Awakening to the Power of the Holy Spirit

This is the third post in a four-part series adapted from Kurt Nelson's book, “Awakening to the Holy Spirit.” Download a free chapter from the book or purchase a copy today.

We must awaken to the Person of the Holy Spirit; we must awaken to the presence of the Holy Spirit; and third, we must awaken to the power of the Holy Spirit. “Spiritual batteries” are required and need to be recharged daily. In other words, we’re spiritually dead without the Holy Spirit.

God’s Word states that we have the power of the Holy Spirit available to us each and every day. It says:

• The Holy Spirit strengthens us with internal power (Ephesians 3:16).
• The Holy Spirit is described as fire (Matthew 3:11).
• The Holy Spirit is described as a violent, rushing wind (Acts 2:2).
• The Holy Spirit clothes us with power (Luke 24:49).
• The Holy Spirit grants us direct access to God the Father (Ephesians 2:18).

I don’t know about you, but I want that kind of power in my life! And it gets even better. Jesus gave His followers another incredible promise that we would all experience after He sent the Holy Spirit.

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” -John 14:12

This verse is unbelievable! I wouldn’t believe it except that Jesus said it, and it’s in the Bible.

Jesus said that by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in your life and in my life, He will do greater works in and through us than He did Himself while He was on Earth! So how does this work? How does God impart that kind of supernatural power in and through our weak, frail, and very human lives?

I believe this transformation by the power of God only comes through humility, confession, brokenness, submission, and surrender to God on a daily basis. As we surrender ourselves to Him and, as Jesus said, we deny ourselves and take up our cross every day, God humbles Himself to overflow us with His presence and power through His indwelling Holy Spirit (Luke 9:23, Romans 8:9).

The Fruits and Gifts of the Holy Spirit

One of the ways God fills us with His presence and power through the Holy Spirit is by giving us the fruit of the Spirit—“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).” These are not your love, your joy, your peace, your patience, your kindness, your goodness, your faithfulness, your gentleness, or your self-control that are merely improved upon by God. These are His fruit, the fruit of His Holy Spirit manifest in and through our lives! We get to trade up for the fruit of the Spirit.

“The way I define love is by using the fruit of the Spirit, which starts with love. I believe that joy is love rejoicing, peace is love at rest, patience is love waiting, kindness is love interacting, goodness is love initiating, faithfulness is love keeping its word, gentleness is love empathizing, and self-control is love resisting temptation.” -Michael Timmis

This divine fruit is what the Holy Spirit wants to bear in and through your life as you abide in Him and allow Him to abide in you. They’re all the supernatural overflow of the Holy Spirit indwelling your life.

The Holy Spirit also empowers us with supernatural gifts, such as exhortation, evangelism, giving, healing, leadership, pastoring, prophecy, and wisdom.

I want to remind us again that these are not human talents or human abilities, just like the fruits are not human either. They’re supernatural. These are Holy Spirit given, supernatural empowerment for serving God and doing His ministry.

Do you know what your gifts are? Are you using them to advance the Kingdom of God?

I believe that each of us has at least one of these gifts, and my experience has been that most of us have two or three spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit manifests in and through our lives so that we may serve His Body, the lost, and the expansion of His Kingdom.

The Holy Spirit is a Person who is present in us with immeasurable power. Christ in us through the Holy Spirit is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).