3rd June 2014 POWER IS YOURS TO MAKE LIFE BETTER Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (King James Version) In Acts 1:4-5 Jesus commanded his disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they were baptised with the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:14 shows us clearly that the disciples were not just waiting idly but were devoted to steadfast times of prayer. They were patiently and joyously waiting as they followed the instructions of Jesus. Why was it so important for them to do that? Acts 1:8 our feature verse for today makes it very clear why this was so important. In Acts 1:8 above we see that Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem so that they might receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them and they would be able to be witnesses. Without receiving the power of the Holy Spirit they would not be able to be witnesses of Jesus Christ. Notice that if they received the power of the Holy Spirit they would be able to witness not only in Judea, but in Samaria and to the rest of the earth. The disciples already believed in Jesus and followed Him everywhere He went before His ascension to heaven but they did not have the power to witness and have impact on the rest of the earth at this stage. They needed the power of the Holy Spirit to be able to witness effectively. God does not want you to remain small and be of non-effect in your world. God wants you to grow and have positive impact. If you receive the power of the Holy Spirit then you will continue to get bigger, better, more joyous and successful in what you do whilst your enemies or opponents either become smaller or insignificant in determining the destiny of your life. You might believe in Jesus and know many scriptures from the Bible and yet be unable to apply the knowledge to your everyday activities. This is much like a university professor in economics and business who teaches many about how to profitably make investments whilst he is very poor through his inability to apply that knowledge in his life. You need to receive the Holy Spirit and be able to apply the knowledge of Gods Word in your daily life and produce good results. The word translated power in Acts 1:8 is the Greek word dunamis and it means dynamic ability to cause changes. Therefore Jesus was telling them to go and patiently wait with great joy until they receive power to effect changes to anything through the power of the Holy Spirit. This power would make the disciples have capacity to effect changes in the whole earth. Anything you do not like in your life you can change using this power. See the Amplified Bible version of Acts 1:8 below as it gives even more clarity. Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth. (Amplified Bible) If this devotional has blessed you, please pass it on and also email us your feedback to [email protected] To subscribe to receive the Bolts of Wisdom daily devotional send an email to [email protected] God bless you. Pastor Andrew Mutondoro website: oca.org.za
Posted on: Tue, 03 Jun 2014 07:32:59 +0000