The Spirit Helps Us Honor and Obey
Month 10: Loving One Another · Walking in the Spirit
Today's Scripture
Read together: Ephesians 5:18–21 & Philippians 2:13
18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. — Ephesians 5:18-21
13 For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose. — Philippians 2:13
Memory Verse
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”— Ephesians 6:1 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Mark 4–5
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time.The Heart of It
Here's something easy to miss. The command "Children, obey your parents" in comes right after the command to "be filled with the Spirit" in . That's not an accident. Paul lists what a Spirit-filled life looks like. It sings to the Lord. It gives thanks. It puts others first in the fear of God. And then Paul flows straight into how families treat each other. So honoring your parents isn't something you do on willpower alone, off in a corner by yourself. It's part of what happens naturally when the Holy Spirit fills a person. The Spirit who lives in you actually wants to help you obey. And He gives you the power to do it.
That's why is such a comfort. It says, "It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Read that slowly. God works in us to will. That means He helps us truly want to obey. And He works in us to do. That means He helps us carry it out. So when obedience feels impossible, you're not stuck trying to squeeze good behavior out of an empty tank. You can pray, "Holy Spirit, I don't even want to obey right now. Please change my wanting, and then help me do it." This is the heart of walking in the Spirit. We don't strive in our own strength. We are filled and carried by His. The same Spirit who gave the disciples power at Pentecost gives a tired child power to honor mom and dad with a glad heart.
Around the Table
The Holy Spirit lives in your heart. He helps you listen and obey. You don't have to do it all by yourself!
Let's do it: Hand on your heart: "Holy Spirit, help me obey with a happy heart today!"
Being filled with the Spirit and honoring your family go together. The Spirit gives us the want-to and the can-do.
Let's talk: When obeying feels too hard, what could you say to the Holy Spirit?
Being filled with the Spirit leads right into how families live. Obeying is fruit the Spirit grows. It isn't just our own effort ().
Let's go deeper: says God works in you "to will and to do." How does that take the pressure off? And where does prayer fit in?
💬 Conversation Starter
When have you done something kind or obedient that surprised even you? That might have been the Holy Spirit's help at work!
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Some people say lasting change is impossible. "People never really change," they tell us. But across history, men and women filled with God's Spirit have been changed in ways willpower can't explain. People stuck in addiction have been set free. Bitter hearts have grown gentle. Changed lives are real evidence that the Spirit is real.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Classic Pentecostal teaching insists the Spirit-filled life isn't reserved for dramatic moments. It is the ordinary engine of everyday obedience, including the small obediences of family life. This reframes discipline entirely. Your aim isn't merely to extract compliance. It is to point your children to the Helper who can change their wanter. Behavior modification without the Spirit produces Pharisees, not disciples. And here is the searching part. Your kids will only believe the Spirit empowers obedience if they watch you depend on Him rather than on your own temper and grit. Before you correct, pray to be filled afresh. Lead from Spirit-supplied strength, not white-knuckled willpower. Character always matters more than performance.
Draws on: Robert Menzies, Pentecost; Sam Storms, Practicing the Power.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Make us want to obey. Then help us actually do it. When honoring is hard, give us Your power and a glad heart. In Jesus' name, amen."
I don't obey on my own strength. The Spirit in me gives me the want-to and the can-do.