Power of the Spirit
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
What is the power we get from the Holy Spirit? I have known many people who spent years trying to change themselves with no permanent success; but when they except Christ and walk in his will, they change permanently. It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to change us and mold us to the mind of Christ, but how does the Lord make this change in us?
I have witnessed that the Lord will change people when they are motivated to change, and when they believe God can change them. The Spirit then gives us the power to overcome temptations of our learned behavior and replace it with Godly behavior. This is a process that is given in the Word of God.
Now that we have accepted Christ as our Savior and filled with the Holy Spirit, we now have a connection to God, and we have the Lord’s divine power to change us. It is the Lord that changes us, we do not change ourselves, but if we follow his will, then over time we will be changed. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2) The Lord renews our minds, wiring in Godly thoughts and unwiring sinful thoughts. The mind controls the brain, and our minds (thoughts) change the wiring in our brains.
The power of the Spirit that I have experienced is God’s love. The Spirit gives us divine power to rewire our brain through our thoughts. Dr. Timothy Jennings says the following in his book The God Shaped, “Not only does other-centered love increase when we worship a God of love, but sharp thinking and memory improve as well. In other words, worshipping a God of love actually stimulates the brain to heal and grow.” This is the divine power of God that changes us, but only when we follow God’s divine plan for our life.
What is God’s divine plan for us? Read and meditate on his Word to learn God’s overall plan for saving mankind, pray and talk to God, and become active in a Christ centered church family. We are molded to the mind of Christ, therefore we live a life modeled after Christ. We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. (John 2:3) If we continue doing these things, God continually molds us to the mind of Christ and changes our heart.
We continue in reading the Word, praying, fellowshipping, and walking in obedience because this creates the circle of growth. The more we continue the more motivated we become, and the more of God’s divine power we receive to overcome the world. For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4)
It is God’s power through the Spirit that changes us as we walk in his will. It’s his divine power that renews the mind and changes the heart. Keep walking with the Lord and he will change you, and lead you to overcome any behavior that is not pleasing to God.
Today experience victory in Christ over temptations and know you have the power of God through the Holy Spirit. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4) You have power over the evil forces in the spiritual world; power over Satan and his demons. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12) It’s a spiritual war and God equips us by molding our hearts and minds to be like Christ, giving us his divine power to overcome the world.
Prayer: Lord, give me your power through the Spirit to overcome every temptation Satan puts before me today. Help me to walk confidently, fighting this spiritual war and experience the blessing of victory in Christ. Thank you Lord for continually molding me to the mind of Christ. In Jesus name, Amen