"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." - Acts 1:8
The last recorded words of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, are profound. There is a passing of the proverbial torch between Christ and the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit power is readily available to every Christ-follower. The sad fact is that few ever surrender fully to the Holy Spirit and, therefore, never fully experience the incredible power available. LIMITED SURRENDER EQUALS LIMITED POWER In my research on this topic, I came across this convicting quote: "If God were to take the Holy Spirit out of this world, much of what we're doing in our churches would go right on, and nobody would know the difference!... I do not believe in a repetition of Pentecost, but I do believe in a perpetuation of Pentecost—and there is a vast difference between the two." - A.W. Tozer Let us fully embrace the Holy Spirit by a complete surrender to His power. Here is another useful quote that urges us to fully accept Christ's power over us through the Holy Spirit: "Unless saints know their anointing, they are as helpless as babes in doing the will of God. The work of God can only be made powerful through the Spirit of God." - Robert Neighbour SATAN'S ATTACK AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT Make no mistake, our enemy wants to distract us from this process of surrendering to the Holy Spirit by any means possible. There are plenty of distractions in this very complicated world in which we live. And there is an unfounded fear among many Christ-followers that if we fully surrender control to the Holy Spirit, then bad things will happen. Here is another insightful quote: "Satan has scored a point in making us so afraid of extremism about the Holy Spirit—which abounds indeed—that we may miss the true in our fear of the false. We can be so wary of getting out on a limb that we never go up the tree!" - Vance Havner Satan's attacks against our relationship with the Holy Spirit and his attempts to create fear and distraction for Christ-followers are very real. Consider the following five Scriptures:
The power of the Holy Spirit is not an abstract concept but is God Himself. He guides, empowers, and equips us to the degree that we let Him. Let's step into this power with complete trust and surrender. The dangers of ignoring or underestimating this power are evident, with Tozer and Havner pointing to the risks of mere human efforts and the pitfalls of excessive caution. Indeed, the Scriptures abound with references to the importance and power of the Holy Spirit. In Romans 8:11, we are told: "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." This speaks of the transformative power the Holy Spirit brings. Additionally, 2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us, "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid but gives us power, love, and self-discipline." Clearly, surrendering to the Holy Spirit is not an act of losing control but gaining power rooted in the love of Christ Himself. As Christ-followers, may we not merely admire the power of the Holy Spirit from a distance but fully embrace, experience, and live in its fullness. For in doing so, we not only glorify our Heavenly Father but also shine as lights in a world desperately in need of the hope and love we have in Christ. Let our lives be a testament to the power of the Holy Spirit, reflecting the mighty work of God within us. Your aspiring servant, Daniel M. October 26, 2023 POSTSCRIPT: Dear friends, if this daily, transparent "Conversations with Christ" blesses you, please go to www.SOLIDpastors.org, where you will find these posted, and a repository of all, in English and Spanish. Note: All scriptures quoted are from the NIV. If you ever want to chat, you can reach me at [email protected]. May Christ bless you richly as you have your own intimate, daily conversations with Christ. Comments are closed.
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