The Holy Spirit –
God’s Spinach
Acts 1:8
But you
shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be
witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of
the earth.
Remember Popeye
the Sailor Man? Popeye would often run
into problems, especially with his arch enemy Brutus. But Popeye always had his
secret weapon with him that enabled him to overcome any problem – that secret
weapon was his spinach! It didn’t matter
how big the challenge was Popeye would eat his spinach and he could overcome anything.
We
Christians are a lot like Popeye. We
face problems and challenges much bigger than we are. And we have an enemy who looks big and tough
and scary. But, just like Popeye, we
have a source of power. Our source of
power is from on high and if we can just keep ourselves filled with this, we
will conquer what may come against us in our lives and ministry. What is the source of our power? The Holy Spirit!
More than
100 years ago the Lord God began a fresh outpouring of his Holy Spirit at an
old, dilapidated building on Azusa Street in Los Angeles. This revival brought a fresh focus on the
work and on the Person of the Holy Spirit.
God is Building His
church under the New Covenant and He is doing it through redeemed, born again,
and Spirit filled men and women.
The power of the Holy Spirit can change your
life and ministry. We
usually don’t think about power unless something needs to be done. And we really only think about power until we
lack it. Ask someone whose power has
been out for a few days because of a storm.
They will let you know not having power is not a good thing. But we as Christians do not have to live
without power. We can tap into the power
of God Almighty! He not only gives
natural power, he gives us spiritual power to live a spiritual life and fulfill
our spiritual purposes.
We cannot accomplish our Purpose to be what
God has called us to be or do what God has called us to do without the power of
the Holy Spirit. We will be woefully
lacking if we try to accomplish this under our own power. We
have no power to live for Him because of our sinful nature. We might try to turn over a new leaf. We might try to reform ourselves. But we
can’t change our nature on our own. We
need the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to live lives pleasing to
God. We must be born again! We must be regenerated! Then we receive a new nature and a new heart
and then the Holy Spirit can empower us and we can minister to a lost and hurting
world.
The devil doesn’t want a powerful
church. He can handle man in his own
power. But he must yield to the one who
comes ministering in the power of God. Like
Popeye, we are “strong to the finich ‘cause we eats our spinach.” When we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us –
when we pray and allow God’s Spirit to come into our hearts then we become
strong and powerful and able to fulfill our purpose in ministry.
Prayer allows us right into the very
Presence of God. We have access to the
Holy of Holies. God our Father hears our
prayers. Use this advantage! God listens to your prayers so pray!
Stephen Cram January
12, 2014
Daniel 1:8
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile
himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he
drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not
defile himself.
Visit my pastor’s blog at http://pastorjonrhinehart.blogspot.com/.
Join Pastor Jon Tuesday nights at 6:30 for Praise Chapel
TV at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/praise-chapel-tv
.
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture is from the New King
James Version of the Bible.
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