Since Christ first promised His disciples He would return, Christians have wondered if their generation is the one that would witness the fulfillment of that promise. And probably every generation since has thought itself to be the last generation, basing their belief on the perceived or actual declining moral standards of society in their day. Yet for all the speculation and hearsay, only one generation can be the final generation, and all the evidence points to ours.

For centuries, Christians have used anecdotal evidence–such as “things have never been so bad” or “look at all the evil in the world”–as a basis for believing their generation was the last generation of this age. Yet very few biblical signs of Christ’s return, if any at all, were present for these preceding generations.

Now, fast forward to the present day, when almost every sign of Christ’s return is present. Israel is once again a nation, poised to fulfill the final seven years of God’s divine plan (Daniel 9:24). Travel and knowledge have dramatically increased (Daniel 12:4). Russia, Iran, and a unique coalition of anti-Israeli nations are gathering in concert (Ezekiel 38-39). The European Union, cultural and geographical heir to the ancient Roman Empire, has emerged on the world scene as a legitimate superpower (Daniel 9:26), and many other end-times prophecies (too numerous to list here) have been fulfilled or are in the process of being fulfilled in our time.

But one of the most recognizable signs that our generation is in the last days is that ours is the first generation with, or about to acquire, the technology necessary to fulfill many of the end-times prophecies. In fact, the book of Revelation describes several key events that will transpire on earth during the Tribulation period, which require mankind to be in possession of advanced technology. Some of these technologies mankind has already acquired; others will be developed in the very near future.

Let’s examine these technologies:

The Whole World Looks upon Them

Revelation 11 describes one such technology, which will allow the whole world to look upon the bodies of God’s two witnesses:

“When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them. He will conquer them and kill them. And their bodies will lie in the main street of Jerusalem, the city which is called ‘Sodom’ and ‘Egypt,’ the city where their Lord was crucified. And for three and a half days, all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will come to stare at their bodies. No one will be allowed to bury them. All the people who belong to this world will give presents to each other to celebrate the death of the two prophets who had tormented them” (Revelation 11:7-10, NLT).

The fact that all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will stare at these bodies has been fertile ground for modern speculation, with many Christians believing that, for the first time in history, this prophecy can be fulfilled through satellite news coverage on CNN or MSNBC. It’s true that this is unprecedented in human history. Yet the ability to view any area of the planet via a cable news network feed does not, of its own merits, mean that this prophecy can presently be fulfilled.

The verse specifically says “all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations” will stare at the bodies, not “some of” the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations. In our day, the technology capable of bringing this event to fruition remains unavailable to much of the world’s population. However, in the very near future, the cost of this technology will significantly decrease in proportion to its power, providing much of the Third World with the media access it currently lacks. As a result of a trend toward more powerful and cost-effective technologies, human progress will ultimately lead to the ubiquitous use of high-bandwidth video feeds on cell phones, PDAs, and other handheld devices most of us probably have yet to imagine.

In addition, the development of molecular manufacturing (MM) will make poverty as we know it a thing of the past. Humanity will still be divided into rich and poor, but today’s rich will envy the poor of a society where even the most destitute of citizens is in possession of extremely powerful, high-bandwidth networking devices. Moreover, the exponential advancement of technology will allow for the creation of virtual reality realms that will enable the end user to “experience” live events in another location.

As a result, for the first time in history, it will be possible for the entire world to simultaneously view or “be present at” a particular geographical location, just as Revelation 11 predicts. This fact alone is strong evidence that our generation is the first generation ever with the capability to witness Christ’s return.

No One Can Buy or Sell

In addition, the Bible has long foretold of a time when a specific individual will institute a worldwide system controlling all of human commerce:

“He required everyone–great and small, rich and poor, slave and free—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name” (Revelation 13:16-17, NLT).

The “he” described in this passage is the Antichrist, who will have unprecedented control over all worldwide financial transactions. In fact, he will have so much power that he will be able to determine on a case-by-case basis which individuals will be allowed to buy or sell anything.

As the development and advancement of human technology continues, not only will such an elaborate and detailed system of financial control become possible, it might well become necessary. Such a system would be the natural result of the development of molecular manufacturing and the widespread adoption of home-based, desktop, 3-D printing capability—a technology that counterfeiters of our day would kill for.

In the near future, governments will find it nearly impossible to distinguish counterfeit paper currency and metallic coins from their genuine counterparts. Today’s counterfeiters have access to the latest and most sophisticated printing technologies, making it quite difficult for the average citizen to identify counterfeit currency anyway. But, as printing technologies move from the two-dimensional realm into the three-dimensional realm, where every atom and molecule is in its proper place, no amount of watermarking or tamper-proof technology will be able to prevent a counterfeit currency from being indistinguishable from the real McCoy.

