Receiving the Power of the Spirit and Repenting of Striving
Today, as the Underground, we come together in prayer and fasting. Every great move of God in the Bible and
in history begins with Extraordinary Prayer and Fasting. From the other side of eternity, we will find that the most influential people were not, perhaps, Presidents or Prime Ministers but the people who walked with God through passionate prayer. This week we will focus our prayer and fasting on the theme of Receiving the Power of the Spirit and Repenting of Striving
Movement 1: CLEAR! (Repent of Striving)
Read:
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought,
but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
Romans 12:3Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:13
Reflect:
When health professionals use a defibrillator, before the paddles hit the chest of the one in need, they cry, βClear!β
In other words, βHands off! Step back!β
Sometimes, we are way too βhands on,β attempting to change others or change a situation when whatβs needed is βClear!β We need to step back, take our hands off, and trust Jesus to bring the power, insight, and change instead of our own human striving. Merely human effort will get merely human results.
We get βdrunkβ with illusions of what we can do in our own strength. Itβs delusional, and we are likely addicted to our own coping mechanisms. Paul and Peter tell us in these passages to get sober emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. Repentance leads to sobriety and freedom.
We long for the transformation only the Spirit of God can birth and bring to life. Letβs invite that again in prayer. Letβs get CLEAR!
Pray:
Letβs admit, weβve attempted to be the Holy Spirit for others and for ourselves so, so many times. Hold that and reflect on the damage that has done, and the exhaustion that has caused. Sit in silence and let the Spirit bring to mind when youβve done that in the past or where you may be doing that now. Admit that. Grieve the losses associated with that. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! Accept no toxic shame but welcome the life-giving conviction of the Holy Spirit. Rediscover the light burden and easy yoke Jesus promised.
Ask the Lord, βHelp me to get clear. Help me to get sober.β
Movement 2: Receiving the Spiritβs Power
Read:
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lordβs will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit...
Ephesians 5:17-18
Reflect:
In this passage, we are invited to admit our powerlessness. We are invited to get sober of the substitutes and to be filled with the Spirit.
The verb there is plΔroΕ, βto fill up, to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally, to flood, to diffuse throughout.β
The verb is in the present imperative. It is a verb tense that describes an action that is happening in an ongoing way in the present moment. In other words, we could safely say, βBe being filled...be constantly being filled with the Spirit.β Another interpretation would be, βBe constantly, moment by moment, being surrendered to the Spiritβs influence and power.β
This is for all of us. This is not about a special dose for people who are βpastorsβ or βprofessionals;β it is for all of us in the everyday stuff of life.
Do you have the Spirit right now? Yes! Do you need more of Him? Yes. Do you have the Spirit now? Yes! Do you need to be filled by Him again? Yes.
Why? Heβs an endless ocean and a bottomless sea. Heβll never run out.
Why? Weβll never stop needing Him. We will never not need His power and guidance.
The biggest obstacle to the Spiritβs influence in our life is self-sufficiency.
Iβm big enough. Iβm strong enough. Iβm smart enough. Iβve got everything I need. Iβm a self-made man or woman. Iβm competent. In control. Successful. Iβm self-sufficient. I can do it on my own. My abilities are adequate. I donβt need to depend on the Holy Spirit. I donβt need to surrender every day. I donβt need to fall on my knees in humility. I donβt need to submit to a community and accountability. I donβt need to do any of that stuff. I can do it on my own.
What inhibits and blocks our experience of that power? Self-sufficiency.
Pray:
Surrender again to the Spirit. Ask Him to highlight where self-sufficiency may be getting in the way. Ask to be filled again. Remember repenting of self-sufficiency doesnβt mean we are passive. Quite the opposite! Often we get stuck because we have not followed through on a past prompting of the Spirit. The fire falls at our next step of obedience to the Spiritβs leading. Reflect on recent promptings and βI will...β statements. Is there an open circuit to be closed by a step of loving obedience?