Category Archives: Holy Spirit

Bible, Holy Spirit, Intercession, Romans, Scripture, Son

ANOTHER INTERCESSOR

ROMANS 8:34

“who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”

One of the joys of my ministry is the privilege to pray for our Every Man a Warrior leaders around the world. Even today I had the privilege to pray with our leader in the Dominican Republic and another in the Philippines. I received thank you emails from another three others in Ghana, Zambia and Ethiopia for praying for them. Intercessory prayer is such a blessing. I pray you are interceding for others.

Back in verse 27 of chapter 8, Paul talked about how the Spirit “intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” The same word for “intercedes” is used again in today’s verse. I won’t rehash all I said back on verse 27. I refer you to that day’s blog entitled “Bullseye.” The word for “intercedes” means to hit the target. But in today’s verse, the intercessor changes. Now Paul says, “Christ Jesus is He…who also intercedes for us.” That’s double coverage! Wow!

APPLICATION

I like American football. Sometimes the defensive team will put double coverage on a player of the other team to prevent that player from scoring. Double the coverage cuts the chances a lot that the player will catch the ball thrown to him. Listen, the devil is trying to score as he accuses you daily. But since we have both the Spirit and the Son interceding for us, his chances are nil. We just have to trust our intercessors.

Why can Jesus intercede for us? Because, as Paul says in today’s verse, He died for us, was raised for us and now sits right next to the Father. He’s got the Father’s ear. Because the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are One, every time the Spirit intercedes for us, Jesus knows it and also takes that intercession to the Father. The Father is hearing it “in both ears.”

Never doubt that the Father hears your prayers. All through the Psalms and Proverbs we have verses telling us how the Father is listening to our voice. Psalm 5:3 is one of my favorites. “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.” We pray. We wait. We listen. But God has heard. Never, never doubt that. Satan wants us to doubt. He will accuse God of not listening, but if Satan’s lips are moving, he’s lying. You can bet on that.

I cry out to You, O Lord, and I know Your ears are bent towards me.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Holy Spirit, Intercession, Romans, Saints, Scripture

BULLSEYE

ROMANS 8:27

“and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

Every year when I start the hunting season, I like to take my gun out and zero in the scope. That requires setting up a target with a bullseye downrange and taking some shots. I want my bullet to hit within the area of that bullseye so that when I go out hunting, I will hit my target. If I don’t do that, my bullet will never land where it is intended.

Why all this talk about bullseyes and targets? The word used here by Paul for “intercedes” is not the same word he used in verse 26. It’s similar, but not the same.  HELPS Word-studies tells us that entygxánō comes from en, “in” which intensifies tygxánō, “to obtain by hitting the mark.” To go a little further, the root of tygxánō means “to strike, hit the bulls-eye. It is even used as the antonym of harmartia “to miss the mark, sin.” So, Paul is saying that the Holy Spirit is “spot on” when it comes to going to the Father for us. We can rest assured that His words will hit the bullseye of God’s heart.

APPLICATION

I love how Albert Barnes explains our relationship with the Spirit. “We are poor, and needy, and ignorant, and blind; we are the creatures of a day and are crushed before the moth. But in the midst of our feebleness, we may look to God for the aid of His Spirit, and rejoice in His presence, and in His power to sustain us in our sighings, and to guide us in our wanderings.” Isn’t that great? I just love the picture that paints for us.

You see, God knows our hearts. Proverbs 21:2 says, “All the ways of a man seem right in his own eyes, but God weighs the heart.” That’s not talking about how many kilograms your physical heart weighs. God weighs the heaviness of our hearts when we are going through those difficult times. You know how that feels, don’t you? We’ve all been there at some time. That is why God gave us the Spirit. It is He who goes before us to the Father, and He never misses.

I want to encourage you today that you are not alone. As a follower of Christ, you will never be left alone. Sure, human companions can abandon you. Family members can estrange you. But the Spirit of God will never, ever leave you. Why? Because He is on a mission orchestrated and implemented on your behalf. That’s shouting ground stuff right there.

