Be Wise – Power Up! video

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It is said that the Christian life requires supernatural power. It cannot be lived out of our own strength. Indeed, we need God’s power to obey the Lord’s commands. We need to be wise and power up!

As God commands us not to copy the customs of this world (Romans 12:2), we are to raise the bar of Christian living. And God has set our standard for righteousness – the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

How can one be powerfully transformed into the likeness of Jesus? It starts with the mind. Romans 12:2 says “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

We can only be transformed by renewing our mind. How? Every day, we are to read the Bible and spend time with God. We cannot be transformed unless we develop the habit of reading God’s Word. If our mind is renewed, we will know the will of God. We will discover that the will of God is good, acceptable and perfect.

In Ephesians 5:18, God commands us, “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, be filled with the Spirit.” Dissipation is the total loss of control experienced by a person drunk with wine.

People turn to alcohol to fill the emptiness in their lives. Some of us are dissipated in immoral sex, pornography, money, wrong relationships, or even food. But the Christian life is an overflowing life – a result of the Spirit of God’s ministering work in us. We are not meant to live defeated lives.

The Bible invites us to turn to the Lord and power up. Ezekiel 36:26-27 has this promise: "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

The Holy Spirit is a person, the third person of the Trinity. God the Father authored the plan of salvation. God the Son came to implement salvation by dying on the cross. The Holy Spirit gives the power to believe in the gospel and walk the Christian life. The Holy Spirit is the one who comes into our hearts when we receive Jesus. The purpose of the Spirit is for power and transformation. So, it is by the Spirit of God that we become wise and power up.

Galatians 5:16 commands us to “walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” To walk with the Lord is to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit one step at a time.

This is not always easy. We will have struggles and temptations. The desires of the flesh will be present in our lives. But it is not a sin to be tempted or to be struggling inside.

“Be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18),” is a command, not a suggestion for us all to obey. Being filled by the Spirit is a moment-to-moment walk with the Lord, a daily dependence. When we surrender to the Holy Spirit, He fills us. It is not having more of the Holy Spirit for a Christian already has the Spirit within him. It is Him having more of us.

The indwelling of the Spirit is once for all time by faith. This happens when we repent of our sins and confess, “Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner. I need you; will you save me?”

The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit enters our lives and that He will forever be with us. He is our guarantee or the down payment for salvation. On the other hand, the filling of the Holy Spirit is experienced moment by moment. It is the power for ministry and living. It is by the grace of God.

Being filled with the Spirit begins with a heart that is fully surrendered to the Lord. Are you holding anything back from the Lord? Is there something you are doing that He is not happy with?

Ephesians 4:30 says, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Notice that we can grieve the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes we make mistakes and God will allow us to insist in going our own way. As we insist in doing things our own way, we get hurt. Through pain and trials in life, God will open our eyes. We will begin to realize our foolishness. Then we must get up and say, “Lord, forgive me. I blew it. Lord, here I am.” And God, as He promises, will forgive us.

We must power up by asking the Holy Spirit to fill us. Are you filled with the Holy Spirit today? When a person is powered up, the evidence is clear and present in his life (Ephesians 5:18-21). The evidences that a person is filled with the Spirit are joy, thankfulness and submission to one another.

Remember the joy you experienced when you first came to Jesus? Have you allowed that joy to be stolen by joy-robbers? Have you allowed your disappointments in people or difficult circumstances and problems rob you of your joy? Remember not to focus on people but on the Lord. Let us find our joy in the Lord.

Another evidence of fullness of the Holy Spirit is that of always giving thanks for all things: both good and bad. Problems are always blessings in disguise. If we are children of God, there are no accidents in our lives. There are only divine appointments, not disappointments. It’s a life of gratefulness and of counting our blessings.

Lastly, we are to be subject to one another. It takes humility to submit to one another. Let us not try to change people. That is the work of the Lord. In the meantime, God will give us His Holy Spirit to help us do the impossible. The Christian life is not hard, it is impossible. We need help. It is impossible without the Holy Spirit. We need to be wise and power up. We need the Holy Spirit in our lives.

If you haven’t asked Jesus to come into your heart, do that right now. Then His Spirit will indwell you. From now on, moment-by-moment, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you. He alone has the key to living the victorious Christian life. But it all begins with a heart that is completely surrendered to the Lord. Are you willing to surrender?