Do you know someone with an electric car? Doesn’t have to be a Tesla just an electric car? Did you know they are worthless?
Wait. Don’t hate me, let me finish the thought. They are worthless without a powered charging station. Once the batteries are discharged they can’t do much of anything until you get them charged again. To be fair a gas car can’t do much without gas either.
The point is a car without power of some kind doesn’t go anywhere.
A life without power doesn’t go anywhere either. What is the source of power in your life?
Is it you? You are going to go as far as your energy, intelligence and talent take you? Maybe it is your people, you rely on the people in your life to move you forward? Those aren’t bad answers but…they are limited.
I hope it doesn’t happen to you but relationships can turn quickly, energy can fade and talent can suddenly be out dated. The source of power for your life needs to be something bigger, better, and more sustainable.
God made you to have and live a life that is powered and powerful. He sent the Holy Spirit to do many things and one of them is to be the source of power in your life.
The power comes to you in ways you may not expect.
Fighting like an MMA fighter – The Spirit fights FOR you. He isn’t interested in barely winning or doing enough to hang in there. He is going for the devastating blow and the submission of your opponents. He demolishes them. It isn’t a fair fight at all!
The things that have always had a hold on you. He will break their grip. The hesitancy to trust God, the temptations to doubt His love. Demolished.
He fights for you. But you may feel like, wait I don’t see the victory yet. It’s true sometimes things take time, but your can accelerate the fight. Intentionally following Jesus, listening to Spirit speak through the Word of God and obeying what He tells you dramatically shortens the fight.
Just think of it, being free of the self-destructive behavior, getting past the addiction, seeing what you thought could never change being transformed! He is fighting for you to live a powerful life.
Acting as an Expert – Today you can find an expert around any issue. Need financial help get a financial planner, want legal help get a lawyer, need emotional help find a counselor, need relationship advice find a life coach. See what I mean? Can’t get your I-Phone to work, go to the Apple store (apparently, they have genius’…)
I am for all these things. There is one problem, no matter how close you are to the experts, they still don’t know you completely. They can give you wise direction and advice but there is always some unknow. What if you could get expert help from someone who is an expert on you?
No one knows you the way the Holy Spirit does. He knows you better than you know yourself. Those times you wonder why did I say/do that? He knows. When you can’t really decide how you feel, He knows.
One of the original words used to describe Him is the Greek word Paraclete. There is not a perfect English translation. It means one who walks alongside you and gives counsel, comfort, and direction.
The New Testament translate this word in different ways. Sometimes it is Comforter, others Counselor and even Advocate. It is a rich word.
One of the ways God makes your life powerful is by filling you with the Holy Spirit who walks with you and gives you expert help on every important issue.
Don’t know what decision to make, ask the expert. Don’t have a settled heart, let the expert comfort you. Not sure how to answer your critics, give the situation to your advocate.
Pointing Out Your Failure – What? How does that help? I don’t need more of that! The Holy Spirit convicts us where we miss God’s best. He brings to our heart and mind how and where we fall short. He points out our sin.
He does this for two reasons. Sin moves us away from God, He loves us too much to let that happen without calling our attention to what is hurting us. Just like you wouldn’t let someone you love walk into a situation that would hurt them without giving them a heads up, the Spirit will not allow sin to set up shop in your life without saying something.
He also points out the disease of sin in your life because He wants you to know the healing you can experience. If you don’t know you are sick you don’t get treatment. Just because you don’t know you are sick doesn’t mean you don’t have any health issues. The Spirit loves you enough to say sin is a problem and he loves you enough to point you to the forgiveness and healing you can find in Christ.
Being a Gift Giver – I love having people in my life who like to give gifts (who doesn’t?). The Spirit gives gifts to you. Your are different than mine. But the reason is always the same. The Spirit gives you gifts to help you do two things. To love God and love your neighbors.
The thing Jesus said we should do above everything else…the Holy Spirit comes alongside us and gives us gifts to help us do it!
I see gifts operating in people’s lives all the time, but sometimes it is harder to see in my own life. Now I have a little indicator to help me see how the Spirit is empowering me. When I hear something good come out of my mouth or I do something that is good, I know it is the Spirit at work in me.
When I am hurt, defensive or insecure and I don’t say or do what I feel like saying or doing, I know the Spirit is at work in me.
That’s how good God is.
This is what a powerful life looks like. Being filled with the Spirit of God who fights for you, guides you, convicts you and gives you gifts for living. You have all the power you need to live the life God created you to live. Better than that, the God who created you, will live in your heart and make you like Jesus.