Why do we hold back and wonder what others will think if we truly speak our mind? At the end of the day, does it matter what they think, and will their opinions mean anything in Heaven? I think we can all agree the answer is no and yet we still struggle with this. Just think if we all spoke freely and told the world how our heart feels about Christ? Imagine if we all showed Him our love by constantly speaking of Him to others and reciprocating his adoration for us. Christ demonstrates His love for us daily. Can we each say we do the same?
Let’s focus on the Holy Spirit together. God promises to give us His Spirit when we decide to follow Jesus and accept the sacrifice made on the cross to forgive our sins. It’s through the Holy Spirit that God works His will through us. The spirit is a powerful thing! Paul says “this is the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. Through this spirit we are made strong in our weakness”. The way we tap into the power of the Holy Spirit is to surrender and obey and depend on God to be the authority in our lives. Oddly, the words weakness, surrender, obey, and dependent are not associated with strength and power in our culture.
Herein lies a major mindset shift that needs to happen for us to live in the power of the Holy Spirit. Living in God’s will and allowing the spirit to work often means living outside of our own comfort zone. I know, that can be scary and we’re not always confident things will work out. It also means our lives will look and feel very different. Are we willing to put forth the effort to do that? Do we trust God enough to know He will not let us fail?
I dare each of you to light a fire and make 2023 a year to explore and commit to the Holy Spirit. Let’s learn to celebrate trials and weakness because we have a God who saves! He calls us children and has placed, in us, the very essence of Himself. We ourselves do not have the ability to create this type of comfort, security, and confidence. It can only come from God.
Your journey will be a strong one if you put Christ at the helm and let HIM lead the way. Along the path, you will begin to see the difference between self-confidence and God confidence. In Christ we are confident, and He is our confidence. We do not have to waver in fear or regret if Jesus is with us. There are several verses that will bring us comfort and confidence when surrendering to the Holy Spirit. I want to share three that have specifically helped me along the way.
1. He will do the work if we obey His word and stay focused on the end goal.
· Joshua 1:8 Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you where-ever you go.
2. The spirit will not only provide the words needed to be said but will help to deliver and remember what we need to know.
· John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and will remind you of all things that I said to you.
3. Our job is to be present but stay out of the way and let Him create a masterpiece.
· Zechariah 4:6 Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.
