The Comforter

 

“and I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever…But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name…” – John 14:16…26 (JUB)

During His time on earth, Jesus was comforter to His disciples, but the time had come for Him to depart, to go back to the Father. At His announcement, the disciples were overcome by sadness as they contemplated what a future without Jesus would mean – loneliness, helplessness, desolation, victimization.

John 14:16 and 26 reveal to us that Jesus, very aware of the great sorrow that filled their hearts, promised them “another Comforter”, the Holy Spirit. Jesus assures them that He was not about to leave them comfortless; they would not be left alone, and Another, just as Divine as He is Divine, would take His place.

This promise of “another Comforter” was not for the disciples of that time only but is for every single believer, then, now, and in the time to come.

As Comforter, the Holy Spirit is not just called to our side, but when we receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour – born again from above – abides within us. Therefore, as believers in and followers of Jesus Christ, the Comforter is our constant companion, ever present, ready and prepared to stand by us and take our part in everything in which we require consolation and help.

Beloved, today, determine to remember that you have an ever-present Comforter with you when troubles arise, in times of sadness, dejection, despair, loneliness, helplessness, and fear.

 

Let us pray,

Father, I thank You for the indescribable gift of Your Holy Spirit, the Comforter, Who never leaves my side. 

I thank You for this divine Comforter, the promise of all promises, abiding within me to bring me comfort in every area of my life. 

Blessed Spirit, my Comforter, You are here and so I am never alone. Reveal to me this day, the deep and glorious things about my Lord Jesus, things that fill my heart with comfort, joy, peace, and rest. 

I thank You divine Comforter for Your presence abiding in me and Your manifesting power working in me, as I pray in the Name of my Lord Jesus, now and forever more.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “The Comforter” © 2013 (20-Sep-13) revisited September 8, 2026

My Hope

 

 To those who were to receive what he promised, God wanted to make it very clear that he would never change his purpose; so he added his vow to the promise. There are these two things, then, that cannot change and about which God cannot lie. So we who have found safety with him are greatly encouraged to hold firmly to the hope placed before us. (Hebrews 6:17-18 GNT)

Let us pray…

 

Lord, I believe with complete confidence that Your perfect plan for me will eventually happen – this is my hope, Lord.

Today, I accept the fact that You are in control, in good times and bad and I choose to praise You for the “what” even though I do not understand the “why”.

Lord, Your Word says that we are to “hold firmly to the hope placed before us” and that is what I am doing now. I am holding on firmly to the hope which You, throughout Your Word, have promised.

You never lie, so I believe that it is safe and sure.

Now to You Lord Who promised us hope even before the ages began, be all praise, honour and majesty, in the Name of Your Son and in the power of His Name.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “My Hope” © 2012 (28 Dec 2012) revisited September 7, 2026

Sword or Plowshare?

 

Beating Sword into Plowshare Statue at the U.N.

“…beat your swords into plowshares…Nation will not take up sword against nation…”

This particular phrase is found in Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3. What does it mean and how does it relate to us?

We know that swords are tools of warfare, while plowshares are tools used for preparing the ground for planting; a plowshare actually cuts loose the hard top layer of the soil.

Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians tells us that we are to “Take… the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God” to defend ourselves against our spiritual enemy (6:17).

So, from what we now know, it’s clear to see that we are not to use the Word of God as a weapon of warfare against each other but rather we are to take God’s Word and use it to soften the hearts of our fellowmen – to cut away the hardness of their hearts in order for it to yield – so that the Word may be planted.

When we use the Word as an instrument of condemnation, as we so often do, we create conflict in the hearts of others, and they remain conscious of their sin.

When we use the Word as an instrument of grace, we bring a sense of community and peace in the hearts of others and Jesus Christ is revealed, for they begin to “…walk in the light of the Lord” (ref. Isaiah 2:5).

Are you using the Word of God as Sword or Plowshare?

Beloved, God wants us all to “pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another” (Romans 14:19), in so doing God’s truth is illuminated in our hearts.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Sword or Plowshare?” © 2014 (6-May-14) revisited September 6, 2026

Jesus creates the sense of need

 

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I will give him will never be thirsty again. For my gift will become a spring in the man himself, welling up into eternal life.” – John 4:13-14 (Phillips)

Recently, a friend of mine took up the challenge to drink one gallon of water a day for thirty days. That’s a lot of water, but I’m sure that on day thirty-one she still became thirsty. No matter how much water you drink – pipe borne, bottled, sparkling, or filtered – you “will be thirsty again”.

That’s what Jesus impressed upon the woman at Jacob’s well. All the water that man can give you, from the deepest dug well, you’ll be thirsty again and again but He had water to give that would “become a spring” in her, continually bubbling like a flowing fountain. She’d never be thirsty again.

Intrigued, the woman knew that was the water she wanted, that was the water she needed. Jesus had created in her the sense of need.

The woman said, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may stop being thirsty—and not have to come here to draw water anymore!” – John 4:15 (Phillips)

Oh, what a turn of events! She was now asking Him for water – Jacob gave the well through long and hard labour (John 4:12) but drinking from it, one will be thirsty again. This is not the water that Jesus offers. His water is no ordinary water; Jesus has a hidden source of spiritual water which He wants to give to you.

This was now Jesus’ third statement, and still the woman hadn’t seen the spiritual meaning in what Jesus was saying to her. Like the ones on the Emmaus Road (see Luke 24:13-35), she too was slow to recognize that she was in the midst of a divine encounter, but that was about to change.

The beginning of the Samaritan woman’s transformation and ours starts with the realization that we are desperately in need of something so much greater than what our long and hard labour can accomplish.

Beloved, when we realize that nothing and no-one but Jesus can satisfy that sense of need in us, is when we realize our need for Jesus and cry out, “give me that water!” (John 4:15 GNT).

