The Spirit Empowers Us
Jesus said this to the disciples in Acts 1:8 – “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”
We see in the book of Acts, that through the Spirit, the disciples were empowered to do incredible things. They healed people, cast out demons, even raised people from the dead, through the Spirit.
They received power when the Spirit came on them, power to do supernatural things. And we can have the same power – but know this: the power is still GOD’s, not ours.
The classic illustration is a boxing glove. A glove by itself is useless. Totally useless. But when a hand fills the glove, it now has purpose and can be used for the purpose for which it was made. We are gloves! By ourselves, we do nothing of use for God. But with him filling us, we are able to do what He designed us to do. He works in us and through us to do such things.
Spirit-Empowered Resilience
Have you been operating under the Spirit’s power? Believing with all your heart that His power is at work in you?
But it’s not just power to do miraculous things that the Spirit gives. It’s a kind of inner power which strengthens us as we go through life. Paul wrote these words to Timothy the young Christian leader in the early church: “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Tim 1:17)
The Spirit comes into our lives to take away our fear and to give us a new power to face the difficulties that come our way. Remember, the disciples went through hell on earth basically. Most of them, though they were filled to the brim with the Spirit – still died horrible martyr’s deaths. Most of them were severely persecuted and faced terrible trials and troubles.
Paul would often write about his struggles – his many imprisonments, beatings, and stonings. He was left for dead and shipwrecked and went days without eating. He was also a sickly man, most scholars agree. He spoke about being ill, and having a thorn in his side which he couldn’t shake.
But oh my! How the Spirit empowered him to live a full life of holiness, love and passion in spite of these hardships. He carried on and made it through all these difficulties in life, because he was filled with the Spirit always.
Strength Through Spirit
There’s no way that he went through all that stuff with joy, in his own strength. It was the power of the Spirit which gave him that strength.
Maybe today you are struggling. Maybe today you look at your life and think – there’s just such pain, such struggle, so much bad stuff going on. I hope that today you will hang onto this verse: 2 Tim 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power.
It’s not like Popeye – we tend to think of the Spirit doing to us what spinach did to Popeye – filled him up and enlarged his muscles! But the Spirit is a little more subtle… it’s a deep-seated strength and power that holds you tight and sustains you and helps you go on.
Surrender to God’s Spirit today, and find new strength and power in Him to overcome anything life throws at you.
