The Power of the Spirit
By Emma Danzey
2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."
For the Spirit God Gave Us
Those of us who have accepted Jesus as Savior have the wonderful gift of having the Holy Spirit reside in us. Jesus says in John 15:26, “I will send you the Helper from the Father. The Helper is the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father. When he comes, he will tell about me.” Right before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit in Acts 1:8. The fact that God gave us His Spirit should blow us away. We should be in awe that the Lord has sealed us and provided His presence with us always. Before the Holy Spirit was sent, the Lord would select certain people for the Spirit to rest upon them for a temporary amount of time. Now, we live in the days when His Spirit is in us always and forever. He has permanent residency in our hearts.
He Does Not Make Us Timid
The Spirit of God does not make us timid. This means that feelings of fear, inadequacy, and insecurity do not come from God. In life, we are all faced with different lies in our heads. We can either take those thoughts captive to Christ, or we can believe them and live out timid lives. Although we have the Holy Spirit, there is a difference in being saved and living a Spirit-filled life. Choosing to daily surrender to the work God wants to do in our hearts and through our days means that we are filled with the Holy Spirit to live. We seek the ways of the Spirit, not the flesh. We acknowledge that the enemy and our flesh are against us and want us to be timid, but that is not who we truly are in Christ.
Power, Love, and Self-Discipline
These three beautiful characteristics come from the Holy Spirit. When we think about power, we remember that Romans 8:11 says, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” It is so easy to forget this fact on a daily basis. The same power that resurrected Jesus from the dead now lives within us. This is no small truth, this is life-changing. We can remember that if Jesus could defeat sin and death, we too can defeat our battles.
When we ponder the love that the Holy Spirit gives us, it is indescribable. 1 John 4:18 says, “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” There is no fear in receiving the love that comes from the Holy Spirit because He is perfect love. He never lets us down, never has a hidden or selfish agenda, He is faithful.
Lastly, the Holy Spirit gives us self-discipline. When we think on our journeys of sin struggles, the gift of the Spirit reveals sin in our lives and sanctifies us to look more like Christ. This means that we are constantly growing and being convicted in different areas. I once heard it said, “The Holy Spirit convicts but never condemns.” There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, however, we are fully aware that the Holy Spirit shows the unholy parts within our hearts and lives and helps us to be refined into the men and women that He has called us to be. We are able to have self-discipline not because of our own strength, but because of His Spirit within us.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior? If so, are you living a Spirit-filled life? Take some time to thank God for His presence and ask him to help you in any areas in which you are timid. Ask Him to remind you of the power, love, and self-discipline that you have access to through Him.
Further Reading:
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Related Resource: How Habit Stacking Will Help You Discipline Your Mind, Body, & Spirit
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