Lord, I praise You for the “bullseye” ability of the Spirit to speak on my behalf.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Holy Spirit, Bible, Scripture, Intercession, Helping, Romans

THE HELPING, INTERCEDING SPIRIT

ROMANS 8:26

“Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;”

Have you ever been at a loss for words? I know some people whom I could never say that about. Lol. Just kidding. But seriously, we do have those moments when a sudden shock or grief hits us, and we just can’t articulate the words. I have had a few of those in my life. Fortunately, I have always had friends I could call to come and pray with me and for me. Do you have friends like that?

I just love this verse. Don’t you? We have a Comforter within us! Paul says that this Spirit of Christ “helps our weakness” and “intercedes for us.” That’s a double whammy, right? Most followers of Christ ignore or minimize the Holy Spirit. When we do that, we are not allowing the Lord to fully work in and through us. Let’s take a look at these two roles of the Spirit that Paul mentions in today’s verse.

APPLICATION

First, Paul says, “the Spirit also helps our weakness.” What does that mean? The works “helps” is sunantilambanomai (I dare you to say that five times real fast, lol). This is a triple compound word – sýn (closely identified with“) and antí (corresponding) and lambánō, (aggressively lay hold of). Picture two people grabbing the opposite ends of a large ice chest to carry it somewhere. That’s sunantilambanomai. It’s only used twice in the New Testament – here in Romans 8:26 referring to the Holy Spirit “grabbing the other end of our prayers to lift them to heaven” and also in Luke 10:40 where we read, “But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do the serving by myself? Then tell her to help me.’” Martha wanted Mary to grab her end of the work.

Then Paul says the Holy Spirit “intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” The word “intercedes” is huperentugchanó. It is only used here in Romans 8:26. HELPS Word-studies says, “hyperentygxánō (intercede) refers to the Holy Spirit interceding in every scene of our lives so we can ‘come in line with’ the Lord’s eternal purpose. The content of these intercessions goes beyond human language and includes bringing sacred mysteries into our daily walk with Christ.”

Wow! Did you know you had that in you? If you are a follower of Christ, you have a helper and interceder living within you. Christ put Him there the moment you said “yes” to Him. He flooded your soul and spirit with the divine Holy Spirit sent from heaven above. Tap into that power today. Let the Spirit speak in and through you to someone else.

Father God, I am guilty of not recognizing the power that is within me through Your Holy Spirit. Forgive me.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Adoption, Bible, Family, Holy Spirit, Redemption, Scripture

THE PRIVILEGE OF ADOPTION

ROMANS 8:23

“And not only that, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our body.”

I worked for over three decades in the field of Child Welfare. This ministry included working with Foster and Adoption programs in the Southeast United States. Adoption is a beautiful thing. It gives a child who needs a permanent, loving home a place to call home and the opportunity to become part of a family. But even after the court papers are signed and all the legal hoops are jumped through, that child does not receive the full benefits of being adopted until they go home with their new parent(s). Then they get their new home and family.

Paul explains the same is true for us as believers. Yes, we are adopted as children of God at salvation. We become His child, but we do not receive the full benefit of adoption until our arrival in heaven when our old mortal bodies are glorified and where we will live eternally. Nothing can change the fact of our adoption while we are here. We know exactly where we are going when our “number” is called. We will receive that full adoption.

APPLICATION

The phrase “adoption as sons” is the Greek word huiothesia, which is only used five times in the New Testament, all my Paul, and three of those times appear here in Romans (8:15, 23; 9:4). The words “and daughters” are not in the Greek text, thus the use of italics. Paul is not excluding females. Their inclusion as children of God is implied in the Greek word huiothesia. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are in His family through this adoption.

