Posted:
Based on “Under His Influence – Emptied and Filled”
by Pastor Mark Balmer;
8/29-30/09,
Message #MB387;
Daily Devotional #4 - “Walking In His Power”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): Look at us—what a lot we are! What power do we have within us that is of any value?
We may be caring and wish to do good for others, but to give people what they really need and have victory in our own lives, we must be emptied of all that is not of God. To be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be sold out for God means that we have something of life-changing value to give away, freely, for we received it freely (Matthew 10:8). I love the story of Peter and John going to the temple gate called “Beautiful”.
There was a crippled man outside the temple who was put there each day, to beg.
When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. (Acts 3:3-8)
It could be that Peter asked the man to look at them as if to say, “Do we look like we have any money or anything of material value? Look at our clothes, our sandals. But what we do have is worth more than you can imagine. We have the power of the Holy Spirit living within us, allowing us to do what Jesus did. Though we are mere men, we are men who walk in His power.”
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): Last week I pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot. As I got out of my car, a man approached me. He was dressed in a clean, new t-shirt and a backpack.
I noticed that he read the license plate on the front of my car which says “Army Mom,” not anything spiritual, and then he looked over at me.
I don’t know what made him feel that I was someone he could approach, but possibly he thought I had money, which shows he had no discernment!
Anyway, he said, “Would you help me?”
He said he had just come from a job interview and had not eaten all day (it was now around 5:00pm).
I am aware that many times people who approach us for a hand-out are not using it for good. This time, however, I instantly knew that I was to give him money for a meal, which I did. I had my granddaughter with me and had to hurry on, but I later though of Peter and John, and how much more I could have given him. But I only gave him what he requested.
He must not have known the Lord, or he might have asked for prayer, which he needed. We do not always ask God for the right things either. We need to ask God to empty us of our own selfish ways and fill us with His unselfish and powerful Holy Spirit. It is in the power of His Spirit that His kingdom is established.
David tells us that he had never seen the righteous begging for bread, which I have reminded God of at times (Psalm 37:25-26). I remember the man’s eyes.
He looked broken and defeated.
I am sure the man at the temple gate had somewhat of the same look. After all, he had been carried there to beg for a long time. I will most likely never see that young man from the parking lot again, but by praying in the power of the Holy Spirit, I know that I can affect his life still. God answers prayer in unusual ways.
Peter and John saw an instant miracle when they told the man to rise up and walk. At times, we too will see such remarkable actions as the result of our obedience. At other times we will pray and God will still move, but we may not witness the outcome. Still, we know that God hears, answers, and moves in mighty ways.
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response):
There were many years of my life as a Christ follower that I was still my main focus.
God had to work hard to empty me of myself, and I am still being emptied daily so that the Lord may fill me each day. And hopefully, the old container (me) gets more of the junk scraped out, so there is more room for the Holy Spirit to dwell.
Jesus said that when we were filled with His Spirit we would do even greater things then He did (John 14:12). He meant that walking in His power, we would reach the whole world for Him so that lives could and would be changed. We must all rely on the Holy Spirit and on His prompting, for nothing we do for the Lord on our own will make any imprint. It is only in being filled with His Spirit that we walk in power that life comes truly alive in us and marches on in the lives of those we touch.
May you be truly filled with the Holy Spirit and know the joy that comes from allowing God to work in and through you. Be filled with His Spirit and experience the wonder of being a power-filled Christ follower. Remember, it is not by power, or by any strength of our own, but by the power of the Holy Spirit that God’s kingdom is established (Zechariah 4:6).
Cultivating (Additional Reading): John 16:13
