The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, Isaiah 61:1-2
Clearly, this prophecy is speaking of Jesus (see Luke 4:18-19, Matthew 12:18)
And us, (John 17:18)
Giving good news so that it is received, taken to heart and changes a person is an evidence that it is the Spirit of the Lord God. I've been dwelling on Luke 8:4-15 and had this insight in view of questions regarding morality, "how should I live?"
In Luke 8 Jesus is talking to the crowds, not just his followers. He tells the story of a farmer scattering seed. Obviously, a farmer is putting the seed in the good soil but something else important happens. Some seed fall on the path where immediately the birds eat it, some seed in the weeds where it grows but is choked out, others on rocky ground - grows but wilts in the son. Only the seed on good soil produces.
Jesus explains the parable to his disciple and even the "crowd" if they are curious can look it up Luke 8:9-15
With that I had another insight; It's the devil, the world and flesh that makes God word unfruitful in our lives. Only when it's received in faith can it produce fruit. I like how Luke's Gospel says in Luke 8:15, "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop." Only God can give us that heart.
God has made a way for everyone, including the crowd in Jesus Christ to have this new heart. It's happened for me and I continue to feel God changing my heart towards compassion, mercy, joy and peace. Today I'm finishing a series at my church called "Share Life". I'm so grateful for the ministry staff who continue to invest in my spiritual development. I'm looking forward to worshiping today with my whole heart and life.
http://biblehub.com/john/17-18.htm