Through my years working with children, I saw a number of failed adoptions. Children were placed with a family, but due to the child’s behavior or other circumstances, the adoption fell apart. The rejection this child feels is enormous and has lasting impacts on their life. Our spiritual adoption as sons and daughters of God can never be rejected. God knows all our sins, all the dirt on us and still loves us as His own. Isn’t that comforting?

While these verses may never be brought up in a discussion about eternal security, they most certainly apply. God’s adoption of us can never and will never be broken. Paul even writes in Ephesians 1:5, “He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,…” If God decided before the foundation of the world to adopt us into His family, I don’t think He’s going to change His mind, do you? Live like you belong.

Father, You are my Father! You have made me Your child through adoption through Your Son.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Family, Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Romans, Scripture, Son

TEAMMATES

ROMANS 8:16

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,”

Two is always stronger than one. The combined strength of two individuals has proven to be stronger than the sum of each person’s individual strength. We call that synergy. I have worked with team for most, if not all, of my ministry career. Some teams were stronger than others. Do you know why? Because in those weaker teams we had some members who didn’t give their all. You have heard it said a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. So true.

Paul reminds us in today’s verse that we are not on this journey alone. The Spirit is front and center in our lives. It is He Who empowers us to live our lives for Christ. It is He through Christ Who guides our thoughts and minds. And it is He Who, if we will allow Him, will keep us from those sinful behaviors that so easily entangle us. We are a team, a heavenly team.

APPLICATION

It’s interesting to me that the only three times the Greek verb summartureó is used in the New Testament, they are used by Paul in this letter to the Romans (2:15; 8:16; 9:1). Check out this one commentary’s remarks on this phrase. “The testimony of our own spirit is borne in that cry of conscious sonship, ‘Abba, Father’; but we are not therein alone; for the Holy Ghost within us, yea, even in that very cry which it is His to draw forth, sets His own distinct seal to ours; and thus, ‘in the mouth of two witnesses’ the thing is established. (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary)

It is always good to have corroborating witnesses to prove a point. Here we have our spirit and God’s Spirit agreeing that we are children of God. Now, it would be one thing for us to say that on our own. I could claim to be the President of the United States. That claim wouldn’t go very far. If, however, that claim was backed up by the Supreme Court, I may very well be the President (don’t worry, I’m not, lol). Agreement with others carries weight.

This is why we should never, never doubt our sonship with the Father. The Spirit of God says we are. All we have to do is agree with Him. He knows it’s true. Jesus knows it’s true. The Father knows it’s true. Celebrate the fact that you are one with them. As Jesus said, “I am in you.” Believe that and receive it. What a promise. I am given the privilege to call on my Father in heaven whenever I need Him. And He hears. 1 John 5:14 says, “And we have this confidence before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Praise the Lord.

I am forever grateful, Lord, that You have given me the Holy Spirit to corroborate my testimony of being Your son.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Family, Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Relationships, Romans, Scripture

ABBA! FATHER!

Yesterday when I visited my daughter’s home, my little 18 month old grandson saw me when I came in the back door and came running. He is not calling my name yet, but his excitement and energy coming to me screamed, “Papa, Papa!” I can’t wait to hear him say that to me. And when he got to me, he practically dove into my arms. Here’s a pic to prove it (pardon the Band-Aid on the nose).

Paul’s use of “Abba! Father!” in today’s verse isn’t just a flippant use of Hebrew and Greek. No, this use of two words from two different languages was intentional and meant to convey a deep personal relationship. The phrase is used two other times in the New Testament which we will look at. Think of my illustration above. That’s the picture I want you to have in your mind when you hear “Abba! Father!”

APPLICATION

In Mark 14:36 we find Jesus using that phrase when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane praying. “And He was saying, ‘Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.’” Jesus was crying out to His Heavenly Father during a time of deep pain and torment. He knew He was destined for this moment, but in this moment, He turns to the most intimate relationship He had, His Father. We must do the same.

