Month: May 2026

GLORIFY THE HOLY SPIRIT IN TRUTH

It is always dutiful as a follower of Christ to glorify the Holy Spirit. The greatest power on Earth is the Holy Spirit, and we as Christians must glorify him in spirit and in truth every moment of our lives. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth”. [John 4:24, ESV].

If you want to be spiritually developed and victorious in every facet of your life as a Christian, then you need to keep Him in your heart. The Holy Spirit cannot be put in the back seat or deprioritized in your life.

You will need to be in the spiritual flow with Him everywhere. Start right away by growing the Fruit of the Spirit in your spiritual life. How do we firm up the nine-fold fruits of the Fruit of the Spirit?

To run through, here are the nine-fold Fruits of the Spirit – “But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, against such things there is no law.” [Galatians 5:22-23, ESV ].

To bear and grow the Fruit of the Spirit in your life, you have to attach to the stem of the vine – the vine is Christ and also the stem.

Attaching to the stem of the vine allows you to grow spiritually. That attachment is you. The more spiritually you are, the more fruitful your branch grows to bear spiritual fruits from you – thus the Fruits of the Spirit.

At this point, let us remind ourselves that the Fruit of the Spirit is not the Holy Spirit himself. However, the result of the HOLY SPIRIT’S presence within us as believers in Christ Jesus is the divine character traits cultivated in us as Christians.

Jesus reminded us also that without him we cannot do anything; that is why he encouraged his followers to abide in him, using the vine tree as an example.

Here is the scripture reference in the book of John Chapter 15:4 – ”I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” And in verse 8: ”By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be my disciples.”

Abiding is obedience, and when you do, you are watering the Fruit of the Spirit. If you are not abiding, you are not bearing. We bear fruit by abiding and attaching ourselves to the vine – Christ Jesus. In this way, we cultivate the Fruit of the Spirit, watering the character to grow – and the result is the Holy Spirit who resides in us.

And so here is the Gospel truth from the first book of Corinthians, which strengthens us about the Holy Spirit’s residency in us as Christ followers. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” [1 Corinthians 6:19, ESV].

The only way to fulfill the nine fruits of the Fruit of the Spirit is to walk in spirit and in truth to welcome the Holy Spirit’s presence in you – there’s no other better way I can put it.

As Christians, all our efforts are to do what is righteous, holy and good, for these are the works of the Holy Spirit within us. To a large extent, I am greatly persuaded that any effort I make to do right is a sign of the holiness of God’s grace at work in me.

Hence, let us acknowledge that, as Christians, we cannot please the Lord God without continually activating the Holy Spirit within us. It is our spiritual duty as Christians to show forth all the good virtues to bear FRUITS that CHRIST has planted in us to allow the HOLY SPIRIT to reside in us for divine holiness.

Since the Lord God loves us so much, He has given us the power of the Holy Spirit to take residency in our hearts, if we will receive it by Faith and with works.

It is a promise – the Spirit produces fruit, such as love, joy, and peace, representing power over the flesh.

Keep abiding and keep your Faith and Hope alive.

This is the Journal of Faith and Hope Diaries. Share!

FAITH AND HOPE EXERCISED – WILL MOVE MOUNTAIN

Faith can move mountains. “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” [Matthew 21:22, ESV]

The story of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda was faith and hope – he knew there was hope, and it was only a matter of time. For thirty-eight years, he never had his healing until Jesus came to his aid and healed him.

You would think the man would have at least some family members to carry him and dip him into the pool after the Angel of the Lord had come and splashed in it for miraculous healing of every sick person who entered.

This was not the case for the lame man, but he kept waiting at the poolside all these years, hoping he could one day have his healing by dipping quickly into the pool.
He kept his faith and never gave up. Refer to the book of John, chapter 5, verses 1-17 for the full story. [John 5:1-17, ESV]

The man had the faith that he would be healed if he could dip into the pool at the splash of the Angel. YES, he had the faith and hope, and he was always ready to exercise it. And he kept waiting at the pool day and night.

That expectancy finally happened, but not through a dip in the pool. His faith and hope for healing came through Jesus with a simple question from Jesus: “Do you want to be healed?” The lame man responded affirmatively, and Jesus, by his divine power, said to the man to take his bed and walk, and instantly the lame man stood up, packed up and went away.

So ultimately and summarily – after all these years, Jesus came, and without a sprinkle of water he asked the lame man to get up and walk – so immediately it happened.

Jesus coming by the pool of Bethsaida that day was divine to glorify his Father, the Lord God. It was the day that the lame man was supposed to receive his healing and breakthrough. Hence, when it came, it became a testimony that was taught in the lands at large, and it’s still being spoken and preached about to this day.

Faith kept with Hope and Focus – Even before Jesus came to walk on this earth, the lame man was at the pool, but he kept his faith and hope. Considering the number of years the lame man had been at the pool and bearing in mind Jesus’ age on the earth at that time, it could be construed that the man had been at the pool for so many years.

Hence, the lame man’s problem was there even before Jesus was born. Thus, ahead of Jesus time on Earth, this healing was meant for Him to glorify the name of our Lord God.
The lame man could not heal himself and relied on human help, but no help came from any man. In the wake of the inability of human effort, Jesus provided instantaneous healing through his word.

Keep Your Faith and Hope in Jesus Christ – So to all believers and non-believers who will find the lame man’s testimony as uplifting and inspirational, remember that whatever the situation is in your life now, the Lord will come through for you if only you will grow and keep your faith, hope, and focus on Jesus Christ. Don’t rely on human effort and intelligence.

A lot of the time, if our needs and requests are not being answered as we wish, we lose faith in the Lord and lose our hope in him. In those difficult periods, some people tend to backslide, but the Lord is our hope in all circumstances.

Don’t trust in man but in the Lord God alone. “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind. And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the Lord.” [Jeremiah 17:5, ESV].
“He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered.” [Proverbs 28:26, ESV].

The Lord God is always ready to fulfill his promises in your life. Believe in the Lord, that he will do it. Back it with faith and hope, but don’t believe in man for anything. You will have no answer from the Lord if you depend on man – that is, loathing of God.

Remember that every situation is different, but we realize that there is always an answer for the players involved. In all of these, we tend to compare and ask why me, and why that?

It is a mistake we make in our walk with Jesus; every story is different in life – it is timing, it is your faith and hope in Christ. How is your faith? Little faith; big faith; or great faith?

Jesus told them, “If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. [Matthew 17:20, ESV]
Don’t give up, but keep your Faith and Hope alive.

This is the Journal of Faith and Hope Diaries. Share