirit, and in whose life the Christ-life is manifested, can stand as true representatives of the Saviour.”(SD 33).

Finally, The Holy Spirit quicken us to work for God and to speak the undiluted truth in love. As the great apostasy deepens and waxed stronger, God’s children are to hold fast to the principles taught in The Bible, and go forward with increased faith. Paul admonished Timothy to “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.”(2Tim.4:2). Isaiah challenged us to “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”(Isa. 58:1) We need quickening from the Source of all power in our discourses, our prayers and in every action proposed.

Our God who raised Jesus from the dead can do this, and even more. Yes, God can.

Our Father and God, the Source of all power, quicken us to live and work for You we pray, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Copyrighted by Juliet Constantine 2014 (for “Alone With God – Finding Jesus In The Scriptures” Daily Devotional)