Paul writes in Galatians 4:6, “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba! Father!’” Here in this usage of the phrase, it is the Spirit crying out to the Father for us. Again, The Spirit and the Father are intimately connected. The Spirit only speaks what the Father tells Him to speak. He only moves as the Father tells Him. Shouldn’t we be the same?

Abba! Father! Daddy, daddy! Hear my cry! That is what we are saying when we use those words. We need to realize that the closet relationship we should have as followers of Christ is with the Father through the Spirit because of the Son. It’s a family thing. Remember, we are sons and daughters of the King. We have the right to call out “Abba! Father!” and to know He hears us. Amen!

I cry out to You today, Abba Father. Hear my cry!

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Holy Spirit, Inheritance, Reward, Romans, Scripture, Son

SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD

ROMANS 8:14

“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God.”

I have mentioned my dad a lot in these devotional blogs through the years. I loved my dad. He was a special man. I am proud to be Jack Willis’ son. I have a son. I pray he will be able to say the same about me one day when I am dead and gone. I have a son-in-law who lost his dad last year. I have claimed him as my son, and I hope he is proud to be in our family. Sonship is powerful.

So, when Paul says those “who are being led by the Spirit of God” are His sons, that is a powerful statement. It is not something that he simply writes down in this letter. Remember, every word of the Scriptures is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). You will notice the words “and daughters” is italicized. That is because those words are not in the Greek. The Greek word for “sons” can also mean children. So, this applies to males and females.

APPLICATION

This sonship (or daughtership I just made that word up) is predicated by “being led by the Spirit.” John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name,…” We have the right to claim this sonship, if we receive and believe. That’s what the Word says.

But “being led” implies obedience. The Greek word for “being led” means movement under authority. Isn’t that cool? We are moving under God’s authority through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Paul has been talking about this flesh versus Spirit thing for a while now in this letter. This isn’t an easy thing for most of us. We have to give up our rights and yield to His rights over us. I heard it said this way – “When we come to Christ, all our rights are nailed to the cross.” Have you allowed your rights to die on the cross?

Sonship also implies being an heir to the One you call Father. When my father passed, he left an inheritance to his children. We don’t receive an earthly inheritance when we die. But if we are a follower of Christ and are sons and daughters of God, we will receive a heavenly one. (Colossians 3:23-24). How good is that? We will leave all our earthly possessions to someone else, but in its place, we receive an eternal reward. That’s because we are His sons and daughters. Praise the Lord.

I am so thankful that You made me Your son when I accepted Your Son as my Savior and decided to follow Him.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Death, Holy Spirit, Life, Romans, Scripture

YOU WILL LIVE

ROMANS 8:13

“for if you are living in accord with the flesh, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Learning to live life to the fullest is something so many of us miss. We try to fill our life with stuff like careers, money, pleasures and the like. I have known so many people who were successful in the world’s eyes yet were miserable. You probably know someone like that. They work and work to find fulfillment in their lives only to come up empty in the end. It’s a sad story that is lived out far too often.

Paul is a master of contrasts in his letters. Today’s verse is no exception. He contrasts the futility of “living in accord with the flesh” with living “by the Spirit.” The first leads to death while the other to life. The Greek word Paul uses for “you will live” is the Future Indicative Middle of zaó which is a prominent verb used throughout the New Testament. It is used in some form over 120 times. This verb describes the life that is only truly available through God, specifically His Son Jesus.

APPLICATION

The Topical Lexicon’s concluding statement on zaó says this, “Zaó saturates the New Testament with the theme that true life, in all its dimensions, flows from and points back to the living God revealed in Jesus Christ. The church’s proclamation, practice, and hope are therefore inseparable from the vibrant pulse of zaó. Our life should always point back to the Life-giver.

This life permeates every aspect of our life – even in our giving. Look at 1 Timothy 6:18-19. “18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” Only by giving can we truly gain this life. I am not referring solely to money, although that is part of it. When we stop focusing on ourselves, we can experience this life Paul is talking about.