Given that most of the world’s currencies are fiat currencies (meaning value is completely derived from the public’s willingness to accept the underlying value of the currency), such an environment of rampant counterfeiting would destroy the international monetary system unless drastic change is implemented. The only method of currency verification a government could implement would have to involve direct tracking and oversight of all currency in the monetary system. And under such a system, what would be the actual point of paper currency or metallic coins? The vigilant fraud prevention necessary to protect the monetary supply would have to involve sophisticated electronic-banking encryption software and/or stringent personal identification verification technologies. One, the other, or both in the hands of government regulators would provide the government in question with unprecedented power over its citizenry.

As a result, for the first time in history, a government would be in a position to eliminate the existence of black markets (with the exception of those that involve bartering). For the first time ever, a government could literally control who is able to buy and sell.

The Mark of the Beast

In fact, such a scenario is exactly the one the Bible describes for the last days. As previously mentioned, the book of Revelation states:

“He required everyone—great and small, rich and poor, slave and free—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name” (Revelation 13:16-17, NLT).

Verifying whether or not someone is authorized to buy or sell based on a mark has theoretically been possible throughout history. However, given the level of control described by the Bible, enforcement of such a system (and the suppression of the inevitable black markets that will emerge) has been completely out of reach for previous generations. Taking this passage in its full context, even today’s world lacks the technology to completely enforce such a system of commerce. But the day is rapidly approaching when such a system will be within man’s reach.

A tattoo, by itself, is simply not sufficient to enforce such a system. In order to succeed, the distinguishing mark most also be paired with a worldwide database containing the necessary information relevant to the individual and his or her ability to make a financial transaction. While it’s certainly possible that a dictator could’ve mandated such a system in years past, the enforcement mechanism would’ve been lacking. Those without the mark might have faced discrimination or otherwise be ostracized from their community. But a mark by itself can do nothing to prevent the emergence of a black market. As long as the worldwide monetary system involves currency that can be stored, hidden, and traded in secret, government attempts at control will always lead to the emergence of a black market for commerce.

However, once a stand-alone currency is taken out of the equation and financial transactions are moved completely into the electronic realm, it will no longer be possible to store, hide, or trade currency in secret. An electronic monetary system of this type would have been inconceivable to our forefathers. But our generation is completely emerged in its predecessor.

Technology to Conquer and Control the World

Just as the massive global destruction chronicled in the book of Revelation remained beyond the comprehension of man until the development of the atomic bomb, the idea of one man becoming the undisputed leader of the world was beyond the realm of possibility for previous generations. Yet the Bible clearly states that one man will temporarily rule the entire world:

“And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation” (Revelation 13:7, NLT).

This man is known as the Antichrist, and not one person will escape the reach of his rule.

Even now, the technology required to conquer and control the population of the world does not exist. Most people remain under the illusion that it does, but destroying one’s enemies or conquering a territory is quite different from the process of administering that territory—especially when that territory’s citizens are hostile to the foreign intrusion. In 2008, the world’s most dominant military power was the United States, yet its efforts to govern and reshape the population of Iraq illustrate just how difficult such an undertaking can be. Administering and governing this relatively small state proved costly, both in man power and financial resources.

Now, imagine the United States attempting to administer, regulate, and govern all the states and territories in the world. That’s a tall order.

Nevertheless, some will still argue that it’s certainly possible for a world power to conquer and govern all the states of the world. A totalitarian regime could simply murder all who pose the slightest threat to the status quo. Regimes of this kind (such as Saddam Hussein in Iraq or the Taliban in Afghanistan) have succeeded in taking state control of a population to heights never before achieved. But still, both of these societies were home to black markets, secret resistance movements, and other elements of dissent. No society has ever achieved the level of population control the Bible predicts for the Antichrist’s kingdom. The logistics of such a detailed and individual level of control have simply made such a scenario impossible.

However, the day is fast approaching when this will no longer be the case.

In his Future Brief article, “A Global Surge Protector,” Mike Treder makes the following observation: “For, until our time, conditions have not made it possible for true world domination to exist.”

Treder is comfortable making this assessment because he is intimately familiar with the emerging technology of molecular manufacturing. Molecular manufacturing will lead to the immediate creation of extremely cheap advanced technologies capable of aiding an individual or a small group in the task of dominating and controlling the world population.

Here’s a glimpse of what the world would look like under such a scenario:

Government surveillance will be “god-like” in its scope and capability—seeing everything, hearing everything, and knowing everything. Try to envision “nanodust”—particles the size of a single speck of dust complete with on-board cameras and listening devices. This nanodust is as plentiful and difficult to remove as the natural dust people encounter every day. The construction of trillions of these sophisticated devices will be possible to achieve at negligible cost, thereby making them ubiquitous.

