“So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.” (Acts 9:17-18)
If they were completely honest, most people would say they don’t live powerful lives. Instead, they would say they’re failing in multiple areas. Even though we’re always going to have areas of our lives which need improvement, the Lord wants to equip and enable us to live powerful and productive lives. He did this in the life of Saul of Tarsus, who had been involved in the persecution of Christians but who later had a dramatic conversion experience and became the Apostle Paul. We see in the scripture above (Acts 9:17-18) that Saul was “filled with the Spirit” shortly after he was converted. Had Paul not been filled with God’s Spirit, he would not have become the powerful man who impacted history in such a dynamic way.
Who is the Holy Spirit and how does He help us to live powerful lives? The Bible teaches us that there is one God, but He manifests Himself as three different persons - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, who comes to live within us upon our conversion. In other words, the Holy Spirit comes into our lives the moment we repent of our sins, put our faith in Jesus, and surrender control of our lives to Him. Right away, the Holy Spirit begins to help us live powerfully. He helps us change our attitudes, ambitions, and actions. We often believe we’re making those changes, but it’s actually God’s Spirit working to transform us from within. In addition, the Holy Spirit continues to be our Helper, Comforter, Instructor, and Equipper who leads and guides us through the rest of our lives. Because the Holy Spirit is always with us, we don’t have to do anything completely by ourselves for the rest of our lives. His presence is with us to help us live powerfully for the Lord throughout our lives.
The Holy Spirit wants to have a powerful role in our lives. Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He told His disciples “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” (Acts 1:8) Even though God’s Spirit comes into our lives at salvation, there is a subsequent experience where the Holy Spirit comes upon our lives and fills us with supernatural power. Some Christians call this experience the baptism of the Spirit or the anointing of Spirit, however, this Holy Spirit empowering is most often referred to as the filling of the Spirit. We will live powerful lives when we are filled with God’s Spirit.
Followup Activity - Think back on your own conversion. Make a list of the attitudes, ambitions, and actions that the Holy Spirit began transforming in your life on that day. Then, add to that list other changes He has made in your life. If you’re leading your family through this devotion time, discuss how the Holy Spirit begins changing us from within at our conversion and then continues to lead, guide, mold, and direct us.
Prayer for Today - Lord, please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and allow me to live a powerful life for You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.