REMEMBER THE AMERICAN EXPRESS CREDIT CARD COMMERCIAL? A person is on a trip away from home without the necessary
resources and is advised, "Don't leave home without it!" Jesus was telling His disciples essentially the same thing -- that
they should not begin their mission without being equipped to accomplish the task.
People often think of the Holy Spirit's empowerment only in terms of signs and wonders and spiritual gifts.
But the word translated "power" in Acts 1:8 (dunamis) ... simply means "ability" and applies in practical ways to everyday
life. The power Jesus promised His followers is for every aspect of Christian living, enabling us to do and be whatever our
Lord has purposed in our lives.
Each individual is unique. We struggle with different personal weaknesses. The Holy Spirit knows our hearts,
our motives and our personal flaws. When we depend on Him, He will help us in our uniqueness to livein obedience to our
Lord. The help -- the power -- that we need varies with each individual. The shy, inhibited person may need courage to speak
up. The outgoing, impulsive person may need restraint to shut up. The Holy Spirit's power will provide whatever help
we need.
We need the Holy Spirit's working, not just in church on Sunday, but every day -- in our homes, at
school, in our neighborhoods and in the workplace.
The fruit of the Spirit in the believer's life -- love, joy, peace, patience ... may not seem spectacular.
But they certainly can be supernatural -- beyond our natural capacities.
When people look at our lives and see love (especially for those who have wronged us), overflowing joy in
the midst of sorrow, peace in the crises of life, patience in tribulation, and gentleness in response to hostility, these
can be supernatural evidences that we are not merely subject to our own natural emotions. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit
to live the life to which our Lord has called us.
We need the power of the Holy Spirit in our spiritual lives, in our emotions and in our relationships. We
are not naturally capable of being all God wants us to be without His divine help.
It is the difference between ordinary living -- and living with power. --- Randy Hurst
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, and he may abide with you
forever. *Don't you know you are the holy temple of God and that God's Spirit lives in you? *But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peach, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control ... If we live in the Spirit, let us
also walk in the Spirit." JOHN 14:16; 1 CORINTHIANS 3:16; GALATIANS 5:22-23, 25 KJV
