The Holy Spirit is God's power. In Luke 1:35 and 4:14, the Greek word for dunamis means power, dynamic, dynamo or dynamite. It is this same power that prophet Jeremiah wrote, "I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by MY GREAT POWER and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me". The same is repeated in Jeremiah 32: 17.
The first recorded martyr in the New Testament, Stephen, saw the source of this power when He looked to heaven, "But he (Stephen), being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God". Endowed with God's power, Peter and John were able to preach the Gospel with boldness even though they were uneducated and untrained men (John 4:13,31).
The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 1:16-17 that it is through God's power He created all things, both in heaven and on earth. It is through this same power that He preserves all His creation (Nehemiah 9:6). Some preachers may tell you to 'reach deep within' to tap the 'inner self '. But the Bible is clear that the power of the Holy Spirit is a gift received after true conversion and did not reside at birth.
Most are mistaken into believing that the Holy Spirit is part of the trinity of God, like God the Father and Jesus Christ. If that is so, then Christ should be called the son of the Holy Spirit, since God (Father) sent His Spirit to beget Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:5 tells us that God has given us the earnest of the Spirit (KJV). True disciples of Christ receive only a token of God's Spirit, with greater measure of it to come after the resurrection. This clearly shows that the Holy Spirit is not a person, for one cannot receive a part or portion of a living being, let alone a God Being! Though not a living person, the Holy Spirit is active like rivers of living water (John 7:38). The currents of a river are powerful that can generate hydro-electricity for energy consumption.
True believers need to exercise the power of God, much like exercising the muscles to prevent atrophy. Christ was fully aware that without God (Father)'s Spirit, He can do nothing (John 5:30), and He strived to stay connected with the Heavenly Father through His Spirit. We are admonished to be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18) and through it develop the godly character that God desires for His children. In order to do so, we must think and act like Christ, Who set the example for us to follow.
There are four ways to exercise the power of God's Holy Spirit - pray, study the Bible, meditate and fast. Christ prayed constantly and for long hours into the wee hours of the morning before His scourging and crucifixion. He fasted for forty days and quoted the word of God to ward off temptations from Satan while being tested in the wilderness. To meditate is to contemplate and ponder over what we have learned from studying the word of God that are pure and good (Phil 4:8).
In addition to the four disciplines, the true disciples of Christ also need to obey the word of God. For the Holy Spirit is given by God to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). God allows trials and tribulations in our life to mold and shape us in the likeness of Christ - as what the Apostle Peter wrote as the trial of faith (1 Pet 1:7). But faith without works is dead (James 2:20). So we need to do good by serving with a humble attitude and compassionate heart. By doing good works, we are helping to stir up the spiritual gifts which God will give to those who are obedient to Him.
A Christian needs to produce good fruits by connecting to Christ through the Holy Spirit, much like a tree that will produce good fruits by the nutrients taken in from the root source. Without which, we could be in danger of working things out in the flesh. We all need to examine our life constantly to see if the Holy Spirit is evidently working in our life!
The first recorded martyr in the New Testament, Stephen, saw the source of this power when He looked to heaven, "But he (Stephen), being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God". Endowed with God's power, Peter and John were able to preach the Gospel with boldness even though they were uneducated and untrained men (John 4:13,31).
The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 1:16-17 that it is through God's power He created all things, both in heaven and on earth. It is through this same power that He preserves all His creation (Nehemiah 9:6). Some preachers may tell you to 'reach deep within' to tap the 'inner self '. But the Bible is clear that the power of the Holy Spirit is a gift received after true conversion and did not reside at birth.
Most are mistaken into believing that the Holy Spirit is part of the trinity of God, like God the Father and Jesus Christ. If that is so, then Christ should be called the son of the Holy Spirit, since God (Father) sent His Spirit to beget Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:5 tells us that God has given us the earnest of the Spirit (KJV). True disciples of Christ receive only a token of God's Spirit, with greater measure of it to come after the resurrection. This clearly shows that the Holy Spirit is not a person, for one cannot receive a part or portion of a living being, let alone a God Being! Though not a living person, the Holy Spirit is active like rivers of living water (John 7:38). The currents of a river are powerful that can generate hydro-electricity for energy consumption.
True believers need to exercise the power of God, much like exercising the muscles to prevent atrophy. Christ was fully aware that without God (Father)'s Spirit, He can do nothing (John 5:30), and He strived to stay connected with the Heavenly Father through His Spirit. We are admonished to be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18) and through it develop the godly character that God desires for His children. In order to do so, we must think and act like Christ, Who set the example for us to follow.
There are four ways to exercise the power of God's Holy Spirit - pray, study the Bible, meditate and fast. Christ prayed constantly and for long hours into the wee hours of the morning before His scourging and crucifixion. He fasted for forty days and quoted the word of God to ward off temptations from Satan while being tested in the wilderness. To meditate is to contemplate and ponder over what we have learned from studying the word of God that are pure and good (Phil 4:8).
In addition to the four disciplines, the true disciples of Christ also need to obey the word of God. For the Holy Spirit is given by God to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). God allows trials and tribulations in our life to mold and shape us in the likeness of Christ - as what the Apostle Peter wrote as the trial of faith (1 Pet 1:7). But faith without works is dead (James 2:20). So we need to do good by serving with a humble attitude and compassionate heart. By doing good works, we are helping to stir up the spiritual gifts which God will give to those who are obedient to Him.
A Christian needs to produce good fruits by connecting to Christ through the Holy Spirit, much like a tree that will produce good fruits by the nutrients taken in from the root source. Without which, we could be in danger of working things out in the flesh. We all need to examine our life constantly to see if the Holy Spirit is evidently working in our life!
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