The Power of the Spirit

The power of Holy Spirit is alive and at work in us. Holy Spirit enables the body of Christ to carry out the mission of the church. This power breaks the chains of bondage in a moment! Have you experienced this power? The power of the Spirit caused me to stop living a life of sin because I no longer desired it. The chains were broken off me! I had no desire to cuss, lie, watch or listen to filth, no desire to drink, no desire to dress provocatively, no desire to chase after worldly things because I was a new creature in Him! Look at the life of Peter. Peter denied Jesus 3 times while Jesus was on the earth. After Holy Spirit came, Peter was full of boldness!!! John 20:19-23 (NKJV) Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” The disciples were hiding behind closed doors because they were afraid of man! They didn't know what to do without Jesus being around, but praise God, Jesus showed up! He told them to receive the Holy Spirit and forgive people's sins. In Acts chapter 2 the Holy Spirit came in the upper room where 120 were gathered and they received POWER! Peter stood up and preached, explaining what was happening as they were filled with the fire of God. He told them this is a fulfillment of prophecy in Joel and began to quote scripture. Near the end of the chapter Peter preached repentance and 3,000 souls were added unto the Kingdom of God! That's 2,500% growth in the church in a few moments from the 120 in the upper room. Try teaching that at your next church growth seminar! In Acts 3 Peter told the crippled man to walk in the name of Jesus and he was healed! POWER!! In verses 12-19 he begins preaching repentance again! Then chapter 4 Peter is controlled by Holy Spirit and speaks boldly to the rulers and Sanhedrin and confused them because Peter did not have "religious training." Next chapter, Ananias and Sapphire fall down dead at Peter's feet for lying about their offering! WOAH! Then we move down for chapter 5 verse 15 and Peter's shadow is healing people - all God's power! A few verses later he is arrested and then an angel set him free! By verse 29 he is telling the council it is better to obey God than man! Hallelujah! Peter became unstopped by the power of the Spirit living within him! We have this same access! Are you using it!? Ask the Lord to help you in being Spirit-led in your daily life. It will change the way you act, think, and live for His glory! Acts 1:6-8 (TPT) Every time they were gathered together, they asked Jesus, “Lord, is it now the time for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” He answered, “The Father is the one who sets the fixed dates and the times of their fulfillment. You are not permitted to know the timing of all that he has prepared by his own authority. But I promise you this—the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and you will be seized with power. You will be my messengers to Jerusalem, throughout Judea, the distant provinces —even to the remotest places on earth!”

Galatians 5:16-26 (NLT) So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.