Live in the Power of the Holy Spirit
Posted:
Based on “The Urge to Purge” by Pastor Dave Folkerts; 7/18–19/09,
Message #DF141; Daily Devotional #5 - “Live in the Power of the Holy Spirit”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): Once you have been filled with the Spirit, you know the power you have in your life to overcome temptation, and you experience peace. You also know when you go back to relying on your own power in the flesh without the Holy Spirit. We need a constant filling of the Holy Spirit, and the only way to stay filled is to be constantly in the Word and in prayer purging our lives of the junk that we and the world deposit there. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2, NLT).
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): When the Holy Spirit is not controlling our lives we find it difficult to serve. We are not overflowing with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We probably are putting ourselves first and not trusting God’s Word. We want to do what makes us feel good, or what we reason is the right way to handle situations, without consulting God. The problem with this is that our feelings are fickle and change with different situations. We will not have peace and will not be able to serve because we will be consumed with searching for that peace. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. (Romans 8:6, NLT). That peace only comes when we ignore our own feelings and put our trust in God and what His Word says. We don’t trust in ourselves, but we put our trust in God, even if nothing makes sense.
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): Jesus was our perfect example of living the Spirit-filled life. The Spirit led Christ into the desert, where He was tempted by Satan for forty days. He could have given in to hunger, but instead He stayed Spirit-filled and resisted Satan’s temptations. He fully experienced the same trials Satan tempts us with and then defeated them by the power of the Holy Spirit living in Him. So when we experience temptation in our lives we can look to Jesus, our example, and pray for the Holy Spirit to deliver us, too.
Once the junk is purged from your life and you are living a Spirit-filled life, be on guard. Satan doesn’t like you to live Spirit-filled, and he will find your weakness when you least expect it. If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (I Corinthians 10:12-13, NLT). Satan will look to destroy you when you are serving God and overflowing with his Spirit. You need to be on your guard at all times and constantly fed by the Word so you are armed with the sharp sword.
Cultivating (Additional Reading): Luke 4:1-13
