God's Holy Fire: 'Eternal Consequences'

Saturday, July 18, 2026

[Jesus:] "I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences." He told them this because they were saying, "He's possessed by an evil spirit."

Key Thought

What was the power behind Jesus' ministry? Some critics say it was deception. Some skeptics say it was people's imagination. Some even attributed his power to demons and the devil. It's one thing to disbelieve. It's another to believe in spiritual power and then attribute Jesus' spiritual power to the evil one. Jesus had great power. So where did he get that power? He got it from his identity as the Son of God. He referred to this source of power as the Holy Spirit - the Holy Spirit that would be present in the heart of everyone who is a true believer in him. This power is holy, from God, and a manifestation of God's very real presence. To assign this power to the source of evil is to blaspheme and cut ourselves off from our only true source of power, grace, and forgiveness!

Today's Prayer

O Almighty God - righteous Father, obedient Son, and transforming Holy Spirit - I praise you for the power shown in Jesus' earthly ministry. I praise you for defeating death and bringing power to life by sending the Holy Spirit. I am humbled and awed at the demonstration of your powerful presence in Jesus during his earthly ministry. In Jesus' name, I offer you my praise! Amen.

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

3 Related Resources by Heartlight

Illustration

Illustration of Mark 3:28-30 NLT — "I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences."

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Saturday, July 18, 2026

The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
"Great Father revealed himself to believers of old before the coming of his Son, and was known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the God Almighty. Then....."
A daily guide from the gospels that challenges readers to live for Jesus.
"[Jesus said to Nicodemus,] "Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say,..."
A daily devotional featuring a Bible verse, thought and prayer.
"Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
"In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

About This Devotional

God's Holy Fire is a daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Thoughts and Prayer for God's Holy Fire are written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.