The Power of the Holy Spirit in Us

Before Jesus ascended to the Father, He gave His disciples a crucial promise: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me” (Acts 1:8). This was not a mere encouragement but an absolute necessity. The task of spreading the gospel was not something they could accomplish through their own ability. They needed divine power—the very life of Christ within them—to be His witnesses.

Ten days later, on Pentecost, this promise was fulfilled. The Holy Spirit descended, filling and empowering the believers. The results were unmistakable: bold preaching, undeniable miracles, and an unstoppable spread of the gospel—first in Jerusalem, then Judea, Samaria, and finally, to the ends of the earth. This rapid expansion was not the work of trained professionals or influential figures; it was carried out by men and women who simply yielded to the Spirit. Their sufficiency was not in education, status, or skill—it was in Christ living His life through them.

Their testimony echoes through time: We, too, cannot serve Christ in our own strength. We cannot love as He loves, speak as He speaks, or walk as He walks unless it is His Spirit doing the work within us. As we abide in Him, He expresses His life through us. That is the only way the gospel advances—through yielded vessels, empowered by the Spirit, bearing witness to the risen Christ.

Personal Journal Entry

Lord, You are making this more and more clear to me—You never intended for me to live for You by my own ability. You never asked me to muster up the strength, wisdom, or courage to be a witness. Instead, You promised that Your very life, through the Holy Spirit, would accomplish what I never could.

I think about those early disciples—uneducated, unimpressive in the eyes of the world—yet through them, the gospel spread like wildfire. Not because of their skill, but because they had been with You. And now, I realize, so have I. Not in the flesh as they did, but in Spirit. But this is so much more than simply being with You. You abide in me, and I abide in You. The same power that raised You from the dead dwells in me.

How often have I looked at my own inadequacies and hesitated? How often have I tried to "do" for You, rather than yielding and letting You work through me? It was such a burdensome way of living. But You graciously taught me this truth: It is not my ability that matters—it is Your presence, Your Spirit, and Your life in me that bears fruit. My part is simple: abide, yield, trust.

So, Lord, live Your life through me today. Whether in conversation, in service, or in quiet moments of prayer, let Your Spirit be the one at work. I choose to set aside striving and embrace the truth that You are enough.

Prayer of Trust

Father, thank You that I am not left to my own strength. Thank You that the same power that filled the early disciples now fills me. I trust You to work through me today, to bear fruit that is not of my own effort, but of Your Spirit. You have given all that is needed—I simply yield. Live Your life through me, and may Your love, boldness, and truth shine forth in a way that brings glory to You alone.

Devotional Credit: "Day by Day by Grace" by Bob Hoekstra
Photo Credit: Unsplash