Outfitted with advanced artificial intelligence software, these devices sift through continuous video and audio feeds, searching for predetermined patternsthat indicate potentially “aberrant” behavior as defined by the state. Such a world isn’t difficult to imagine. Similar pattern recognition technologies are already in widespread use. In the future, they will simply be extended to applications that encompass all human behavior on a global scale.

The aforementioned scenario isn’t as futuristic as some believe. The technologies described will emerge suddenly with little time for the world to plan or adjust to their impact. Nevertheless, if current trends continue, they will come. This is just another reason why our generation is unique in its ability to fulfill the prophecies catalogued in the book of Revelation.

Conclusion

No generation before ours could have realistically expected the fulfillment of the aforementioned end-times prophecies. While the Tribulation features supernatural acts by both God and Satan, our generation is the first capable of fulfilling the book of Revelation’s prophecies without a need for supernatural acts to accomplish the feats described therein.

This is one of the strongest arguments that ours in the last generation prior to the return of Jesus Christ. However, it’s also one of the least accepted, because it’s difficult for people living in our times to recognize just how completely unique and unrecognizable our world is compared to that of previous generations. But if a person takes the time to study and examine human history, it becomes clear as day that Christ is knocking on the door.

Would it have been realistic for the whole world to literally watch an event unfold prior to our generation? Of course not, yet it would seem like business as usual for our generation.

Would it have been realistic for a single individual to control world commerce prior to our generation? Of course not, yet our generation is the first to conduct the majority of its sales and purchasing transactions electronically. In this day and age, is it really difficult to believe a single government could control all financial transactions?

Would it have been realistic for a previous generation to create a giant, worldwide database containing the financial history of every single individual on earth who accepted a mark? Of course not. Such a system, without the aid of powerful computers and sophisticated software, would have been a costly, bureaucratic sea of inefficiency, incapable of monitoring financial transactions. Yet our generation is the first that can conceivably implement such a system.

Would it have been realistic for a previous generation to set up a truly global government, governing its citizens with ruthless efficiency and little threat of revolt? Of course not. Not only has nationalism stood in the way, but the logistics of such an undertaking are well beyond the capabilities of human beings unaided by powerful technologies. Yet, in the very near future, not only will such an undertaking be possible, but many will argue that it’s absolutely necessary.

For our generation, the writing is on the wall. Jesus Christ is coming soon! The question every person should ask is whether His coming will bring indescribable joy or abject horror. The choice is ours to make.

One of the most comforting prophecies found in the Bible involves the promise of Jesus to send His followers the Holy Spirit. The very Spirit of God Almighty, the Holy Spirit’s origins far predate those of mankind, having been present from the very beginning:

“The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters” (Genesis 1:2, NLT).

In fact, even though Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to His disciples, the Old Testament provides evidence that those of faith prior to Christ’s coming could also enjoy the comfort and powers of the Holy Spirit. Several ancient figures, including those who penned the various books of the Old Testament, were said to have been filled with this Spirit. As the Scriptures say of Othniel in Judges:

“The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge” (Judges 3:10,NLT).

The New Testament confirms this, citing that the origin of all prophecy in Scripture is the result of God’s Holy Spirit:

“Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20–21, NLT).

But what’s most intriguing about this indwelling of the Holy Spirit is that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ paved the way for all of us to experience this gift from God:

“Then John testified, ‘I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, “The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God’” (John 1:32–34, NLT).

John testified that Jesus of Nazareth would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Prophesied the Coming of the Holy Spirit

Just as John prophesied, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. His ministry, murder, and resurrection changed the course of human history forever. Jesus promised His disciples that, in His absence, He would send them the Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of truth:

“But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry” (John 15:26–27, NLT).

This Spirit is easily identifiable, as He always testifies on behalf of, and about, Jesus Christ.

The Arrival of the Holy Spirit

This prophecy of Jesus was fulfilled on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended from Heaven and filled the believers who were meeting together:

“On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability” (Acts 2:1–4, NLT).

Peter then goes on to explain that this experience was also prophesied by the prophet Joel long ago:

“Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike” (Joel 2:28–29, NLT).

This fulfillment of prophecy occurred because of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ:

“God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today” (Acts 2:32–33, NLT).

Peter could make the above statement with authority, not just because he was filled with the Holy Spirit, but because he was a firsthand witness of the resurrected Jesus and His promise. Chirst promised His disciples the arrival of the Holy Spirit, a helper who would provide them with the power to witness to the world on His behalf:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NLT).

The Purpose of the Holy Spirit

So what is the purpose of the Holy Spirit?

The presence of the Holy Spirit in your life will lead to great transformation. Being “born again,” you will become a new creation, meaning the sinful desires of your old life will now yield to the desires of Christ. This process doesn’t require a bolt of lightning or a dramatic Hollywood epiphany. The transformation is sometimes gradual, but it’s nevertheless quite noticeable:

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT).