 

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Jesus creates the sense of need” © 2017 (March 21, 2017) revisited September 5, 2026

Quenching Your Spiritual Dehydration

 

Are you so dehydrated that even your bones feel dried up? This is no normal dry spell where a drink of cold water quenches your thirst. You’ve tried everything but nothing you do is satisfying this dryness that you’re feeling. That’s because your thirst is not physical but spiritual.

You’re in a spiritual drought, in the middle of a dry-bones valley with no hope of quenching your spiritual dehydration.

“…the middle of a valley; it was full of bones…and they were very dry.” (Ezekiel 37:1, 2 NRSVUE)

Right now, even though all you see around you is desert, know that there is hope, for God has provided a source of full and everlasting satisfaction for your spiritual dehydration.

El Yeso Reservoir Chile

Only God can make springs gush forth in the valleys (Psalm 104:10); only God can turn a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water (Psalm 107:35 NRSVUE) and to anyone who is thirsty, it is only God who gives water as a gift from the spring of the water of life (Revelation 21:6).

This God-given spring is a spring that never runs dry. This never-ending flow of rehydration is available to whosoever believes in His Son Jesus Christ.

Jesus Himself tells us of this wonderful thirst-quenching spring of water when He said, “…those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” (John 4:14 NRSVUE).

Also, in John 7:37-39 we read, “…Jesus…cried out, Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me, and let the one who believes in Me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ Now He said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive…” (NRSVUE)

This precious water is the Holy Spirit promised to anyone who believes. The indwelling Spirit of God is the source of this spring of everlasting satisfaction. Only He can quench your spiritual dehydration.

Beloved, how wonderful it is to have this bubbling spring of water within you that completely satisfies even to the bone.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Quenching Your Spiritual Dehydration” © 2014 (30-May-14) revisited September 4, 2026

Time to reconnect

 

Ezekiel chapter 37 speaks of a valley full of bones; these bones represent people who are spiritually lifeless. Lifeless with no useful purpose because they weren’t connected in a body. These scattered bones were very dry.

The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”  – Ezekiel 37:1-3 (NIV)

There are 206 bones of varying shapes and sizes in an adult human body. And each of these bones is of special significance in that, connected, they make up the solid framework of the body.

The Hebrew word for “bone” is “etsem” which also bears the meaning, “substance” or “essence” – symbolic of one’s core or innermost self – that part of us which provides stability and strength.

There are times when even though we’ve gone through the process of spiritual regeneration, for one reason or another, we become spiritually parched, empty and useless, like very dry bones.

At some point along the path, we experience a disconnect where we seem to function but really have nothing to give. Our connection to God feels as if it’s broken and we’re unable to connect, even with other people, in any meaningful way.

If this happens to anyone who is serious about their spiritual journey, then they must determine to re-establish and maintain a connection to God through the Holy Spirit within.

The dry bones of Ezekiel’s vision may have, at first, spoken of hopeless death but with God there is always the hope of resurrection and restoration even if your bones are very dry. When the Lord asked Ezekiel can these bones live, Ezekiel gave a wise response.

“Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” – Ezekiel 37:3 (NIV)

Ezekiel understood that it is God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not (ref. Romans 4:17). Even though God instructs Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bones, the power of resurrection lies with God.

The time to reconnect had come. Ezekiel was obedient to God’s direction and guidance and there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone (Ezekiel 37:7 NIV).

Reconnection happened right before Ezekiel’s eyes – bodies stood up but now all they needed was the breath of God to bring them to life. When God breathed into them, what was once dead became alive, and what was once broken was restored.

Beloved, nothing is beyond the reach of God and God is not beyond your reach. If you’re feeling disconnected from Him and others in any way, the time to reconnect is now.

Reconnection entails God’s quickening of your spirit, but you must offer yourself to Him again, allowing Him to breathe life into your life. Be obedient to His instruction, direction and guidance. If God tells you to prophesy over your dry bone circumstances, then prophesy.

Know that Ezekiel’s vision of hope is still relevant today.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Time to reconnect” © 2026 September 2, 2026

 

 

My One

 

Believers are children of God.

when the right time finally came, God sent his own Son. He came as the son of a human mother and lived under the Jewish Law, to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might become God's children. (Galatians 4:4-5 (GNT)

And as a believer, you are to be and are even now, one with God (read John 17:20-26)

I gave them the same glory you gave me, so that they may be one, just as you and I are one: I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one (v 22, 23 GNT)

Jesus prayed for believers to be one, not just with one another but with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

 To show that you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who cries out, “Father, my Father” (Galatians 4:6 GNT)

Jesus, as John 10:30 records, emphasized that He and the Father are One.

Jesus is One with the Father and believers are one with Jesus, therefore you are also one with the Father.

In Jesus, believers are one as individuals and one as a whole, that is the Church as the Body of Christ.

Christ is like a single body, which has many parts; it is still one body, even though it is made up of different parts. (1 Corinthians 12:12 GNT)

Whether you understand it or not, Jesus’ oneness with the Church, His Body of believers, is a complete unity, even though the process is not yet complete.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope to which God has called you. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; there is one God and Father of all people, who is Lord of all, works through all, and is in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6 GNT)

Believers have a specific purpose; an important role in the bigger scheme of things.

It was he who “gave gifts to people”; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers. He did this to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ. And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ's full stature. (Ephesians 4:11-13 GNT)

Beloved, spiritually, you are one with God; you have joined yourself to Him (see 1 Corinthians 6:17). You are in Him and He in you, mutually my One/My one.

Too many believers don’t quite get it, there’s a disconnect from the deeper understanding of being one and the significance of this “My One” concept and its power to enrich every area of their lives is missed.

Time to reconnect.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “My One” © 2026 September 1, 2026