Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 02, 2022: SOAP #4594: Isaiah 4-5; Psalm 115-116; Jude

SCRIPTURE: Jude (NIV) 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21 Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

OBSERVATION:  In his short letter of warning about various false teachers, Jude ends with some specific things that believers should do.  I doubt if any homes during Jude’s day had a written portion of any scriptures, Old or New Testament. They would only have what they remembered from the sermon at the last gathering. So, their relationship with the indwelling Holy Spirit was a priority.  They needed His inner guidance. 

They could keep an up-to-date relationship with the Holy Spirit by praying in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit would guide their prayers.  The gentle Holy Spirit would be at peace in their hearts as they lived within his direction.  But when they moved into danger, their hearts would be troubled. (Matthew 3:16 and Ephesians 4:30)

APPLICATION: If I want to please my Lord, I must learn how the Holy Spirit speaks to me.  I must recognize His approval or disapproval.  Praying in the Spirit helps me develop a keen sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, I thank you for the written scriptures that you have made available for me.  But even more, I thank you for the Living Spirit, the author of those scriptures, who dwells inside me.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
On Facebook:  Today’s SOAP from Pastor Leon