40 DAYS to a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with the HOLY SPIRIT

By DEB NICHOLS

Does your heart cry out for a deeper understanding of the power of the Holy Spirit and God's great love for all mankind? Have you ever wondered about God's intention for sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in each of us after the Crucifixion of Christ?

40 Days to a Personal Relationship with the Holy Spirit is a study of the ways the Holy Spirit operates through the disciples in the book of Acts. It takes scripture from the Word of God and ties it to a modern world we each face daily. Christ promised to send a helper once he was gone, and He did! That helper is the Holy Spirit, and by better understanding how He operates in each of us, we can stay more aligned with God's plan and begin to operate in Holy Spirit Power.

Dedicating this time, you will begin to see ways Holy Spirit would like to work in you, in your life, and through you to share the gospel of love to those around you. Be encouraged to open your heart and mind to the ways of Holy Spirit interaction. Take this forty-day challenge and more deeply dedicate your life to God and Christ through the Power of Holy Spirit!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798885400749

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40 DAYS to a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with the HOLY SPIRIT

DEB NICHOLS

ISBN 979-8-88540-073-2 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88540-074-9 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Deb Nichols

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, NKJV Thinline Bible Copyright ©2017 by Thomas Nelson, a division of HarperColllins Christian publishing, Inc., the Holy Bible, New King James Version ®Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction

Day 1

Choose to Be an Upper Room Disciple

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 1:1–2:4

Day 2

Believe in the Holy Spirit Power and Shake Off Negative Perceptions

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 2:5–13

Day 3

Be Baptized, Repent, and Allow God to Pour Out His Spirit on You

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 2:14–39

Day 4

Follow God's Principles to Receive Outpouring of Holy Spirit

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 2:40–47

Day 5

Give the Greatest Gift Ever!

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 3:1–26

Day 6

Stand Strong in the Power of Holy Spirit

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 4:1–22

Day 7

Seek Earth-Shaking Boldness

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 4:23–37

Day 8

Be of Pure Heart, Be Honest, and Be Faithful to God

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 5:1–6

Day 9

Do Not Test the Holy Spirit!

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 5:7–21

Day 10

Obey God, Not Man

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 5:22–42

Day 11

Be Filled with Wisdom and Exude Truth

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 6:1–15

Day 12

Trust in God

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 7:1–60

Day 13

Show Power and Love of God so All Will Believe!

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 8:1–13

Day 14

Be Filled with the Holy Spirit

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 8:14–17

Day 15

Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale!

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 8:18–25

Day 16

Believe in Transportation Power of the Holy Spirit

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 8:26–40

Day 17

Be Filled with Holy Spirit Knowledge

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 9:1–21

Day 18

Open Your Heart to Knowledge and Wisdom in the Holy Spirit

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 9:22–30

Day 19

Fear the Lord and Enjoy Comfort of the Holy Spirit

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 9:31–35

Day 20

Believe in Resurrection Power of the Holy Spirit

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 9:36–43

Day 21

Holy Spirit Is Guiding All Our Paths

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 10:1–23

Day 22

All Can Speak in Tongues

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 10:24–48

Day 23

Holy Spirit Knowledge Has a Purpose

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 11:1–30

Day 24

Be Open to Angelic Interactions

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 12:1–24

Day 25

Be Dedicated in Seeking Holy Spirit Power

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 13:1–3

Day 26

Holy Spirit Wisdom Identifies Evil

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 13:4–10

Day 27

Allow God Alone to Be Judge and Punisher

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 13:11–41

Day 28

Be Filled with Holy Spirit Fruits

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 13:42–52

Day 29

Only God Deserves Glory!

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 14:1–28

Day 30

God Knows the Heart

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 15:1–21

Day 31

Discern Spirit Wisdom to Increase in Holy Spirit Power

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 15:22–41

Day 32

Be Open to Holy Spirit Visions

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 16:1–40

Day 33

Discern Holy Spirit Leading to Preach or Not to Preach

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 17:1–18:17

Day 34

Repent of Evil, Speak in Tongues and Prophesy

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 18:18–19:10

Day 35

Receive Answer to Prayer with Holy Spirit Alignment

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 19:11–41

Day 36

Be All in and Win the Race!

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 20:1–24

Day 37

Be a Faithful Shepherd to Holy Spirit and Your Flock

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 20:25–38

Day 38

Receive Holy Spirit Confirmation through Fellowship of Disciples

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 21:1–23:35

Day 39

Seek Holy Spirit Power, Protection, and Sustenance in the End-Times

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 24:1–26:32

Day 40

Keep Listening, Keep Taking Action, and Keep Enjoying Fruits of the Spirit!

