The Holy Spirit: God’s Power In You | Acts 1:8

The Holy Spirit is power. Literal supernatural power. And this is not an adjective describing what the Holy Spirit does. It's a noun describing who the Spirit is. He is power that comes upon and lives in each and every believer. Now, there are many references to this power in the New Testament. But perhaps the most familiar is found in the New Testament just prior to two historically significant events — Jesus's ascension and the Day of Pentecost. Here is what Jesus says: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. — Acts 1:8 The Greek word for "power" in this instance is δύναμις (dynamis). This word describes the power or ability to perform an activity. We have English words very similar to this, with similar meanings. Words like dynamite or dynamic. Think about it for a minute: Jesus wouldn't send this to us unless He thought we'd need it. Simply put, He knew we were powerless without Him. Jesus's salvific power secured our salvation, but He also knew we'd need sustaining power. Sustaining power to live in a world where the enemy continues to roam, rule, and reign. And the Holy Spirit is the person and the power that sustains a believer. He is who and what you need. So, what does this power provide that we can't provide for ourselves? Well, if we quickly list some instances of the Holy Spirit's power working in the New Testament, we'll see the effects and know what He provides. Here are 11: He witnesses through believers. (Acts 1:8) He gives believers the ability to speak in various languages and tongues. (Acts 2:14, 41) He performs miracles through believers. (2 Corinthians 2:12; Acts 2:43; Acts 3:1–7; Acts 9:39–41) He gives righteous resurrection life to a believer's mortal body. (Romans 8:11) He gives the believer access to spiritual resources. (Romans 5:5) He distributes gifts to believers for the community. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) He liberates believers from bondage and addiction. (2 Corinthians 3:17) He seals, marks, and authenticates believers for redemption. (Ephesians 1:13-14) He prompts believers. (1 Thessalonians 5:19) He sanctifies believers. (1 Peter 1:2) He testifies for us and about us as believers. (1 John 4:13) The Holy Spirit is our power to witness, speak, perform, and testify. He is our access to righteousness, resources, and gifts. He is our means of liberating, prompting, and sanctifying. Essentially, He does everything. And without Him, we'd be nothing but momentarily redeemed folks who'd immediately live defeated lives. But with Him, we experience both the converting power of Jesus and the continuing power of the Holy Spirit. And if you want to see the effect of His power, just look at the disciples before and after the coming of the Holy Spirit. Take Peter, for instance. Not to pick on him, but Peter had numerous fails before the Spirit. He sank in his faith. (Matthew 14:22-33) He rebuked Jesus. (Matthew 16:21-23) He messed up the Transfiguration. (Matthew 17:1-8) He wrongly defended Jesus and injured a man. (John 18:10-11) He fell asleep in the Garden. (Matthew 26:36-46) He denied Jesus three times to a little servant girl. (Matthew 26:69-75) But immediately after the coming of the Holy Spirit, Peter was different. He stood up for his faith in front of thousands. He preached the Gospel without fear. He jumped into deep waters of faith. Thousands were saved. He performed miracles he couldn't do before. And he confronted authorities without flinching. Peter was a totally changed man. Yes, he experienced the converting power of Jesus, but in addition, all these things happened through him because of the continuous power and enabling of the Holy Spirit. So, stop trying to live this life by your own power. Plug into real power. Moment by moment today, pray for the Spirit's guidance and yield to His control in your life. Whether you're sharing your faith or fighting off a spiritual attack, lean less on yourself and more on the Holy Spirit. Tomorrow, we'll dig a little further into why I think we're so afraid of the Holy Spirit and things like prophesying, speaking in tongues, and visions. Check out other all Vince Miller's videos and audios for small groups at: https://beresolute.org/ Get Vince's most widely read resources The Daily Devotional at: https://beresolute.org/mdd Check out more ALL IN products like the one Vince is wearing at: https://beresolute.org/product-category/all-in-hats/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Vince socially: FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/millervince INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vinceleemiller LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincemiller TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vinceleemiller