Tag Archives: holy-spirit

Do what You promised!

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
October 12, 2025: SOAP #5792: Nehemiah 7-8; Acts 1

SCRIPTURE:  Acts (NIV) 1:1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. …
4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.”
6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

OBSERVATION:  In verse two, we see that the Holy Spirit that descended on Jesus at the beginning of His ministry (Luke 3:22, 4:14,18-19) continued after His crucifixion and resurrection.  Earlier He had told them to go into all the world, and after seeing the resurrected Jesus, they were ready to go!  But here He tells then not to go anywhere UNTIL then have received the empowering of the Holy Spirit.  After receiving that empowering they will take the gospel to the ends of the earth ie, Asia, Africa, Americas, etc.! 

APPLICATION:  To do what Jesus tells us to do, we need the same power that Jesus had during Him ministry.  He did not minister as God, but as a man empowered by the Holy Spirit.  To do what Jesus tells us to do, we need what He provides to empower us!  

PRAYER:  Lord, I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit, keep me full of your Holy Spirit.  Use me for your glory.  Teach me to walk in humble obedience to you.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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It is amazing!!!

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
June 25, 2028: SOAP #5683: Joel 1-3; 2Timothy 1

SCRIPTURE:  2Timothy (NIV) 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 

OBSERVATION:   That the Spirit of God living within lifts us above our fears can be seen in the life of Peter.  When Jesus was on trial, before a maiden Peter denied even knowing Jesus.  (Matthew 26:69-75)   But after he was filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, Peter boldly stood forward before a multitude and preached for them to repent.  (Acts 2) 

APPLICATION:  God has given us the same Holy Spirit He gave Peter.    The Holy Spirit expresses His power through us.  He motivates us by love.  He helps us keep selfish desires from controlling our lives.   

When we receive Jesus as the Lord of our lives, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. (John 20:22) Then when the Holy Spirit comes upon us to anoint us for service, He begins releasing the manifestations of His presence through us.  (1Corinthiane 12:7)

The Holy Spirit is a key part of our being drawn to Jesus, of our new birth, of our spiritual growth, and of our service to the Lord.  He was sent to be another comforter like Jesus.  (John 14:16)  

PRAYER:   Heavenly Father, You knew what I needed.  You knew how much I need the Holy Spirit to live in me.  The same Holy Spirit that lived in Jesus (Romans 8:11), and then in Peter, now lives in me!  It is amazing!   Amen

Pastor Leon
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Filled

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
June 9, 2028: SOAP #5667: Ecclesiastes 10-12; Psalm 94; Ephesians 5

SCRIPTURE:  Ephesians (NIV) 5:15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

OBSERVATION:   I have found that being full of the Holy Spirit helps me to live wisely, helps me to take advantage of every opportunity, and helps me to understand the will of the Lord. 

The Holy Spirit enters our lives when we first accept the forgiveness that God offers to us through the sacrifice of Jesus. (John 20:22)  He is the one who draws us to Jesus.  But there is a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit available to all believers.  He fills us, he empowers us, the gifts of the Spirit begin flowing through us.  The book of Acts is a testimony of how God uses people who have been “baptized” or “filled” with the Holy Spirit! (Acts 1: 8 and 2:4) Instead of them containing the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit contains them. 

APPLICATION:  The expressions of God’s love were released by Jesus through His spoken word and/or the touch of His hand.  The same was true in the book of Acts.  And God is still the same, He wants to flow through our spoken words and the touch of our hands.  He wants to use us as ministers of His peace, His healing, His wisdom.  Expect God, the Holy Spirit to move in you and through you.  The initial filling of the Holy Spirit is often accompanied by the gift of tongues.  Do not think it strange, but remember that the primary ministry of the Holy Spirit is to exalt Jesus!  

PRAYER:   Holy Spirit, thank you for drawing me to Jesus and the cleansing that comes through His death on the cross.  Thank you for living in me.  I ask you to fill me through and through with your Holy Presence and power.  Flow through me in expressions of your love.  I pray in Jesus Name, Amen. 

Pastor Leon
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Sealed by the Holy Spirit!

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
June 8, 2028: SOAP #5666: Ecclesiastes 7-9; Ephesians 4

SCRIPTURE:  Ephesians (NIV) 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

OBSERVATION:   Here we see the personality of the Holy Spirit. It is possible to cause Him grief.  He is not an impersonal force without feelings.  It is our responsibility not to grieve Him.  Through the choices we make, through our words and actions, we can cause God hurt.  What a shame to hurt the One Who loves us so! 

The Holy Spirit seals us.  A seal is used for several reasons.  One use is for identification.  Jesus’ tomb was sealed with the seal of Rome.  A letter was sealed with wax containing a special identification.  Another use for a seal is as a lock to keep things safe.  And a third use is for security, as a “no trespassing” sign to those who would unlawfully try to enter.  And a seal is often used to validate a document. 

APPLICATION:   We are sealed with God, the Holy Spirit!  How we should appreciate the Presence of the Holy Spirit!  

