Daily Dose of Hope

November 18, 2025

Scripture – Acts 2

Prayer: Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, That my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, That my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, That I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, To defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, That I always may be holy.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. We have just started the book of Acts, after walking through all the Gospels. What a great spiritual journey this has been and I'm so glad you have joined us! Today, we walk through Acts 2.

I'm going to start by reading the first three verses, 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.

You guys, this is incredible. First, let's talk about the roaring windstorm. Throughout Scripture, wind is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. In ancient Hebrew, we have the word, ruach, which means breath/wind/spirit and we see this word quite a bit in the Old Testament. Wind represents the life-giving work of the Spirit. Think about it. In Genesis 2, God breathed life (ruach) into Adam. In Ezekial 37, we are in the valley of dry bones and God has Ezekiel prophesy to the bones, saying "I will put my Spirit (ruach) in you and you will live." In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is typically referred to in the Greek as pneuma. The Holy Spirit comes upon Mary to form life in her womb. In John 3:5, Jesus tells Nicodemus that the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.

I can't help thinking, how many people need to experience the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit right now? How many people are really struggling, barely holding on, languishing in doubt, pain, anger, cynicism? Or maybe, you simply feel nothing? There is NO true living without the presence of the Spirit, only existing.

Next, we have the tongues of fire. Let's sit here for a second. Fire is often descriptive of God in the Old Testament and it speaks to the purifying and refining work of the Holy Spirit. In this sense, the Spirit causes things that are impure to become pure...lives, hearts. Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist says "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Peter speaks of the new Gentile believers as experiencing the Holy Spirit and having their hearts purified.

If something is pure, it is only one thing–pure gold, pure oxygen. It isn't filled with contaminants or additives. It is totally and completely that one thing. I picture the Holy Spirit coming upon that group of believers on the day of Pentecost and purifying or refining their hearts so they would be totally and completely dedicated to the things of God, not half filled with the stuff of the world and half filled with the things of God.

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November 18, 2025; Acts 2

November 18, 2025; Acts 2 •
iHeart

Daily Dose of Hope from New Hope