Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today, let’s see what the Holy Spirit will reveal about His seal.

Today’s scripture, Ephesians 1:13‭-‬14 (AMP), shares…
In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God]. The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.

Consider…
Oxford Languages defines seal of approval as, an official statement or indication that something is accepted or regarded favorably.

And Britannica says an official seal is, an official mark that is stamped on paper or on a small piece of wax to show that something (such as a document) is genuine and has been officially approved.

What’s common between these definitions is something is accepted or approved by someone with recognized authority.

Today’s scripture says that when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we are…
stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God].

That means the Holy Spirit living and breathing in us is God’s official confirmation that we’re saved. Based on that fact, if a person isn’t being led by, obedient to, the Holy Spirit, it’s reasonable to question if their salvation is authentic.

Think about it, you can’t claim to be part of an organization and have no tangible proof that validates your claim. Said another, there should be a membership or employee identification card that let’s others know that you’re legitimate and belong to the organization.

In the same, the Holy Spirit guiding us is proof that we are legitimately saved and belong (sanctified) to God. (Galatians 5:24-25)

In addition to the Holy Spirit being the living proof of our salvation, today’s scripture says that He is sin-virus protection. Galatians 5:16‭-‬17 (NLT) explains it this way…
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

Notice when we let the Holy Spirit guide us, which means we’re following Him, we won’t give in to our sinful nature.

Also notice it’s the HOLY SPIRIT who is fighting our sinful nature. That’s an important distinction because we need the supernatural to help us do the unnatural, which is to live spiritually in our sinful flesh. We can’t, and won’t, overcome our sinful nature in our own strength. As a matter of fact, the Holy Spirit is telling us that it’s not us saying no to sin, but instead saying yes to Him that helps us to win.

Thus far we have discovered by the seal of the Holy Spirit, we’re…

• Proven to be saved by, and belong to God
• Protected from our sinful nature by God

This leads us to the final significance of the Holy Spirit’s seal. That it represents the Pledge of God. I like the way today’s scripture says it…
The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance.

Wow! The adverbs of the Holy Spirit’s guarantee are so amazing!

• First installment
• Pledge
• Foretaste

That last one reminds me of the lyrics in the hymn, ‘Blessed Assurance’…
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of his Spirit, washed in His blood

The Holy Spirit is our blessed assurance that we belong to Christ!

Allow me to also expound on the Holy Spirit being God’s pledge. A pledge is a thing that is given as security for the fulfillment of a contract. That means the Holy Spirit is given by God as security of eternal life in this earthly life.

Eureka! It just dawned on me that the Holy Spirit is guiding us to where we’re going, everlasting life, from where we are, this earthly life. Christ says, He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us away from sin into the straight and narrow path to Him.

This makes me think of a tour guide. You follow a tour guide because…

• They know everything about what you want to see
• They can take you where you want to be

Today, let the Holy Spirit, who is God’s affirming seal…

• Prove our salvation
• Protect our sanctification
• be God’s Pledge of our glorification

The Holy Spirit gave me an acronym for His seal, which aligns with Jesus’ declaration in John 10:10…

• Spirit
• Enabled
• Abundant
• Living

Today, commit to living in accordance with the Holy Spirit’s seal that God has placed on your life.

Today’s song is…
I Feel Your Spirit

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)