His presence validates that we are indeed children of God.  He who descended upon Jesus when Jesus was baptized begin to work in us and people recognize that we have been changed.  There is something causing us to be more like Jesus.  As we follow the leading and direction from the Holy Spirit, we see Him working trough us. 

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, when your Son Jesus returned to heaven, how special it was of you to send the Holy Spirit to become an important part of each believer’s life.   What joy He brings into our lives!  How we need His guidance!  How faithfully He reveals truth.  Instead of grieving the Holy Spirit, may I be a source of joy.  In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Holy Spirit (3)

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
June 6, 2025: SOAP #5664: Ecclesiastes 1-3; Psalm 45: Ephesians 2

The Holy Spirit  (3)

SCRIPTURE:  John (NIV) 16:12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

OBSERVATION:   I hear Jesus saying that there is so much more that they need to know, but they are not ready to hear it.  There are important things they need to know, but His time for being with them is short; there is not enough time to tell them all they need to know; He is returning to the Father. However, Jesus is not desperate.  There is a plan.

The plan is to send the Holy Spirit.  As the previous verses tell us, the Holy Spirit will bring Jesus words to our memory.  Jesus is not relying on the faulty memory of man, but on the omniscience of the Holy Spirit to remind them!  

The plan is to send the Holy Spirit.  As the following verses tell us, the Holy Spirit will “guide … into all truth.”  It does not matter that Jesus only has a few hours left with them, the Holy Spirit is coming!   It does not matter that their memories are unreliable, the Holy Spirit is coming!  It does not matter that they may feel abandoned for a short time, the Holy Spirit is coming!   It does not matter that they do not know everything, the Holy Spirit is coming!

APPLICATION:   The Holy Spirit who was active in the book of Acts after Jesus ascended back into heaven, is the same Holy Spirit who is active today!  Some of the things happening today are very similar to what happened in the book of Acts. 

God’s plan for today is the same plan for the days of Acts.  God is relying on the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers!  He is counting on the Holy Spirit to lead us and teach us. 

PRAYER:   Jesus, thank you for sending the Holy Spirit!   Holy Spirit, we know you are here to teach us about Jesus and to work in and through us as you did in the life of Jesus.  May our ears be attentive to what you say.  Show us how to glorify Jesus with our daily lives.  Amen. 

Pastor Leon
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The Holy Spirit (2)

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
June 5, 2025: SOAP #5663: Proverbs 30-31; Psalm 33; Ephesians 1

SCRIPTURE:  John (NIV) 16:7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you….
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

OBSERVATION:   Jesus was preparing the disciples for His departure.  After His crucifixion and resurrection, He only remained on earth for 40 days, and then returned to heaven.  He told them that it was good for them that He was going!  That must have been hard for them to accept, but He told them why it would be good for them.  When He left, the Holy Spirit would sent to them. 

It would be good for them because God the Holy Spirit would not have the limitations that God the Son had to accept in order to be crucified for our sins.  The Holy Spirit would not be limited by a physical body.  He would remain omnipresent and could be with each disciple 24 hours of every day. 

They did not have to wait until Jesus arrived, or go find his location, the Holy Spirit would make each believer’s heart His home!   Through the ministry and presence of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is always with us! 

APPLICATION:   When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts.  Jesus spoke of Him as “another counsellor.”  (John 14:16)  Jesus was leaving, but He was not going to leave the disciples without someone like Himself to walk with them through this world.  He had been with them when they were together, but the Holy Spirit would be IN them!   Really, this was so much better. 

PRAYER:   Holy Spirit, I need you to guide my thoughts as I write these SOAPs.  And I pray for each reader.  Speak to them so that they learn to hear your voice in their heart and mind.  Reveal truth to them so that they may grow stronger each day.   Amen

Pastor Leon
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The Holy Spirit

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
June 4, 2025: SOAP #5662: Proverbs 28-29; Psalm 60; Romans 16

SCRIPTURE:  2Timothy (NIV) 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Ephesians (NIV) 3:4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.

1Thessalonians (NIV) 1:5 …because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. …

2Peter (NIV) 1:20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

OBSERVATION:   In the past six months many people have come to faith in Jesus through various outreaches of people working with SOAP ministry.  Many live in places where Bibles are not readily available.  It is somewhat similar to the book of Acts days when the church began.  Many people came to have faith in Jesus, but they had no Bibles readily available.  Old Testament on scrolls were in synagogues, but no one could afford them in their home.  The New Testament had not yet been written.

Of course, they listened to their leaders who had more understanding and had been set as leaders for their church.  BUT MOST IMPORTANT, the Holy Spirit, who was the author of the scriptures had come to live in each believer!  They each had a personal relationship with the author of the scriptures!    

APPLICATION:   It cannot be stressed how important it is for each of us to listen to the Holy Spirit speaking.  It was the Holy Spirit that convinced us that what we had heard about Jesus was true.  It was the Holy Spirit that put the compelling thoughts in our mind and heart to pray, asking Jesus to forgive us and make Him Lord! 

