Do You Know the Power that Dwells within You?
July 18, 2023
Do You Know the Power that Dwells within You?
By Brooke Holt
“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:9-11
This morning I hit the wall. No, not literally. Thankfully, I had no car accident or unusual mishap. Instead, I hit an emotional wall. For fourteen long months, I have stood by my husband in the most atypical and unfortunate bishop process. I have sought to be strong, to be surrendered, and to fully place my trust in the Lord. However, today the emotions overwhelmed me, and I finally broke. Eight days remain in our process. That does not seem long except when you consider we have been waiting and persevering for fourteen months. In my flesh, I feel like I cannot continue.
Have you ever felt like that? Your circumstances quite likely differ from mine, but we all experience travail throughout our earthly journeys. How do you and I continue to walk through the heartbreaks and setbacks in life? How can we persevere when our strength seems to fail us?
The Apostle Paul provides the answer to that question today: “If the Spirit of him who raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (v. 11). Ponder this amazing mystery. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. That is not just power; that is resurrection power. Just as the Spirit breathed life into Jesus, so he can and will do for you.
The Holy Spirit working in you can do what you and I cannot do in our flesh. He can bring peace and hope; he can restore relationships; he can enable you to forgive even an unrepentant person; he can provide; and he can lead you through the most tumultuous waters. Really, there is nothing that he cannot do.
During difficult times, it can be hard to grasp this truth; yet it is still God’s truth. The Lord has promised to never abandon nor forsake you, and his Spirit will provide everything you need to overcome. The enemy speaks despair and destruction in our adversity. The Holy Spirit speaks a very different message. You can and will overcome. It may not be easy, but if the Spirit can raise Jesus from the dead, he can make the way for you and for me through every earthly trial and tribulation.
Lord, make us more aware of your Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Teach us to access the power within us to overcome this world – every trial, tribulation, and heartbreak. Do your holy work in us today.
Reflection:
Are you living in this miraculous resurrection power of the Spirit? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Recommended Resource:
Let's face it, the Christian life is hard. Relationships take work. Christians forget. Sometimes it is tempting to go back to the days when God was not the center of our lives - to backslide. We are all faced with tremendous pressures to drift away from intimacy with Jesus and the community of the Church. However, the Lord invites us to pay attention, to move forward, to draw near, and to live lives of worship. Draw Near: Hebrews on Christian Worship is a small group Bible study on the Book of Hebrews intended to lead participants into a deeper intimacy with the living God in the context of New Testament worship. Draw nearer to God in authentic worship today!
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