Daily Dose of Hope

November 4, 2025

Scripture - John 14:15-31

Prayer: Holy God, We come before you today rejoicing in your powerful name. Thank you for who you are and all you do. Thank you for loving us. Help us gather our scattered thoughts, help us set aside distractions, and truly focus on you right now. In these next few moments of silence, Lord, we want to hear your voice...In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, a devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. We are currently doing a deep dive of the Gospels and Acts. Today, we finish John 14.

We have just read about how Jesus has washed his disciples' feet, shared a Passover meal with them, and even predicted their denial. Now, he has moved into this long extended time of teaching. He wants them to understand what is coming. Jesus is saying, there are confusing, hard days ahead. In fact, over the next few chapters, he warns them of this several times–things are going to get really tough. Jesus knows that in a few short hours, he will be arrested in the garden, his trial will soon begin, and cross is looming large. He is preparing them for what's to come...He won't be with you them body anymore—but will send the Holy Spirit (he calls the Spirit the Advocate, which comes from the Greek word Paraclete meaning the helper, the one who comes alongside).

Jesus basically says this is what I promise that Spirit will do in your life: The Spirit will constantly be with you and constantly be guiding you, leading you, teaching you, reminding you of all the truths I have taught you. In fact, you can think of the Holy Spirit as a gift. You can think of the Spirit as my presence with you always. And if my presence is with you always, then even in the midst of confusion and trouble, you can have peace. It's the Holy Spirit that will allow you to experience a special kind of peace that is only possible connected to Jesus; it's a peace the world absolutely does not offer. How incredible.

Jesus then tells them he has to go away. Remember, they really don't understand any of this. It's going to take time, reflection, and perspective, and the Holy Spirit, for this all to really come together for them.

But it's worth mentioning that 50 days later, in Jerusalem, in another room, the believers are gathered together, hiding and waiting, not really sure what's going to happen...when the Holy Spirit shows up and fills the believers. This changes absolutely everything.

While we will talk more about Pentecost when we cover Acts 2, I do want to talk a bit about the Holy Spirit today. What does the Holy Spirit do in our lives?

Assures believers that they belong to God. I can't tell you how many I've counseled that worry that they haven't really been accepted by God. They have asked for forgiveness and said yes to Jesus Christ, been born again, but there is something within themselves that still makes them think they aren't deserving or that God doesn't want them or love them. The Holy Spirit, working within us, has the power to assure each of us that yes, God has accepted us and adopted us as his own.

Romans 8:14-16, For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father." For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children.

Galatians 4:6, "And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father."

Helps us become more Christ-like, more holy. It is the Holy Spirit's job to produce Christ-like character in you. When we talk about the Holy Spirit changing us from the inside out, this is what we are talking about. This process of changing us to be more like Jesus is called sanctification. You can't reproduce the character of Jesus on your own or by your own strength. New Year's resolutions, willpower, and best intentions are not enough. They will only get us so far. It is the Holy Spirit that has the power to make the changes God wants to make in our lives.

Philippians 2:13, God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

When we hear the phrase, "the power of the Holy Spirit," many people think of miracles and intense emotions. But most of the time, the Holy Spirit's power is released in our lives in quiet, unassuming ways that you aren't even aware of or feel. The Holy Spirit convicts us when we have done something wrong, The Holy Spirit often nudges us, sometimes with "a gentle whisper" and other times with a not so gentle whack to the head.

Strengthens Our Faith. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit within us that our faith grows stronger and stronger, even in the midst of hard circumstances.

Ephesians 3:16-18, I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

I love this imagery of roots going down deep into God's love to keep us strong. How deep are your roots? Are they shallow?

When we are weak, when we don't know the words to say, the Holy Spirit prays for us on our behalf, kind of holds us up if you will.

Romans 8:26-28, And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Do you need deeper roots? Is your faith wavering? Spend some time asking the Holy Spirit to help.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki