If the Spirit of God is in us, what will that mean to our life? What strength or power will it bring? And how will we access it?
We’re simply a raw and organic human beings without the Spirit. We have talents that are unique to us but because of our humanness, we’re not always able to fully use them because our bodies and minds have limits. We get hungry and tired, mental fog sets in due to stress and our willpower wains by the end of the day.
But when the Spirit comes into our lives, she allows us to fully embody our talents. Like a balloon filling up with air, she occupies the full potential of our gifts.
She’s also able to cover our weaknesses. Like a bridge over water, she leads us over obstacles and out of harms way.
If we allow, the Spirit will also direct our paths, showing us what to pursue and what to avoid. We have to listen carefully, though, because we’re naturally filled with fear and anxiety over how to survive and avoid pain.
And there’s more. The Spirit is fully God. The Spirit contains unlimited potential. She can exhibit talents that aren’t naturally within us. The Spirit can surprise us and cause us to succeed in spite of our weaknesses.
The Spirit brings into our being the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There isn’t room for us to say, ‘oh I’m not a patient person’ as an excuse for our impatient behavior because patience exists within us. We can’t say, ‘he’s impossible to love’ because we hold the power to love even to the point of death. We own these fruits. They exist in our being. When we believe that, we’ll be able to access them regardless of the circumstances.
How do we do that?
Here are three steps.
Believe
We can’t become something if we don’t believe it. We can limit our lives by our beliefs. God won't make you believe you’re capable of great things. You need to believe it. Scripture tells us we’re fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). It tells us that He works in our weakness (2 Cor 12:10).
Do we believe that? Do we believe we're capable of great things by accessing the Spirit within us? If we don’t, we limit the Spirit’s power in our life. She won’t force greatness upon us. We'll need to participate in the process.
Many people are convinced that God won’t choose them to carry out His purposes. Why is that? Do we believe His power is too small? Or is our faith the thing that limits His purposes? We can’t blame God for our ordinary life. We choose to limit the power burning within us.
Are you willing to step into His greatness?
Listen
How can we listen to the Spirit? First, we need to believe that the Spirit is speaking to us and guiding our life. Unless we believe THAT, her words will be easily dismissed. How will we hear unless we listen?
We can’t learn from those we ignore.
If we pay attention, however, we’ll pick up ideas or words of wisdom from the most unexpected places.
If we listen only to ourselves, we won’t hear the Spirit speaking. That brings us back to our raw and organic self that came from our mother’s womb. We consider our own thoughts enough.
All of us who have received the Holy Spirit get promptings. When a thought enters your mind that’s not typical, this can be the Spirit.
Are you being led in an unknown direction? It could be the Spirit.
Does it move you slightly beyond your comfort zone? Pay attention, it’s the Spirit.
Are you afraid of looking silly but know it’s the right thing to do? Definitely the Spirit!
Have Courage
Listening to the Spirit takes courage. She’ll say things that won’t make sense right away. To follow her lead, we’ll need to stop thinking about ourselves. We’ll need to put aside our embarrassment, fears, limitations, and beliefs.
It requires trust.
It requires us to take risks.
It requires faith.
The Spirit's interested in using God’s gifts, even if they’re not naturally ours. Like a marionette master, she causes our limbs to move in ways we’re not capable of ourselves. With the Spirit, we’re not limited because she's capable of all things. Scripture says, I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Phil 4:13). We’re able to do all things if we'll just listen to the Spirit and follow her lead.
Jesus was our human example. He was fully man yet he was filled with such love that he died for people that spit in his face and tortured him. That makes no sense on a human level. Only through the Spirit was he able to accomplish such a feat. Only through the love of God that took him beyond human reasoning.