Power Over the Sinful Lifestyle

This baptism by the Holy Spirit is not for the purpose of the cleansing from sin, but for the purpose of empowering us for His service. The blood of Christ on the cross is what washes away the sin of our past life, but acceptance of this gift results in the believer ceding authority over his personal life from himself to the Holy Spirit:

“Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace” (Romans 8:5–6, NLT).

A person directed by the Holy Spirit is truly a new creation! The ways of the old life are discarded in favor of a new life of peace and reassurance based upon hope and trust in the person of Jesus Christ.

A New Life

Paul reminds us that to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, to have Him directing your life, is the same as to have the Spirit of Christ living within you. Those who claim to love Him but lack His Spirit do not belong to Him at all. If they did, He would give them new life:

“You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you” (Romans 8:9–11, NLT).

Paul reiterates this concept in His letter to Titus and reminds us that the Holy Spirit comes not as a result of our own great deeds, but solely as a result of the kindness and love of our great God and Savior:

“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4–5, NLT).

The Holy Spirit Spreads the Gospel

In addition, Paul testifies to the power of the Holy Spirit to lead people into a life of belief:

“They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit” (Romans 15:19, NLT).

The Holy Spirit plants the initial seed of the gospel in the heart of every person. The more a person listens, the more the Holy Spirit reveals to that person—so much so that those who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ are completely unable to understand God’s spiritual truths. They see it all as foolishness:

“But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, ‘Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?’ But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:10–16, NLT).

Human wisdom cannot understand the Spirit of God. To the human mind, the gift of Christ and His sending of the Holy Spirit is foolishness. Humans living apart from the Spirit cannot make sense of it! But despite their inability to understand, the Holy Spirit is equally available for every person, for the Holy Spirit individually testifies to every person:

“I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true” (John 18:37, NLT).

To be born again and be filled with the Holy Spirit, one must first acknowledge the Spirit of truth, and the Spirit of truth testifies that everything Jesus Christ said is true. He is the Son of the Living God!

Lifelong rejection of this truth only leads down the road to destruction:

“So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come” (Matthew 12:31–32, NLT).

The Holy Spirit as Counselor

The Holy Spirit is also an advocate for the teachings of Jesus Christ. Since the Holy Spirit is the very Spirit of Christ, we are never without His counsel:

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you” (John 14:26, NLT).

The Holy Spirit provides wisdom and counsel to those who listen, and the Holy Spirit gives glory to Christ. This is how you will know if the Holy Spirit is your advisor:

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me’” (John 16:13–15, NLT).

The Holy Spirit will always glorify Jesus and the Word of God. The Holy Spirit will always remind a person that he is a sinner in need of Christ’s saving grace. The Holy Spirit, if you listen, will continually speak to you, directing you to follow God’s commandments and love your neighbor as yourself. In these ways and more, the Holy Spirit is the constant presence of Jesus Christ, teaching and instructing us in all manner of godly living.

How Do You Receive the Holy Spirit?

To truly belong to God, a person must be born again. Jesus explained this concept to Nicodemus long ago:

“Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.’ ‘What do you mean?’ exclaimed Nicodemus. ‘How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?’ Jesus replied, ‘I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, “You must be born again.” The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit’” (John 3:3–8, NLT).

When a person believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, accepting His blood as a sacrificial payment for his sin, that person is filled with the Holy Spirit. He then becomes a part of the body of Christ, the very children of God:

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God” (Romans 8:14, NLT).

As the very Spirit of Christ, the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts is the means by which God identifies those who belong to Him:

“It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us” (2 Corinthians 1:21–22, NLT).

As Peter explains, to receive the Holy Spirit, a person must repent of his sins and turn to God, relying upon the blood of Jesus Christ as payment for his sins:

“Peter replied, ‘Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles—all who have been called by the Lord our God’” (Acts 2:38–39, NLT).

This is the way to receive God’s Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

During His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ prophesied the coming of the Holy Spirit. Before He made this promise, John the Baptist told his disciples the same thing. In fact, he pointed to Jesus as the One who would baptize with “the Holy Spirit and fire”:

“John answered their questions by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire’” (Luke 3:16, NLT).

Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled John’s prophecy, and He spread His blessings of hope and salvation to the ends of the earth, not just to the benefit of the Jewish people, but to all people who are born into this sinful world:

“Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:14, NLT).

As a result of Christ’s work, all who believe in Him receive the promised Holy Spirit through their faith, and this Spirit empowers and guides them to holy living. As such, those who are filled with God’s Spirit are empowered to spread this good news to all people who remain ignorant of the blessings that await them, for the Holy Spirit is freely available in great abundance to all who are willing to seek it and ask for it:

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (Luke 11:9–13, NLT).

If you haven’t yet asked God for the gift of the Holy Spirit, ask Him today. Do so with a sincere heart, and He will give you a new life beyond that which you could ever dream possible!