Are You Seeing God’s Power in Your Life?
Christmas morning is always exciting. That’s because you can open the gifts under the tree that were given to you by family and friends. There is all this anticipation and excitement over the unknown. Finally, when all the papers are unwrapped, you can see what is inside the box or bag.
Christmas comes once every year and it’s the same day every year-December 25. But did you know that there is a gift that God has given to us and we have access to it every day? It’s the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In Acts 2, one of Jesus’ disciples, Peter, told the crowd
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2: 38-39).
Peter explained that when you give your heart to Jesus Christ you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. So that means everywhere you go, the Holy Spirit is with you because he lives in you. But I wonder how many of us actually realize this truth? And are we allowing the gift to flourish in our life? Or have we allowed the Holy Spirit to direct and guide us everyday?
You see, although the gift of the Holy Spirit is present, we can allow our flesh to get in the way. How do we do that?
When we lie to our co-worker.
When we look at an image on our phone or magazine we know would not please God.
When we choose not to forgive a person who has hurt us.
When we make money in a dishonest way.
When we talk about someone behind their back.
These are just some ways we can grieve the Holy Spirit.
We are called to walk according to the Spirit so that we can have life and we can see his power in our live. But instead we are letting our flesh win because we are not letting the Holy Spirit have full control in our lives. We are not letting him guide us and direct our lives. We are not walking in step with him.
But you might be saying, well.... what is the big deal anyways? Well, the big deal is we are missing out on seeing his full power in our life. What kind of power does the Holy Spirit give? The kind where sick people are healed. Where people confess of their sins and are saved by Christ. Where demons are casted. The gospel message is shared. Spiritual gifts are being used. Where we are changed for the better by showing the fruit of the Spirit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. When his Spirit is present great things happen.
Jesus did his ministry by the power and leading of the Spirit. So did people like Moses, David, Samson, John the Baptist.
And so did Peter. Peter was the one who had a temper issue. The one who told Jesus he should not die. The one who cut off the ear of a man. The one who denied Jesus not just once, not twice, but THREE TIMES. But God used Peter to deliver a sermon to the Jews and he did it by the power of the Holy Spirit. As a result, three thousand people came to Christ that day!
If God could use him, surely God can use us. Lets not let our past deter us from the future. Jesus has forgiven us of our sins and he believes and sees potential in each one of us. But we must surrender completely the power of the Holy Spirit. Will you choose to surrender to him today?
When Jesus ascended to heaven, he left us a permanent gift. The gift was the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to search for the Holy spirit. Nor do we need to search for his power. He lives in US.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit who gives us power and helps us. May I surrender my will, my life, and my entire being to you. I want more of you and less of me. May the power of the Holy Spirit living in me show me his ways and his plan for my life. In Jesus Name, amen.
