EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
Philippians 2:13 NLT
TODAY’S THOUGHT
A man I admire, Rick Warren, wrote “Christlikeness is not produced by imitation, but by inhabitation. We allow Christ to live through us. How does this happen? Through the choices we make.”
We need to remind ourselves that God is working in us. The Holy Spirit lives in us as followers of Christ and He is working to produce the character of Christ in us. The Spirit works in us first to give us the desire to please God.
Our sin infested flesh is corrupted with the priority of pleasing self. The flesh is only interested in the temporary and immediate. Often the flesh prompts us to make choices that offer momentary pleasure but results in long-term pain.
The Holy Spirit serves as our Guide and Teacher to help us overcome the flesh and think about the long-term consequences of our choices. When we seek the will of God the Holy Spirit can and will transform our desires. He will prompt us to think about consequences not just immediate gratification.
Through this transformation the Spirit will also empower us to act on the knowledge He has given us. We are empowered by the Spirit to live in alignment with the will of God.
Early in our marriage Cindy and I commented about how many older couples seemed to look so much alike. Their dress, mannerisms, and even talking seemed to just match. It wasn’t until we did some deeper dives that we realized they rarely if ever started out their marriage that way. Years of being together had transformed them.
In the same way, when we spend time with the Holy Spirit we begin to look like Jesus. We think like Jesus. We talk like Jesus. And we act like Jesus. Time spent in the Word of God, with the Spirit of God and the family of God will transform us into the image of God.
The Spirit empowers us to be transformed but we still make the choices. I make the choice every day to spend time in the Word of God, in prayer with the Spirit of God, and in community with the family of God.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Holy Spirit, I need You to empower me so that my desires are transformed and I have the ability to do what pleases You.
“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”