Do You have “THE POWER”?
Stepping into August, it’s amazing the summer is nearing its end. Over the summer, we’ve moved together away from “stuck” by choosing to leave the past behind and rewiring our brain to think positively rather than negatively. We’ve chosen to learn from the past and “The Great Reimagination” and chosen to stop ourselves from making wrong decisions by identifying the factors that tell us to “H.A.L.T.”
This month, as we begin to anticipate a new, fulfilling, more meaningful future, let’s discuss the power that is ours and makes all the difference between a lackluster life and one filled with excitement and adventure. If you are a Christ-follower that power lives within you– whether you know it or not. The question is, “Are you tapping into that unlimited power or drawing on your own limited resources?”
Paul clues us in on an often-unexplained truth that can seem an unrevealed secret, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11). When you became a Christ-believer, the literal Spirit of Jesus Christ himself came to inhabit you. So, the same Spirit with the power to raise Jesus from the dead, literally lives in you. He alone provides that kind of power to you.
Max Lucado in “Help is Here,” (Book of the Month) writes this, “No more walking this path alone. No more carrying weight you were not intended to bear. It’s time for you to enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit and experience the vigorous life he offers…Your Bible makes more than a hundred references to the Holy Spirit. Jesus says more about the Spirit than he does about the church, marriage, finances, and the future. Why the emphasis on him? God does not want a bunch of stressed-out, worn-out, done-in, and washed -up children representing him in the world. He wants us to be fresher day by day, hour by hour.”
This is not to be a guilt trip, scoffing at your struggle or difficulty in experiencing the refreshed life promised you by Jesus. It’s a promise of hope, a life-transforming gift.
Lucado continues, “I now call (the Holy Spirit) our Heaven-Sent Helper. He is the ally of the saint. He is our champion, our advocate, our guide. He comforts and directs us. He indwells, transforms, sustains, and will someday deliver us into our heavenly home.” When Jesus explains, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5), it is a very literal statement. Only by the power of His Holy Spirit within you can you do anything that matters– anything of eternal value.
This means you have complete permission from God Himself to stop trying to do everything in your own strength. Stop all the busyness. Start learning how to lean back, take a breath, and allow the Holy Spirit in you to do the work. Allow His power to be not only your motivator but your implementer.
So, as we finish out the summer with great anticipation for the fall, let’s learn more about this amazing power so often a mystery. How do you request it? How can you access it? Who is the Holy Spirit? What is His character and role? What does He want to offer you in your life?
If you have any questions, please email me at linda@yourrefreshedlife.com.
