Good morning, family. Today is Tuesday, October 21, 2025. About 150 of us just returned from a wonderful Footsteps of Paul tour, visiting many of the sites the Apostle Paul traveled to on his missionary journeys. To stand on those grounds—to see the landscape, experience the culture, and imagine how the Holy Spirit led him through Europe and Asia preaching the Gospel—was nothing short of amazing.
Acts chapter 13 marks the launch of Paul’s first missionary journey. Let’s check it out.
Today's Reading:
Job 9,10; Acts 13,14
Scripture
“Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, ‘You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.’” (Acts 13:9–10a)
Observation
Paul’s mission was to go wherever the Holy Spirit led him and proclaim the love and good news of Jesus Christ. Yet he was often met with opposition, because the devil’s mission is the exact opposite.
We see this same pattern when Jesus was tempted by Satan right before beginning His public ministry. Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, faced evil opposition—and overcame it.
The literal translation of “filled with the Holy Spirit” means “having just been filled.” That phrase shows that Paul maintained a consistent and current relationship with the Holy Spirit. It suggests he had just prayed, just spent time in the Word, just worshiped, and just given thanks and praise to God. His strength flowed from a fresh filling, not a distant memory.
Application
Do you live a “having just” kind of relationship with God?
Because if not, it will be difficult to stand firm against the evil, temptation, and discouragement we face every day.
Let’s stay freshly filled—freshly connected—so that when opposition comes, the overflow of the Spirit within us will always be greater than the resistance against us.
Prayer
Holy Spirit,
Thank You for being present and powerful in my life. Help me to walk in a “having just” relationship with You—freshly filled, freshly aware, and freshly surrendered—so I can overcome the darkness around me and reflect Your light to the world.
Amen.
-Aaron Cordeiro