Preparing For Pentecost: Five Day Devotional

Here are a few additional resources to guide your quiet time this week:

• Watch the replay of "Preparing for Pentecost" by Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

• Use this small group discussion guide with family, friends, and co-workers.

• Join us for our 6 AM Prayer Call, Monday through Friday (EST)

Day 1: Beyond Performance to Relationship

Based on the Message: “Preparing for Pentecost” by Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place." - Acts 2:1

Devotional: The believers gathered in that upper room weren't practicing religion; they were positioning themselves for a relationship. They awaited the arrival of the third person of the Trinity: the Holy Spirit. For ten days, they waited, prayed, and prepared their hearts for an encounter with the living God.

How different would our spiritual lives look if we approached God with this same intentionality? Too often, we reduce Christianity to events on the calendar, showing up for church but never allowing the Lord to transform us. The purpose of true worship is not entertainment; it's an encounter. We must move from spectation to expectation.

God is calling us beyond the superficial into a genuine relationship with Him. When we position ourselves like those in the upper room - together, expectant, and prepared - we open ourselves to the same transformative encounter that birthed the church and changed the world.

Quote: "The same God who had a relationship with Moses, now offers relationship with His people. Now the veil has been ripped, and we enter into his presence with expectation" - Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

Question: Are you approaching God as a spectator or a participant? What would change if you prepared for encounter rather than entertainment?

Prayer: Holy Spirit, forgive me for the times I've treated my relationship with You as performance rather than a genuine encounter. I want what the early church had: a transformative experience that changes my everyday life. Help me move beyond religious routine into an authentic relationship with You. Fill me with Your presence and power, not for show, but for service. Make me sensitive to Your voice and responsive to Your leading. I long for the kind of encounter that makes it evident I've been with You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Day 2: When God Writes on Hearts

Based on the Message: “Preparing for Pentecost” by Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

"You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."- 2 Corinthians 3:3

Devotional: There's a profound difference between external rules and internal transformation. When Moses received the law on Mount Sinai, it was written on tablets of stone; external, unchanging, separate from the people who received it. But when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, everything changed. God began writing His covenant directly on human hearts.

This shift from stone to heart represents the difference between religion and relationship. The law told people what to do from the outside in, but the Spirit transforms people from the inside out. Instead of trying harder to follow rules, we're empowered by the divine presence of God living within us.

This heart-transformation means our obedience flows from love rather than obligation. When God's law is written on our hearts, we don't serve Him because we have to; we serve Him because we want to. His desires become our desires. Our passions align with His purposes.

The beauty of this new covenant is that it's not a solo journey. Unlike Moses ascending the mountain alone, we experience God's presence together in community. The same Spirit who transforms individual hearts also unites us as one body, one church, and one people marked by His love.

Quote: "In the Old Testament, we see Moses going up the mountain alone. However, in the New Testament, the book of Acts, we see believers going into the upper room together. Now that God has released his Holy Spirit, he writes his covenant on the hearts of men." - Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

Question: Is your relationship with God more about external compliance or internal transformation? How has the Holy Spirit written God's truth on your heart?

Prayer: Father, thank You for writing Your covenant on my heart rather than leaving it as external law. Thank You that through Your Spirit, I can know You intimately rather than following You from a distance. Continue the work You've begun in me, transform my desires to align with Yours, my thoughts to reflect Your truth, and my actions to demonstrate Your love. Help me live not from obligation but from the overflow of Your presence within me. Make Your word so real in my heart that obedience becomes natural and worship becomes inevitable. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Day 3: Speaking What Matters Most

Based on the Message: “Preparing for Pentecost” by Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

"We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"- Acts 2:11

Devotional: The miracle of Pentecost wasn't simply about supernatural languages; it was about supernatural boldness. The same disciples who were secluded after the crucifixion were now speaking openly, clearly, and boldly about Jesus Christ.

Notice what they were declaring: the mighty deeds of God. They weren't speaking in abstract theological concepts or religious jargon. They were testifying about what God had actually done. They had witnessed the resurrection, experienced forgiveness, and received the Holy Spirit. Now they couldn't help but tell others.

In our current culture, it's becoming increasingly difficult to speak openly about Jesus. Yet, God is raising up a generation of believers who will articulate their faith with clarity and conviction. Just as those first believers spoke in languages they had never studied, the Holy Spirit will give us words to reach people we never thought we could connect with.

How can you tell when a person has had a true encounter with the Holy Spirit? When they leave with a clear conviction about who Jesus is and what He's done for us. When the Spirit fills us, we become bold witnesses who can't help but declare the wonders of God in ways others can understand.

