Overshadowed by the Spirit

The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. — Luke 1:35

When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he gave her the startling announcement that the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

When you and I place our faith in Jesus Christ and invite Him to come live within us, the Holy Spirit comes upon us, and the power of God overshadows us, and the life of Jesus is born within us.

We do not conceive a physical life but rather the spiritual life of Jesus in the person of the Holy Spirit.

It is the indwelling powerful person of the Holy Spirit who sets me free from the habits of sin. But the power I possess to live a life pleasing to God is directly related to how much control of my life I give to the Holy Spirit.

~ Just Give Me Jesus

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Unconditional Surrender

By this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. — 1 John 3:24 NKJV

When the Holy Spirit comes into you at your invitation, you receive as much of Him as you will ever have. You do not get a little bit of Him then and a little bit more at later experiences. Since He is a Person, you cannot get Him in pieces.

• You either have all of the Holy Spirit or you have none of the Holy Spirit.

Why is it, then, that He seems to get us in pieces? He comes to us unconditionally, while we surrender to Him conditionally.

We give Him our Sundays but not our Mondays.
We give Him our actions but not our attitudes.
We give Him our relationships but not our reputations. We give Him our time but not our thoughts.
We give Him our burdens but not our bodies.
We give Him our prayers but not our pleasures.
We give Him our crises but not our children.
We give Him our health but not our hearts.
Would you drop the conditions and give Him all of you?

~ Just Give Me Jesus

Excerpted with permission from The Joy of My Heart by Anne Graham Lotz, copyright Anne Graham Lotz.

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Your Turn

Mary willingly gave the Lord her body and her life. She miraculously came under the power of the Holy Spirit. We have the Holy Spirit living within us! Let’s follow her lead and give ourselves to Him just as fully! Come share your thoughts with us. We want to hear from you about living in the Spirit! ~ Devotionals Daily