The Power of the Holy Spirit
“Then He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit,’”
John 20:22 (NLT)
It’s usually about this time that our resolutions for the New Year begin to wane. The month may not be over, but we feel done. We began with great expectations but haven’t achieved what we had hoped. I recently read a study conducted by the University of Scranton which found that only 8% of people achieve their New Year’s goals. So how are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? If you’re like me, you’re probably not among that 8%. One guy said, “I’m starting a gym called ‘Resolution’. For the first two weeks out of the year, it’s a gym; then, for the rest of the year, it turns into a bar.” Maybe that’s why most gyms require an annual payment contract. It’s true; hell is paved with good intentions. So much for willpower!
What we need is a power greater than personal resolve, greater than determination, and greater than good intentions. We need a power outside ourselves to change. Even the great Apostle Paul realized this when he confessed, “I do what I don’t want to – what I hate.” Romans 7:15 (TLB)
If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re in good company. Twice, Jesus said to Peter, “Follow Me.” The first invitation was easy. Peter was captivated by the teacher and miracle worker. Oswald Chambers writes, “…he did not need the Holy Spirit to help him to do it.” Peter was so confident that he could follow Jesus that he swore he would even die for Him. He followed Jesus for three years, only to deny Him in the end. Devastated by his own lack of resolve, Peter was heartbroken. Chambers adds, “He had come to the end of himself and all his self-sufficiency; there was not one strand of himself he would ever rely upon again and, in his destitution, he was in a fit condition to receive an impartation from the risen Lord.”
John tells us what happened next, “Jesus breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” John 20:22 (NLT)
Then, in John 21:19, Jesus invited Peter a second time, “Follow Me.” Jesus provided for Peter - and for all of us - the power we need to follow Him. That power is the person of the Holy Spirit. His indwelling presence enables Christ followers to be the Christians we have become. He changes us from the inside out! Rely on His power. How?
I love the way the Amplified Bible translates Philippians 2:13, “[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.”
If you’ve blown your resolutions already, take heart. Only when we come to the end of ourselves are we able to receive the Holy Spirit and experience His power! Begin with prayer acknowledging your own weakness and need for Him. Simply ask Him to fill you with God’s power to do His will. Then, thank Him for hearing your prayer to be your strength.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.