“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him -- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -- and he will delight in the fear of the LORD,” [Isaiah 11:1-3]
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit,” [Romans 15:13]
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God,” [Ephesians 3:16-19]
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord,” [2 Timothy 1:7-8]
Are you ever humbled by the fact that Christians cannot please God, except by the power of the Holy Spirit of God? We are new creations by the power and will of God. Without God’s power working in us, we would be dead and dying –but we are alive forever and moving towards a greater reality where life reigns supreme and death doesn’t exist. We overflow with hope because of the power of the Spirit present in our lives. When we believe in that Power and allow the Spirit to will and work through us individually and as a group, we overflow with hope and love and even God Himself. Are you ever humbled that the Almighty would make us His home? If the All-powerful, everlasting God really does live in us, then why are we so timid? Why do we lack confidence? Why don’t we pray more and pray together in the power and motivation of the Spirit of God? We were not given a spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power, love and self-discipline. We were given this Power that we would pray God’s will down from heaven and onto this earth. We were meant to conquer in Jesus’ Name. So, what are you praying for?
I am not ashamed to say that I desperately need you prayers. We must pray for one another so that the power of God would be unleashed among us. But, as Jesus said… we won’t have the power of God if we do not ask. I am completely convinced that we could be so much more than we are as a church if we would ask in unison for the Power of Heaven. Do we have the faith to ask? If we do (and we should), then let’s ask for God to shake the house. Let’s ask Him for lives to be changed, for new lives to find salvation in Jesus Christ. What if we prayed for 20 new people to accept Christ this month. We have been given the Spirit of Power, not a Spirit of timidity. He is calling us to be bold in our requests –to ask for the unbelievable. What would you ask for if you knew that God would answer?
Pray believing that God will answer. If we ask and agree as we ask, the Lord will be faithful to answer us. The Spirit of Power lives in all of us who have been sealed with the Name of Christ. The Spirit is a guarantee of a bodily resurrection. He can raise from the dead because Jesus has conquered death; He can answer our prayers in our time of need. Now is the time to pray.
On the Solid Rock we stand!
George