And as we read the scriptures available to us (like those above) it is the Holy Spirit that convinces our hearts of their truth and puts thoughts in our mind as to how we can apply those truths to our lives. 

PRAYER:   Holy Spirit, you who inspired men to write the scriptures, reveal truth to me.  Show me how to live a life honoring Jesus and my Heavenly Father.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pleasing God

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
May 15, 2025: SOAP #5642: 1Chronicles 25-27; 1Thessalonians 4

SCRIPTURE:  1Thessalonians (NIV) 4:1 Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.

OBSERVATION:   Here we see that our goal is to please God.  Our whole lives should be lived for the approval and pleasure of God.  When we accepted Jesus as our Savior (saving us from the wrath of God that will be poured out on sin), when we acknowledged Him as our LORD, He cames to live in us by His Holy Spirit. 

If I am going to please God, first, I need to know what pleases Him and what displeases Him.  Of course, there are many scriptures in the Bibe that can help us understand what God likes and dislikes.  But not everyone has a Bible—but every believer has something even better!!!   The scriptures were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and He cames to live in us when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior!!!!   Amazing, the author of the scriptures actually lives within us!!!

APPLICATION:   Of course, if I have a copy of the Bible, I need to be reading it.  But if I do not have a copy of the Bible, I need to learn to hear the Holy Spirit speaking in my heart.  When things please God, the Spirit is peaceful.  When things do not please God, the Spirit stirs uncomfortable feelings or thoughts.  It is then I need to be quiet and open my heart to what He is saying.  Many times, the Holy Spirit will bring a strong thought to my mind to show me what to do.  Of course, God also uses people to bring us His messages.  When He does, you will sense the Spirit within giving approval.

Be sure to spend time every day, just talking to God—praying.  Be sure to make some of the time just being quiet and listening.  Whatever portion of scripture you have, value it.  Let God know that His word is important to you.   

PRAYER:   Lord, However you speak to me is important!  Speak into my heart and mind.  Speak to me through people you have sent to help me.  Help me understand how much you love me and how I can best please you.   Amen. 

Pastor Leon
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In me and Through me

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
March 29, 2025: SOAP #5595:  Judges 6-7; Psalm 52; 1Corinthians 14

SCRIPTURE:  1Corinthians (NIV) 14: 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace – as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people…
40  But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. 

OBSERVATION:   I have heard it said that the first law of heaven is “order.”   Heaven is definitely orderly.  Everything is in place.  Everything has purpose. 

I cannot imagine the control tower of a major airport being disorderly.  The order of the landings and the planes waiting their turn to land are maintained in an orderly fashion. 

The universe speaks of order.  The galaxies and solar systems all have order.   They are an expression of an orderly creator. 

So, it should not surprise us that God wants order in His church.  The highest order in a church gathering is when the Holy Spirit directs the body of Christ in ways that bring glory and honor to God the Father.   

APPLICATION:   There have been times when my path took me places that appeared very disorderly.  However, in looking back, I can see that God had ordered my steps with purpose.  Sometimes it was for me to be God’s instrument of peace and order. 

My life is peaceful and orderly when it is directed by the Holy Spirit.  First, the assurance of His presence in my heart maintains peace in me.  Then, the Holy Spirit directing my actions and words helps establish peace through me in my environment. 

PRAYER:   Holy Spirit, bring your order to every area of my life.  Work through my words and actions to bring peace to others.    Amen

Pastor Leon
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What A Teacher!

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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
March 05, 2025: SOAP #5571:  Deuteronomy 1-2; Mark 12

SCRIPTURE:  Mark (NIV) 12:1 He [Jesus] then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey…

OBSERVATION:   When Jesus taught heavenly principles, He always used earthy illustrations that would be easy for people to understand.  He used illustrations from their everyday life, things with which they were already familiar.  When Jesus returned to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit to continue this ministry of revealing truth.  (John 16:3)

APPLICATION:   When the Holy Spirit shows me something new, I often come away thinking, that is so simple.  The most profound truths are put in the simplest of terms so that even I can understand them!  

The Holy Spirit is a good teacher because 1) He perfectly understands the truth, 2) He perfectly understands each of us, and 3) He communicates with each person individually. 

He is with me when I read the scriptures.  He is with me when I hear a preacher or teacher or a word of prophecy.  He rode the school bus with me and made me aware of things that demonstrated spiritual truth.  The Holy Spirit sparks my heart to receive truth and then apply it.  The Holy Spirit is my personal tutor.  I could not ask for a better teacher.  (And the same is true for each believer!)

PRAYER:   Holy Spirit, thank you for being my teacher.  As I write these SOAPs give me clarity of thought.  Help me understand what you are saying and help me communicate the truth in ways that are easy for readers to understand, and easy to translate.  Thank you for being with each SOAP reader and showing them what is important for them to hear and apply.  Amen. 

Pastor Leon
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