In our verse today, zaó is in the Middle voice. Why is that important? Because the Middle voice implies that it is you doing the living. Technically, it is Christ in you. But He doesn’t make us into mind numbed robots. We have a choice to make each and every day whether or not we will live like Him. What is your choice today? Are you allowing Him to live through you? It is really the only sure way to live.

Father, today I choose to yield myself to You so that You can live through me.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Debt, Flesh, Holy Spirit, Romans, Scripture

A CLOSER LOOK

ROMANS 8:12

“So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—”

Sometimes when you see, hear or read something, the real meaning does not come across. In this day of AI, we have to be extremely careful not to believe our first glances of things. What may appear to be real may actually not be true. That principle applies to Scripture as well. You need to look closely at the text and the context of the verse to get the full meaning.

That certainly applies to today’s verse. If you just read this verse by itself, you might think Paul is saying “we are under obligation…to live according to the flesh.” How preposterous is that? Paul would never tell us to do that. He had just been telling us how we are to live in the Spirit. That’s the context (read verses 8:9-11). Our obligation has shifted from death through the flesh to life through the Spirit.

APPLICATION

The Topical Lexicon says, “Believers no longer owe allegiance to fallen desires; their new debt is to live in step with the Spirit who secured their adoption.” Paul tells us in Colossians 2:14 that Christ is the One who has changed our obligation. “having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” That old debt or obligation is dead. Praise the Lord.

I think it’s interesting that the same word used here for “obligation” is used also in Matthew 6:12 where Jesus taught the disciples to pray. He said, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” God has wiped away every debt we ever owed or will owe through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. All we have to do is receive it and follow Him.

What are you in debt to right now? I don’t mean your mortgage or car loan. I mean what do you feel indebted to besides the Spirit of God? We should have no other debtor besides Him. As Paul says in today’s verse. We are not under obligation to the flesh or anything connected to it. We are in debt to the Spirit of God within us. Live like it.

Thank You for freeing me from the debt of sin and giving me a fresh start through Your Spirit.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Holy Spirit, Indwelling, Jesus, Resurrection, Romans, Scripture

RESURRECTED BODY     

ROMANS 8:11

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

One day this old mortal body of mine will give out. I’ve always told people that my heart only has so many good heartbeats, so I don’t want to waste any of them exercising. Lol. Seriously, I know my physical body is getting older. I simply can’t do what I used could do. I know my limitations physically. There is nothing I can do to stop the fact that I will die one day. That doesn’t bother me because I am ready to meet my Lord.

Why all the doom and gloom? Well, I don’t mean it to sound that way. Paul’s verse today speaks of the Spirit resurrecting Jesus from the dead. That’s great news, right? The even better news is that the same Spirit Who dwells within us will not only resurrect our mortal bodies one day, but He gives life to us right now. My body got a spiritual recharging when I received the Spirit of Christ through salvation.

APPLICATION

There are two very different schools of thought on this verse. Some say it refers to our resurrected bodies when Christ raptures the church. Our mortal bodies will be changed in an instant. Paul refers to this in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. “16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” I’m ready for that, are you?

The other thought on this verse doesn’t ignore that, but they think this verse is mainly referring to the supernatural life-giving change that takes place in our mortal bodies now. Since God sees us not only as we are but also as we will be (glorified), we even now live in resurrected bodies. Sure, these mortal bodies are still subject to sin and death, but our spirit is unified with the Spirit of Christ who raised Jesus from the dead. That’s real power.

The Greek word for “mortal” is only used six times in the New Testament. The word is thnétos which means “liable to die.” This physical body will succumb to the grave at some point unless Jesus returns before then. Paul uses this word in 2 Corinthians 4:11 which gives us a view of this thought our resurrection exists also now. “For we who are alive are always consigned to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal body.” We must allow the life of Jesus to be revealed now if we are followers of Jesus. Live a resurrected life today.

Thank You, Lord, for the power of Your resurrection in my life today.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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