THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!
John 14:12-18 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
[13] And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
[14] If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
[15] If ye love me, keep my commandments.
[16] And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
[17] Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
[18] I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Christians with a spirit of independency will struggle with the greatest gift God has ever given outside of redemption; the person of the Holy Spirit. Walking in God’s truth and serving Jesus in the capacity HE has called us is an impossible task, if left on our own. We cannot accomplish the will of the Lord in our own strength and the Lord doesn’t intend for us to. That would be setting us up for failure long before we ever got started. Understanding the power and magnitude of the gift of the Holy Spirit is absolutely and unequivocally vital in our daily lives. When Jesus spoke these words to HIS disciples, HE was about to be crucified and would soon be departing to be with the Father. So, (Jesus in Verse 16) of our text, prayed and made a request to the Father asking HIM to send the Holy Spirit down and to indwell the children of God. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is the difference between life and death, victory and defeat, strength and weakness.
Jesus knew what was ahead for these men as HE spoke these words to them the night before HIS death. Jesus knew, that they too would face their own crosses. They would be entrusted with the Gospel message and with the Words of Life for a dying world. They were being left here to carry on the work Jesus began but who could ever fill HIS shoes? Only Jesus HIMSELF could continue HIS work. The Holy Spirit is God Himself and part of the Godhead, HE has all the power and glory of Heaven harnessed into a life. Praise the Lord! The Holy Spirit empowers us to carry out the will of God and allows us to bring glory to the Son Jesus Christ. Apart from the Holy Spirit, we are mere flesh. HE is our enabler and our connection to Heaven itself.
We must surrender completely our need to be in control and become dependent on HIM and HIM alone. Many of us, if we are not depending upon ourselves, money, status, or things, are depending upon another and eventually we will be disappointed. We are not to have self-confidence but complete faith, trust, and belief in the working and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are to walk in absolute dependency upon the Holy Spirit, communing with HIM with every step being sensitive to and acknowledging HIS Holy presence. Failure is a sure thing apart from the power and work of the Holy Spirit. It’s my prayer for you today, that you may see, feel, and surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit in your life and give God all the Glory for HIS work in and through you!
Bro. Lawrence Longworth
Isaiah 61:1 “the opening of the prison to them that are bound;”
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