DAY 8: THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES LIFE
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses… And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you… And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes.” —Ezekiel 36:25–27
DEVOTION
I live in Las Vegas, Nevada, where most days can be described as brutally hot. Occasionally, we’ll get some rain—but we get plenty of wind.
When the wind blows through our city, you can feel it. Dust and pollen fill the air, the beautiful blue sky fades to a yellowish gray, and if you have allergies like me, the watery eyes and sneezing begin quickly.
Wind is fascinating because although you cannot see it, you can feel its presence and eventually see its effects.
In Scripture, the Holy Spirit is often associated with wind and breath. The Greek word pneuma and the Hebrew word rûaḥcan both mean spirit, wind, or breath. This imagery reveals something powerful about what the Holy Spirit does: He breathes new life into spiritually dead hearts.
Jesus explained this during His late-night conversation with Nicodemus:
“Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God… Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” —John 3:5–8
Nicodemus was a respected religious leader, but his knowledge, morality, and religious activity could not give him spiritual life. He did not simply need to become better—he needed to be born again.
We all do.
Nearly six hundred years earlier, the prophet Ezekiel had spoken of this same miracle. God promised to cleanse His people, remove their hearts of stone, give them hearts of flesh, and put His Spirit within them. Jesus was showing Nicodemus that this promised new life comes through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit does what human effort cannot do. He awakens spiritually dead hearts, cleanses us from sin, gives us new desires, and empowers us to walk in obedience to God. As Titus 3:5–6 declares:
“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”
We cannot produce this life through good behavior, religious activity, or personal determination. New life is a gift of God’s grace, made possible through Jesus and brought about in us by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said it plainly: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all” (John 6:63).
That is what we desperately need today: a fresh wind of the Spirit breathing life into hardened hearts, broken homes, weary believers, and spiritually dry churches.
Holy Spirit, breathe on us and bring life to every place that needs it.
PRAYER
Holy Spirit, thank You for giving me new life through faith in Jesus. I confess that my own effort cannot change my heart or produce the life only You can give. Remove every place of hardness within me and give me a heart that is tender toward You. Awaken what has become spiritually dry, renew my desires, and empower me to walk in obedience. Breathe fresh life into me today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
NEXT STEP
Take a few quiet moments and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any area of your heart that has become hard, dry, or resistant to God. Write down what He brings to mind, surrender it to Him in prayer, and ask Him to breathe fresh life into that area.
