Pursing Godliness

08/28/23 – 09/03/23

Who Can Truly Empower?

By Michael Youssef, Ph D.  09/03/23

Read John 16:12-15 and 1 Corinthians 2:9-16. In these verses, we see that it is the Holy Spirit—the third member of the Trinity, God’s very Spirit—who empowers us to perceive the Truth and follow God. He does this by indwelling us, making it possible for each of us to see Christ for who He is and live for Him here on earth.

It is the Holy Spirit’s power that enables us to be born again, to enter the Kingdom of God, and to be called children of the living God. This is the same power God exercised at the formation of the universe and the same power that raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Indeed, this is the power that indwells all who believe in Christ Jesus.

We also see that the Holy Spirit is the only one who can help you overcome fear. He alone can empower you to not only understand the Word of God but also obey and live by it. This is the power that helps you do the impossible, believe in the impossible, and trust the God of the impossible.

The Holy Spirit even has the power to help us transcend the grief and pain that we experience in this broken world. By His awesome power, the very power that created the world, the Holy Spirit can heal your wounds. He will comfort and uphold you in the midst of pain, discouragement, and failure by sustaining you with His grace. And through the pain, He ultimately brings resurrection in your life. For “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). Truly, the Spirit of God is the only one who can transform your pain into sweet victory as you walk with Christ.

The Holy Spirit is the only one who can change lives. This is the power that the Spirit-filled Christian has for the purpose of knowing God and living an abundant, victorious life. And when you begin to comprehend the power of the Holy Spirit, by whom God longs for you to live, you will likely find yourself crying out to God, “Why did I not understand this for all these years?” And with this cry, you will begin to refuse to live anything less than the Spirit-empowered life.

Prayer: Father, thank You for calling me to be Your child, sealed with the mark of Your Holy Spirit. May I receive the strength found only in Your Spirit to face every challenge of life with joy and a focus on You that leads me to praise and thanksgiving. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).