Laying of Hands Upon You

Reading from the Book of Acts 8:14-18, 10:44-46

^{Acts 8:14} Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
¹⁵ Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
¹⁶ (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
¹⁷ Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
¹⁸ And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given.

The Holy Spirit is the seed of eternal life that leads us to salvation. God gives His Holy Spirit to the truly repentant person after baptism by the laying on of hands by His true servants. Then, through the gift of the True Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ begins to live His life in us.

 ^{Acts 10:44} While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
⁴⁵ And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
⁴⁶ For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.
The Word of God teaches that though some people received the holy Spirit through the laying of hands, other times the Spirit was simply poured out upon people. The believers who came with Peter were amazed because they witnessed how freely the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the crowd as evidenced by their talking in unknown tongues.

You can ask God to fill you and baptize you in the Holy Spirit right now, right where you are, by simply praying. Then wait on God quietly and believe you have received that for which you asked.

A Choice To Be Humble

Reading from the Book of Matthew 23:12, 1 Peter 5:6

And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:12

Humility is a quality that is greatly underemphasized in today’s standards. The world today does not know what humility means, and they do not know how to appreciate it. More importantly, they do not know how to do it. The sad fact is they’re not all that sure they even want to have it.

Culturally, we're much more drawn to the energetic, dynamic, charismatic, crowd-drawing people. That's who gets the headlines and the attention. But if we listen closely and watch carefully, we can see in Jesus someone who is humble, but strong; humble, but charismatic; humble, but crowd-drawing; humble, but dynamic.

The same Jesus who stilled the storm and spoke to the crowds is the same Jesus who washed feet and died on a cross and held babies in His arms when it wasn't politically correct.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. 1 Peter 5:6

Humility is a choice. We’re never told in the Bible to pray for God to make us humble. It’s something you choose for yourself.

Humility doesn’t mean thinking of yourself less. It means thinking of others and God more. If you have experienced some success and are beginning to get prideful, then ask God to teach you how you can be humble. Make a conscious effort to change your perspective about who you are and where your success comes from.

Make a choice to be humble. Making a choice means you change your mind. You go from thinking one way about your life to thinking another way.