“And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” – 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
God always gives you the power and strength to do what He’s called you to do in Jesus Christ. Always. No matter how impossible it might seem, God never asks His people to do anything without also giving them the spiritual power to do it. That power comes through His Holy Spirit. The moment you put your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God’s Spirit seals you (marking you as permanently belonging to God). His Spirit also indwells you, meaning He lives in your heart. And He anoints you, declaring you clean from your sins, holy to Him, and commissioned to serve Him.
The mistake we tend to make is to then try to follow Jesus and obey God using our own strength. We try to reform ourselves with good intentions and self-discipline. We jump into serving God using our own energy and enthusiasm. Sooner or later, those things aren’t enough. If we’re trying to serve God in our strength, we eventually become exhausted, frustrated, burned out, and broken. When that happens, we question ourselves, question God, and doubt His will and goodness. Does this sound familiar??? It isn’t God’s fault – it’s ours! We ignored the resources He already gave us in the Holy Spirit.
Learn to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. That requires a very different way of doing life. A way of submission to God’s will and ways. A life committed to rejecting and fleeing sin while quickly repenting whenever you do stumble and fall into sin. A life of prayer and patient waiting on God. A life of listening for the Spirit’s direction and then obeying without hesitation when the Spirit gives that direction. When you do the work of God in the Spirit of God, there’s unimaginable power available to you. Yes, you! And peace. And joy.
The same Spirit Who empowered and sustained the Apostles lives in you. Are you living in His power as you #FollowJesus?