Quote: "The Holy Spirit gave them utterance; they begin to articulate their opinion openly about the Christ who was crucified and rose again. They spoke of their Savior openly where people outside their faith could observe it. What if you leave Pentecost not with a heavenly language, but with a clear, bold articulation of who your Savior is?" - Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

Question: How boldly and clearly do you articulate who Jesus is in your everyday life? What mighty deeds of God could you declare to others?

Prayer: Holy Spirit, give me the same boldness those first believers received. Help me articulate who Jesus is with clarity and conviction. Remove any fear or hesitation that keeps me from declaring Your mighty deeds. Give me words that connect with people who don't know You yet, just as You enabled those believers to speak in languages they'd never learned. Make my testimony clear, my witness compelling, and my love for Jesus undeniable. Let others hear the wonders of God through my life and lips. In Jesus' name, amen.

Day 4: Fire That Transforms

Based on the Message: “Preparing for Pentecost” by Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

"They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them" - Acts 2:3-4

Devotional: Fire has always represented God's holiness, but Pentecost revealed something revolutionary about divine fire. In the Old Testament, God's holy fire was dangerous, destroying anything unholy that came near it. The Israelites couldn't even touch Mount Sinai when God was present, lest they be consumed by His holiness.

But at Pentecost, we see holy fire that doesn't destroy believers; it transforms them. These tongues of fire rested on each person in the upper room, filling them with the Holy Spirit rather than consuming them. This represents the radical difference between the old and new covenants. Under the law, God's holiness kept people at a distance. Under grace, God's holiness draws near to transform us.

This transforming fire is still available today. When the Holy Spirit fills us, His fire burns away what doesn't belong while igniting what does. He purifies our motives, empowers our witness, and transforms our character. We don't simply need to fear God's holiness; we need to welcome it.

The fire of Pentecost wasn't a one-time event but a pattern for every believer. God wants to rest His transforming presence on each of us, not to destroy who we are, but to empower who we are called to become.

Quote: "In the Old Testament, the fire of Yahweh would destroy. But in a new covenant, the holiness of God touches those who are broken and transforms them. The Old Testament fire destroyed; Acts 2 fire empowers."- Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

Question: How have you experienced God's transforming fire in your life? What areas still need His purifying touch?

Prayer: Holy Spirit, come with Your transforming fire. I'm not afraid of Your holiness because I know You come to transform, not destroy. Burn away everything in me that doesn't reflect Your character. Purify my motives, cleanse my thoughts, and ignite my passion for You. Let Your fire rest upon me as it did those first believers, empowering me to live boldly for Jesus. Transform me from the inside out, making me more like Christ each day. I welcome Your holy presence and submit to Your transforming work in my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Day 5: Preparing for Divine Encounter

Based on the Message: “Preparing for Pentecost” by Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

"They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers." - Acts 1:14

Devotional: The believers didn't stumble into Pentecost; they prepared for it. For ten days, they gathered in prayer, worship, and expectation. They positioned themselves to receive what God wanted to give. Their preparation wasn't passive waiting but active positioning of their hearts.

There's a significant difference between coming to encounter God already prepared versus trying to get ready during the encounter. Those who prepare throughout the week come with heightened expectation and sensitivity to God's voice. They've already dealt with distractions, confessed their sins, and aligned their hearts with His purposes.

Preparation demonstrates expectation. When we truly believe God wants to meet with us, we prepare accordingly. We clear our schedules, quiet our hearts, and position ourselves to receive. We don't treat worship as an interruption to our week, but as the highlight we've been anticipating.

God responds to expectation. Throughout Scripture, we see Him meeting people at the level of their faith and preparation. Those who expect much often receive much. Those who come unprepared and distracted often leave unchanged. The question isn't whether God wants to encounter us, it's whether we're prepared to encounter Him.

Quote: "Oftentimes, God will meet us at our level of expectation. Those who come expecting more, receive more. Those who usually don't come expecting anything, get exactly what they expect; not much" - Pastor Dexter B. Upshaw Jr.

Question: How do you prepare your heart throughout the week to encounter God? What would change if you came to worship already expecting God to move?

Prayer: Lord, I don't want to wait until Sunday morning to prepare my heart for worship. Help me live this week in expectation of encountering You. Remove distractions that keep me from sensing Your presence. Prepare my heart through prayer, Your word, and worship so that when I gather with other believers, I'm ready to receive what You want to give. Increase my expectation and sensitivity to Your voice. Meet me at the level of my preparation and faith, and let my anticipation for Your presence grow stronger each day. In Jesus' name, Amen.