Prayer Week 6: Spirit of Power

Often God feels so distant, aloof, abstract. We lose touch with the idea that He is still here with us even though we cannot see or feel Him physically. It can be hard to pray to someone who feels so far away. As physical beings, we need that tangible reminder.

 

Luke 8:46 New American Standard Bible 1995

But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.”

John 14:16-17, 26 New American Standard Bible 1995

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you….But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Acts 2:3-4 New American Standard Bible 1995

And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

 

God knows our need for contact and communion. He did not leave us alone. Before Christ, the Spirit was only on a few select people for a specific time, but since Christ’s ascension, the Spirit is with all believers all of the time. The Spirit could not come like that until Christ left earth, and the Spirit’s coming was so important that Jesus said it was better than having Him here. If He were still here, our contact with Him would be limited. However, with the Spirit living in us, we all have unlimited access to God.

 

2 Timothy 1:7 New American Standard Bible 1995

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

 

That contact and access is not just for our comfort. When Christ was on earth, they had the comfort of His presence, but not His power. With the Spirit living in us, we also have direct access to His power. We have been given the Spirit of power, not to use for our own means, but for ministry and strength.

 

This week, focus on becoming aware of God’s presence in you. As you touch Him in prayer, like the woman in Luke 8, His power flows into you. Be mindful of that during your prayer time this week. Look for the ways in which God’s power works in and through your life as you are connecting with Him.

Prayer points taken from Praying Through Adversity by Jennifer Kennedy Dean.

Love With All Your Soul

What is a soul? What does it encompass and how do we use it? How do we love God with our souls?

We are commanded to love God with our hearts, souls, minds and strength. I said earlier that this represented the emotional, spiritual, mental and physical aspects of our lives; i.e. every part of our being. This does not mean that when we see the word “heart” or “soul” elsewhere in the Bible that they are synonymous with our emotions or spirituality, only that in this context I believe they represent them as part of our entire being. How do we love God spiritually, or with our spirituality?

The Sword of the Spirit

The warrior courageously stood his ground against uncounted foes. He stood ready for battle in full armor, his only weapon a sword. As the enemy advanced, he lifted his sword and cried out, “I command you in the name of Jesus to flee!” Then, as if filled with some external power, he brandished his sword and vanquished his enemies.

The romance of such a scene is engaging, even inspiring, but most would think it imaginary, impractical for daily modern life. Yet this is a situation we all face in some way. We can face it ready, as the hero in this tale, or unprepared as many in our time. We do not see the battle as it is depicted here, but it is there and real all the same. And the only weapon we have to use is the sword of the Spirit.

Ready For Battle

Battle. Images from war movies come to mind. Men fighting and dieing for some cause. It brings with it ideas of pain and suffering. Battles are ugly. Unfortunately, they are also, at times, necessary. Another idea we have with battles is that they are distant, something we may never face. Sadly, that is not true. In reality, we are all in a battle, so the question is not whether we will be in a battle, but will we be ready?

The Fruit of Gentleness

Gentleness seems to be more of a personality trait than anything. We all know some people who seem to be very gentle by nature, and many people who are not gentle at all. It really doesn’t seem to have as much to do with a person’s faith as it does their disposition. Is gentleness really something we all can and should have? Can those who are by nature harsh or rough become gentle?

The Fruit of Faithfulness

Faithfulness. It seems pretty straight forward. While it is not always practiced, it is generally seen as something that is important in all relationships. The actual definition of faithfulness as used in the New Testament is: conviction of truth (belief) regarding our relationship with God, and includes the idea of trust and fervor, which brings confidence. It also has a note of fidelity, (character of one who can be relied on). Matthew Henry defines it as: “fidelity, justice, and honesty, in what we profess and promise to others.” Basically, it just means faith and loyalty. Does that really require the Spirit? Isn’t faith something that happens when we believe, something we have or exercise ourselves?

The Fruit of Goodness

Being good is a fairly simple concept. There are a lot of people who “do good”, quite a few whom we would even call “good”. Goodness seems pretty common, even among other religions and those of no religion. In fact, it unfortunately seems more common among non-Christians. Is goodness really a fruit of the Spirit? Is it really something that requires God? Isn’t it something that just happens fairly naturally to most people? Aren’t all people basically good?

The Fruit of Kindness

Kindness is something that I think we would all agree is important, but we mostly encourage it in children and don’t often think of addressing it to adults. “Random acts of kindness” refresh our hope in humanity, but it is not something we actively pursue ourselves. Often, kindness is merely thought of as little more than being polite, but as with all virtues it goes much deeper. Kindness should come from the heart which can only be changed by God.

The Fruit of Patience

Patience is a virtue…I do not possess. I don’t know how many times I have said that, or heard others repeat it. Patience is difficult, and what is worse, it seems to require trials in order to acquire it. Patience is not natural to anyone. Watch a child who has to wait for…anything. It is not only something we have to learn, but it is also something we can only gain from God. The whole mentality of the world is that we can and should “have it NOW!” Even though in most things we can see that patience is the better way, for instance, waiting for the cake to bake all the way instead of taking it out too soon, or waiting for the coffee to cool before we drink it. Impatience usually “burns” us, one way or another. How can we gain more patience?

The Fruit of Peace

Peace is a popular topic in our world. People talk about having peace on earth, peace between nations, world peace. They flash the “peace” symbol to show they are in favor of peace or to encourage others to seek peace. But the world’s peace falls short. The world’s peace is merely a lack of conflict. But in a world of sinful beings, there will always be conflict. No two humans can be in any kind of relationship without reaching conflict at some point. We cannot expect a lack of conflict among countries and societies when there is no lack of conflict within our families and even within ourselves. That, I think, points to true peace and the cause of all conflict.

The Fruit of Love

The Fruit of the Spirit is probably one of the best known topics in Christianity. It is a common theme for sermons, Sunday school, vacation bible school, etc. But I think few people really understand what the fruit of the spirit really means. Of course the nine fruit are things which we are supposed to possess, but how? These two verses come at the end of a chapter talking about the world/flesh vs. the Spirit. If we are believers we are commanded to live by the Spirit and not live or walk according to the flesh (that is our own desires or what the world says we should have/do.) We should live our lives based on the Spirit of God, being led by Him in all our thoughts and actions. Paul then lists specific “fruit” which prove the tree to which we belong; the tree of the flesh or the tree of the Spirit. The Fruit of the Spirit is proof of who we are. It is something that God grows in us, and naturally flows from a life that is rooted in Him. That is not to say that we should just sit back and let God do all the work. The Bible clearly tells us to pursue those fruit in different ways. The process is two-fold.