I believe you can have a relationship with the Spirit where you desire what He desires and feel what He feels. The deepest level of relationship—the spiritual level—is available to you. On this level, you will discover an intimacy with your Creator unlike any other. But you must seek to know who the Holy Spirit is if you are to walk in close communion with Him. How can you know Him? By reading His Word and spending time in His presence. God wants to draw near to you; all you have to do is take the first step in drawing near to Him.

Take a moment to meditate on the verses below and allow the Spirit to do a work in your heart. As you turn to God, ask Him to remove any mind-set (veil) that has kept you from the experience of His presence. Once these veils are removed, you will be able to behold Him like never before. As you look upon His face (spend quality face time with Him as His intimate friend), He will transform you into His likeness. I leave you with these words from the apostle Paul:

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NLT)

Day 1 Devo

WELCOME HIM AS YOUR TEACHER

You have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.

—1 John 2:27 NLT

The Holy Spirit plays many roles in our lives, but probably His greatest role is that of Teacher. He is always teaching us something. He is the perfect parent who permanently lives within, bringing direction and correction in His tender, loving way.

Scripture is the timeless textbook of the Spirit. God’s Word is the record of God’s thoughts. To think like Him, talk like Him, and act like Him, we need His Word—and we need to understand it. That’s the job of our Teacher: to lead us and guide us into all truth, unfolding the meaning of the scriptures we need, right when we need them. Author and pastor Francis Frangipane eloquently states:

“The Word of the Lord, united with the Holy Spirit, is the vehicle of our transformation into the image of Christ. …The Word is God. The Scriptures are not God but the Spirit that breathes through the words is God. And this Holy Spirit should be honored as God. Therefore, as you seek the Lord…pray that you will not merely read intellectually. Rather, ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart through the Word. …As you kneel in humility before the Lord, the Word will be engrafted into your soul, actually becoming a part of your nature (James 1:21).”1