Thursday, July 15, 2010

Week 7 · Thursday

The Holy Spirit's Power
by Brett Elms

Acts 16:7 When they came to the border of Mysia they tried to enter Bythynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.

One day, when I had gotten lost while driving, I simply bowed my head and prayed. Literally within a moment, I found the street I was looking for. While some will call that incident fortunate or lucky, I think there is another distinct possibility—the power of the Holy Spirit. There are many accounts and perhaps you have heard of times where people were stopped from doing something by something they could not explain. This does not have to just be a figurative power. Some people have the wrong idea. They equate the power of the Holy Spirit to a sixth sense or a whim.
The Biblical model of this is far different. The Biblical authors do not make excuse for the direct intervention of the Spirit of God. There are many instances similar to what happened in Acts 16 where the Spirit physically did not allow them to enter into an area. Critics might suggest that God does not work this way any more. If you have ever read the book of Acts, you will notice there is no salutation at the end. Almost every book in the New Testament has a salutation. Why? Could it be because the Acts of the church are still ongoing and continue today? The Holy Spirit still manifests the same power in situations today. It is up to us to allow the Spirit to work in our lives in this manner, and to ask for that power in our lives.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, help me to allow the power of Your Spirit to work in my life every day. Help me to recognize the Spirit's leading and not to hinder Your work in my life.

1 comment:

  1. Yep, it is pretty easy to "rationalize" God out of a situation, when the truth is we need to acknowledge Him by giving Him credit. A great reminder.

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