We are sons and daughters of Him who has authority over all things. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit in us, who gives us power.
In Acts 1, Jesus made a promise to His disciples:
In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:1-8
This promise was not just for the disciples, but for everyone who believes in Jesus. So when you make the commitment to repent and follow Jesus, you can then be baptised in the Holy Spirit.
This is the same Spirit power that raised Jesus from the dead; if the Holy Spirit can do that for God’s glory, He can do and achieve absolutely anything through us. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we are baptised with this same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, and He resides in us! When we walk with Jesus, we have the most incredible power to do all sorts of impossible things for God’s glory; not in our name or strength, but in His name and His strength.
How many times do you see an impossible situation, and try to work it out for yourself? It is only when you come on your knees to the Lord and say, “I don’t know what to do.”, that all of a sudden, the miraculous happens. Impossible is God’s starting point; He wants us to have that confidence and trust in Him.
Sadly, some Christians take a passive stance with regard to the supernatural power the Lord has promised and placed within us. Satan wants that; he would be quite happy for us to be subdued, frightened, scared, worried, and anxious, feeling we can’t do anything right. But the Holy Spirit does reside in us.
Sometimes, we just want a convenient God that pops up when we need Him; however, often, the power of the Spirit within us is diminished because of our lack of engagement with Him. Sometimes, we let fear, anxiety, and worry get a grip on us, and that can be paralysing. It is important we recognise that this spirit of fear and anxiety is not from God, but from the evil one. God doesn’t give us a spirit of fear, as Paul tells us in 2 Timothy:
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7
Paul reminds us that we need to recognise that fear – a spirit that wants to crush us – is not from God, but we can take it to God, and say,
“Lord, You tell us to cast our burdens on You. Please take this burden.”
The Spirit of power, love, and self-control is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
One of the big things we should do as Christians, and as churches in fellowship, is encouragement. When we encourage one another, we talk to one another, we get to know one another. We have to stop and think about what we say; ask yourself; “Am I being an encouragement? Is this the right thing to say, or is the devil in this?”. It’s not about us, it is about God, and what He is doing through the power of the Holy Spirit in us. God wants unity; unity of spirit, unity of purpose, and unity of vision.
Whilst migrating, geese fly in a V-formation to conserve their energy. As they fly, they honk to encourage the leader, and to coordinate their movements. This is a beautiful picture of how we can spur each other on, as we follow where God leads, in unity.
We have to recognise the Spirit that is inside of us and the power He gives us; He gives us power to change the lives of the people around us. That could be the person sitting next to you on the bus or someone you meet at a supermarket. When we recognise that we have the Holy Spirit In us, we have a sense of calm, a sense of peace, and a sense of purpose. We have everything to lose by being lukewarm about this, but when we recognise the significance of the power Jesus placed within us, God will do the most amazing things through us. We should take every opportunity, day and night, to seek Him, and always encourage, support, and pray for one another.
May the Holy Spirit dwell in your heart, and the spirit of encouragement and God’s blessing be with you always.