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 27:1–28:31

Afterword

Appendix A

Gifts of Holy Spirit

Appendix B

Growing in Closeness to God and Holy Spirit

Appendix C

Fruits of the Spirit

Appendix D

Armor of God

Appendix E

Scriptures of the Holy Spirit

About the Author

To the one true God Almighty—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit may all who read this and study Your Word, as documented in the Bible, seek, as I do, to humbly serve with gladness and singleness of heart, to follow Your path for all of our lives, forever and ever. Amen.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

—Psalm 19:14 (NRSV)

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate in cheerfulness.

—Romans 12:1–8 (NRSV)

May God bless you with the gifts and fruits of His almighty Holy Spirit!

Introduction

Of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

—Acts 1:1–3

This devotional is a forty-day walk through the book of Acts, focusing on the Holy Spirit and how Jesus calls us to operate in His almighty strength and power. You will be challenged to open your heart, mind, and spirit to the leading of the Holy Spirit and God. We each have a choice regarding what we fill ourselves with. The choices will either open space for the Holy Spirit or push Him away.

My prayer is this time of dedication will lead you to push out hurtful thoughts and priorities and allow the Holy Spirit to more completely fill you in the Word of Scripture and God's ways. Jesus promises,

You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. (Acts 1:5)

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. (Ephesians 2:18)

Open your heart and mind to be filled with the power of God and His ways, led by the Holy Spirit.

This study contains a Daily Scripture Reading and highlights the ways God and Holy Spirit operate through:

Gifts of Holy Spirit: discerning of spirits, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healings, miracles, various kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues, and prophecy.

Fruits of Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Communication Methods: internal voice, external voice, visions, dreams, and angels.

Ways to Grow in Holy Spirit: prayer, praise, singing, fasting, repentance, and obedience to God's discipline.

Holy Spirit filling is available to all who choose Christ as their Lord and Savior. This impartation supports us as we work to remove things from our lives that are not of God's Principles and build up in our lives habits that keep us on God's Path for our life. The next forty days will challenge you to grow into a more dedicated disciple for Christ, more closely following God's Principles.

Current Times

Like many, I do believe we are living in what the Bible refers to as the End Times. Jesus will come back on a cloud, mighty like a lion! In those times, there will be great tribulation. The earth will be erupting with signs reflecting the power of Almighty God, its Creator. During these times, I believe we will need to understand and be able to act through the power of the Holy Spirit as followers of God just as Christ did in the Bible, ultimately leading us to be called a member of the Remnant. I encourage you to take time to believe both in the power of God available to us through the impartation of the Holy Spirit and begin communicating and acting on that power.

This study is written chronologically, stepping through the book of Acts, examining the ways the Holy Spirit operated. The appendices have references to other works that delve more deeply into each method of operation of Holy Spirit power. Each day includes questions for you to document your experience and provide a record to look back on the ways God and Holy Spirit have communicated directly with you and worked in your individual life. This will lead to both a deeper understanding of what God is doing in your life and display the dedication God has to you individually, the role He wants to play in your life and the role He wants you to play in bringing His kingdom to earth. I encourage you to continue your study and journaling beyond these forty days, keeping the flow of communication continuous and Holy Spirit power active in your daily life.

God bless you and those in your life who will get to experience the pure love of God through the Holy Spirit! Now, let us walk together through Scripture to better understand and dedicate ourselves to growing in knowledge and action as disciples through the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Day 1

Choose to Be an Upper Room Disciple

Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 1:1–2:4

They went up into the upper room. (Acts 1:13)

Altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty. (Acts 1:15)

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1–4)

Message

There are believed to be at least five hundred people who saw Christ after His crucifixion and resurrection, and they were told to meet in the upper room. Jesus promised the appearance of a helper—Holy Spirit. He asked His disciples to have faith and trust that what He said was true. Yet only 120 believed deeply enough to make it there.

Each of us needs to choose to be an Upper Room Disciple if we desire to allow the Holy Spirit to actively operate through us. Spending time with God, reading His Scripture, taking time to pray and spend time listening for His voice will all support your efforts to draw closer to God. As you pray today, seek to be a follower of Christ who has made the choice to be an Upper Room Disciple.

Prayer for Day 1: Choose to Be an Upper Room Disciple

Dear heavenly Father,

Please count me among the Upper Room Disciples. I dedicate this time of worship and study over the next forty days to better understanding You and Your ways through the Holy Spirit dwelling in me. I pray You will help me feel His presence and hear His voice in the manner You have chosen for me. Please make this day equivalent to the Day of Pentecost in Scripture, filling me with Holy Spirit. Help me to begin