A Prayer to Start the Week: A Prayer of Praise for the Multiple Ministries of the Holy Spirit

Heavenly Father, I’m particularly grateful today for the person and work of the Holy Spirit, the member of the Godhead whom I often take for granted. Though I don’t understand everything he’s up to, these things I humbly and gladly affirm today . . .
Just as assuredly as Jesus stood outside of Lazarus’s tomb and said, “Come forth,” you sent the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel to my heart, and I came out of the tomb of my sin and death a new man in Christ. How I praise you for your sovereign goodness and irrepressible power! Unless you’d breathed new life into my spirit—unless I’d been born from above, I would have never become a follower of Jesus. I could have never known the peace of complete forgiveness and the covering of his perfect righteousness.
When you raised me up in Jesus, you baptized me with the Holy Spirit, making me a member of your family and Christ’s bride. You sealed me for eternity by the Spirit, marking me as your very own possession. You sent the Spirit to live as a permanent resident in my heart—to convict me of sin; make me like Jesus; constantly preach the gospel to my heart and tell me that I’m one of your cherished children. O, the peace these great truths bring!
According to your declaration and doing, I’m already controlled by the Holy Spirit. I am no longer controlled by my sinful nature—great news, indeed! You’ve given me all the gifts of the Spirit I need to live as an active member of Jesus’ church and a caring servant in your kingdom. I lack nothing and should whine about nothing. And the Spirit is the firstfruits and guarantee of the full inheritance Jesus earned and secured for us, your beloved children. Nothing can separate us from your love and presence. What a generous and compassionate God you are. Therefore, I acknowledge my desire to be more fully and consistently filled with the Holy Spirit; to walk according to the Spirit; to keep in step with the Spirit; and to set my mind on what the Spirit desires. All to which I say, “Hallelujah, what a Savior! Hallelujah, what a salvation!” I pray in Jesus’ most beautiful and worthy name. Amen (Scotty Smith)