Tuesday, September 7, 2021
And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:31
A Life Engaged
God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit. For us to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we must engage with Him. We engage with the Holy Spirit through talking to Him through prayer and we grow in our relationship through the study of God's word. Others will also see the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we engage Him. Spending time with the Holy Spirit will make us resemble Him in our lives.
The single most important factor in growing to Christian maturity is prayer. Its importance cannot be overestimated. It is the difference in Christianity being merely a form and it being a force. Intimate conversations with the Holy Spirit will give us the confidence and boldness He provides to us as God's children.
Too many spend too much of their energy on trying to achieve righteousness. We are the consummate “I can do this myself” generation. We pride ourselves and praise others who are highly independent. Here is some news for you...the Christian life is a life of dependence. It is not believing in Jesus and then “doing the best you can.” It is not joining the church and getting a “do-it-yourself” kit. It begins by confessing our complete inability to save ourselves and continues with the confession of our desperate need for God’s power and righteousness. It is living in constant fellowship with and dependence upon God, while also living our lives - serving, witnessing - in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus modeled prayer in His life. Jesus on his knees is the greatest argument there is for prayer. He was constantly in prayer. He prayed before he ate, before great decisions, and in the garden of Gethsemane
The disciples were so impressed with the prayer life of Jesus that they asked him, "Lord, teach us to pray." (Luke 11:1) They had heard him preach eloquent sermons, but they never asked, "Lord, teach us to preach." They saw him perform amazing miracles but they never said, "Lord, teach us to work miracles." They recognized that the secret of his great life was in his communion with God through prayer. That's why they said, "Lord, teach us to pray." In response to their request Jesus gave them and us the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:5-17).
The Holy Spirit is our special helper. He was given as a gift to help us through this life.He gives us confidence and boldness, but He also is our advocate. Those times when we are so grieved that we cannot even speak, He knows what we need and He talks to God for us. He knows the words that we can only speak tears to. What a comfort that is to know. We can always talk to Him. Speaking to Him and trusting Him is flipping the on switch to the His power in our lives.
