Living in the Power of the Holy Spirit
This past Sunday was Pentecost. The day Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit who is available to those who believe in Jesus Christ.
In Acts 2, the disciples were praying and the Holy Spirit came upon them and they had the ability to speak in the language of those around them. The crowd was in awe and on that day three thousand people gave their hearts to Jesus and was baptized. Wow!
Sometimes we read the story in Acts 2 and say to ourselves, “I wish I could experience that kind of power in my life.”
But actually we can. The same Spirit that came upon them, lives in you!
Hold up, is that true?
Yes!
How do you think people like Moses, Joshua, Samson, and David, did what they did in the Old Testament? By the Holy Spirit.
How do you think Jesus was able to do what he did? Preach the word, heal the broken-hearted, deliver, heal, and live a holy and pleasing life to God? By the Holy Spirit.
So why we do we think that the same Spirit that lives in us cannot allow us to do great things for God and live a holy and pleasing life?
It’s time to reclaim the power that is in us. That power is the Holy Spirit.
Now let me be clear, it’s not by our strength, our will, or by our power. Rather, by the power of the Holy Spirit we can do what God calls us to do, live the way God calls us to live, and be who God calls us to be.
How do we do this?
We must be intentional about setting our minds on what the Spirit desires and live according to the Spirit.
The Bible says, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”(Galatians 5: 16). What does it mean to live by the Spirit? Living by the Holy Spirit means to live your life in the realm God’s will. When we live outside of the will of God, this means we are not letting the Spirit of God guide you.
This is a lifestyle that God is calling us to. Which means we are going to have to make choices, some easy others will be harder, to walk by the Holy Spirit.
Living by the Holy Spirit means we can’t go to every place that others go to, we can’t watch certain movies, or read certain books, perhaps it even means we need to end some friendships. This sounds negative but really it’s not. If we don’t live by the Spirit, God's will, the Bible tells us that we will see the following: "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5: 19-21).
Ouch! That is a harsh list but it’s true.
When I look at that list, I don’t see happiness, fulfillment, or peace but rather pain, trouble, and heartache.
What happens when we live by the Holy Spirit? The Bible us that we will see fruit. Galatians 5: 22 says, 'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."
This my friends is what life is all about.
I want to be loving to all people even though I have been disrespected.
I want to have joy even though I am grieving the lost of a loved one.
I want to have peace with my family and friends, even when I disagree with them.
I want to be patient, even though anger is rising up in me.
I want to be kind, to the person who does not look like me. I want to be good to those who have less than me.
I want to be faithful even though I lost my job.
I want to be gentle, even when I am hurt.
I want to have self-control even though the world bombards me to be sexually sin, get drunk, get high, disrespect others so that I can get ahead.
I want to live by the power of the Holy Spirit so that I can see fruit in my life and I can only do this by letting the Holy Spirit take full control of my life.
Maybe we know the Holy Spirit lives in us but does He have full control?
Think about the Holy Spirit taking full control in your life this way. When you walk into a home you can see that there is a living room, a dinning room, a kitchen, bedrooms etc. Perhaps the Holy Spirit has been allowed into your kitchen but not your living room. The same happens in life. We have asked God to lead us in our marriage and health, but not with our money, not with our kids, not with our work.
Letting the Holy Spirit take full control means you submit to his guidance in your life in EVERYTHING.
Today we can let the Holy Spirit take full control by surrendering to him.
Father, I come before you with thanksgiving in my heart. I don't want to be in control of my life, I want the Holy Spirit to take full control. I submit to your power and I ask that I follow your will not mine. In Jesus Name, Amen.
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