I ended the last blog post pondering this question: “Does the power of the Holy Spirit flow through our life, enabling us to have great faith??”
(The last blog post discussed how the brand-new Christians in Thessalonica had great faith … and this was because of the power of the Holy Spirit at work in their lives.)
Perhaps you might be wondering: “How??”
“How can the Holy Spirit give me the power to have great faith?? I would like the power of the Holy Spirit to flow through my life. But I don’t know what that looks like. What does that look like??”
What this looks like is: Obedience.
It’s as simple as that. Obedience to the Holy Spirit is how His power flows through our life.
When a person repents of their sin and gives their life to Jesus, believing that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world … at that moment Jesus takes all their sin away, and in return Jesus gives them the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is given as a gift to each person who follows Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit comforts us. The Holy Spirit teaches us. The Holy Spirit guides us. The Holy Spirit convicts us. The Holy Spirit leads & directs us throughout life.
The Holy Spirit indwells us and speaks to us through the Bible (which the Holy Spirit authored). The Holy Spirit also prompts us in a “still small voice” deep in our soul.
It’s that “still small voice” deep in our soul which tells us to let the offense go … it tells us to keep silent and not “flame” that other person with that brilliant snarky comeback that’s on the tip of our tongue!
It’s that “still small voice” deep in our soul which tells us not to go to that website. It tells us not to scroll today. It tells us not to watch that. It tells us not to take the credit for that thing which doesn’t belong to us.
It’s that “still small voice” deep in our soul convicting us of that lie we just told. It’s that “still small voice” deep in our soul telling us we need to forgive that person. It’s that “still small voice” deep in our soul telling us to let go of our control and to stop fighting to always have things “our way.”
If we want the power of the Holy Spirit to flow through our life … we need to obey! Immediately.
If we want the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to have great faith … we need to obey.
But oftentimes we don’t obey. We ignore the Holy Spirit’s “still small voice” deep in our soul. We lash out with that flaming retort … because it’s just too good not to. In that moment we’ve “resisted” the Holy Spirit. We’ve “quenched” the Holy Spirit.
We justify that lie we just told. We don’t repent.
We tell more lies. And we justify each of those lies … until eventually, our life is nothing but lies.
We have “resisted” the Holy Spirit. We have “quenched” the Holy Spirit. We have just shut off the power of the Holy Spirit from our life.
We refuse to forgive. We hang onto our bitterness, because it just feels so good!
By doing so, we have forfeited the power of the Holy Spirit in our life.
Obedience. Obedience is how the power of the Holy Spirit flows through our life.
Obedience to not allow ourselves to be controlled by fear … when everything in us wants to “freak out”!
Obedience to continue being kind to that mean difficult person … when everything in us wants to have nothing to do with them!
Obedience to continue being faithful to do our best … when it feels as if it doesn’t matter at all!
Obedience to reach out to that person (when prompted by that “still small voice” deep in our soul) … even though it doesn’t seem to make any sense at all.
Obedience is how the power of the Holy Spirit flows through our life.
So back to the initial question: How do we have great faith?? How do we have the kind of great faith like the early Christians in Thessalonica were commended for?
By obeying the Holy Spirit … immediately … in every way. This is how we have the power of the Holy Spirit flowing through our life.
