Dearest Ones,
All day long, it seems I'm calling on the Holy Spirit to direct me to make right decisions. He doesn't whisper in my ear to give me answers either, but often works through others, if only I can recognize Him. How do I know if the Holy Spirit is leading me or if it's my own will? If I feel peaceful, I believe it's the Spirit. If I feel selfish and restless, I know it's my own will. I pray to the Holy Spirit to enlighten me before writing these emails, so hearts will be open to Jesus. We all have the gifts of the Holy Spirit, if we were baptized. The precious gifts of wisdom, understanding, kindness, gentleness and many more are right inside of us. Jesus told His followers they were not at all prepared to go out and tell others about heaven, without the Holy Spirit; but with the Spirit they would go without fear and even do greater things than He did! What a promise - I wonder what it would be like to do greater things than Jesus did...heal the blind, make the lame walk, etc. I wouldn't mind that gift, but Jesus said that gift is ours, if only we believe! He said they would be better off if He went to heaven because only then would the Spirit come. "He who is within you is greater than he who is in the world. The Holy Spirit will tell you everything you need to know." These promises was made to all of us - not just to the apostles.Without the Holy Spirit there is no Christianity. The Holy Spirit is an essential part of our life. When Pope John Paul was a little boy, his father gave him a prayer to the Holy Spirit, which he said every day of his life. We know this Pope was one of the holiest popes in the history of the Church - maybe because of this prayer?Without the Holy Spirit, the apostles were wimpy and weak - afraid to let others know they even knew Jesus. Peter denied three times that he knew Jesus. Only one apostle, St. John, stayed with Jesus at the foot of the cross. The rest all ran away. After the death of Jesus, the apostles hid together in the Upper Room out of fear they would be crucified, too. After nine days of hiding and praying, the Holy Spirit came, releasing them from their fears.It was only after Jesus rose from the dead, when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, that they had a complete change. After the Spirit took away their fears, they couldn't wait to tell others the wonderful news that Jesus rose from the dead. They were bold and fearless. They were brave and even willing to die for love of Jesus. They were EVEN able to heal people in the name of Jesus. We have the same Holy Spirit the Apostles had - we can do what they did, if only we believe. Who is this Holy Spirit? He is the LOVE of God! Everybody's hungry for love. How can you tell if you have the Holy Spirit? It's very simple - you feel loved by God. You can't follow the Holy Spirit and not be happy. The apostles were filled with JOY because they felt loved by God! When the Holy Spirit comes, He fills people with joy and no one can take away that joy! Lots of people know about Jesus, but do they really know Him? How do you get to know Him? Make an appointment with Jesus, bring your Bible, get in a place by yourself, invite Jesus to sit beside you - let Him love you and teach you. Get to know Him, as a personal friend. Here are some references that will help: John 14:16-18 John 14:26 John 16:12-28. Don't just read..... pray, study the Bible. I love my Bible - I even kiss it! It's my friend. We Christians can't afford not to pray. We have so much, but unless we keep in touch daily with Our Lord, we will fall into the devil's traps. The devil tricks you into believing you don't need to pray - you can make it alone. That's when he has you right where he wants you - he can do anything with you, if you don't pray. If we eat three times a day - why not pray that many times? Don't let prayer be just what you do before meals - pray to the Spirit throughout the day. Pray to Him about everything. Through prayer, God makes us holy and we reflect the goodness of Jesus in our lives. If we really believe in the power of the Holy Spirit, we won't be able to keep it a secret. If you had the cure for cancer, would you keep it quiet and not tell others? That's the way it is with this super power within us - why keep it quiet, when the Spirit wants so much to help us? We are not facing life all alone - as an orphan would. We have a Helper! To ignore the Holy Spirit is like a starving man having a million dollars in the bank, but not using it.
HE IS RISEN HAPPY EASTER
Sister Francelle
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