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Presented by Lauren Stibgen
Holy Spirit power! How do you know if you have it? I must admit, thinking about Holy Spirit power had me deep into God’s Word, seeking to understand if I was experiencing this power in my own life!
Looking into God’s Word, we see the Holy Spirit present in Scripture starting in Genesis 1, throughout the Old Testament and especially in the New Testament. In fact, in Romans 8:11 we are told that the same power that raised Jesus from the grave is alive in us today! Wow!
All of this had me thinking—how could I see this power? What I found was the disciples in the early church, and especially Paul, left behind many practical ways for us to evaluate our Holy Spirit power and to flex what I am calling our Holy Spirit power muscles!
You see, just as the muscles in our body become more responsive to exercise, Holy Spirit power also becomes more responsive to how much we “exercise” or pay attention to how we display this power in our lives. I would like us to look at verses we have likely read before, but I am hoping that we look at them differently in light of Holy Spirit power.
How do you know you have Holy Spirit power? First the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is reserved for those who place their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. In Acts 2:38, Peter states, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Once you receive this gift, how do you know its power in your life? Well, we are told in Galatians 5:22 that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control.
I love the word fruit. Think about how fruit grows. It takes different forms of power to create fruit. Fertile soil, rain, sunshine, warmth. Just like we nurture our bodies in exercise to build muscles, plants must be nurtured to produce fruit! What kind of nurturing are you giving the fruit of the Spirit?
You have likely read Galatians 5:22 many times and even heard a sermon or two about it, but have you used it to see how the power of the Holy Spirit is moving in your life? I started to think about each one of the fruits and how much or how little it was showing up in my life. To be even more specific, how was it showing up in my work?
Love. You may be thinking love and work don’t mesh, but if you have Holy Spirit power working in your life, love is foundational to your work. And yes, this applies if you work in a secular workplace. The greatest commandment in the Bible is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul and to love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27). As we dig deeper into Scripture, we see that a neighbor is anyone in our path who may be in need. The best example of love in the Bible is Jesus. How did Jesus love others? How does God love us? Unconditionally—as we are. How are you loving people at work? Even those who are different from you?
Joy. Maybe you don’t like your job. In fact, you dread waking up to go every day. Or maybe you love your job! Often, we see the words joy and happiness used as synonyms but, what about biblical joy. I really liked this definition by John Piper:
Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world.[1]
Why do I like this? First, because clearly, joy is a product of Holy Spirit power and second it tells us to see the beauty of Christ in the Word and in the world! Like me, your world includes work. Seeing the beauty of Christ could mean something as small as giving thanks for the job you have that brings financial provision, or maybe you have great relationships with the people you work with. Have you learned a new skill at work? All these seemingly mundane, worldly things can bring you joy if you see them through the lens of Christ. And when you are struggling, Piper’s definition also calls us back to finding the beauty of Christ in God’s Word. If you are struggling at work, make sure you are in the Word.
Peace. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you (John 14:27). Or And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). Jesus tells his disciples in John 14 that he leaves and gives peace; he does this through the filling of the Holy Spirit. Peace is thought of as a feeling—maybe calm or sometimes as the absence of conflict. Work can certainly challenge this. Whether you have an overloaded schedule, too many deliverables, or find yourself in a conflict with someone at work, seeking Jesus through thoughtful prayer and meditation can fill you with Holy Spirit power to carry you through! How is your peace?
Patience. That colleague who may be stealing your joy—are they also testing your patience? As we seek Holy Spirit power in patience we can, again, turn to the example of Jesus. Over and over in the Gospels we see Jesus patiently teaching his disciples through parables. Each parable pointed them back to believing in him and acting out the greatest commandment of loving God and loving others.
I know one of the things I dread the most at work is onboarding new employees. Things that may come second nature to me just because I have been in my position for years are not easy for someone new starting with the company. Making sure my patience is in check is one way I can make sure I am using the Holy Spirit power I need in this situation. Perhaps there is someone at work that tests your patience. Maybe they ask too many questions or even talk too much during a meeting. How much Holy Spirit power are you exercising with patience at work?
Kindness. True kindness is Holy Spirit produced. It is the kindness that flows from your desire to show love and compassion without being asked or just because “it is the right thing to do.” One of my favorite Proverbs is Proverbs 25:21-22, If your enemy is hungry give him food to eat; if he is thirsty give him water to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you. Hopefully you don’t have enemies at work, and this shouldn’t be a motivation to be kind, but when you are kind to those who may be difficult at work, your reward is from the Lord. When the outpouring of your kindness is focused on what God thinks and not what others will think, you will experience true Holy Spirit power! Maybe you make it a habit to bring someone flowers once a month just because? Or do you keep $5 coffee gift cards to give to people randomly? It could even be an offer to cover someone’s shift or lend a hand on a project that seems to be overwhelming a colleague. Remember, Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor (Proverbs 21:21).
Gentleness. Just as the word peace evokes a physical feeling, so does gentleness. This word is often used to describe how we might tell a small child to touch an animal—“be gentle”. If we think of what we truly mean to say, we are acknowledging the power the child has to harm the animal. Just like a physical touch, our demeanor of gentleness at work speaks to how we use our power. That power is not physical, but it can be in the ways we influence or use our words, or even how we choose to stay clear of judging others in a situation.
Jesus embodies gentleness. Turning our sights once again to Jesus, we know that his humble leadership, even down to the washing of his disciple’s feet, should be our example as we set out to work each day. Proverbs 15:1 states, A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Are you gentle? Or are you known as the one that gets “wound up”? Do you gossip and cast judgement on others? How you show gentleness through the Holy Spirit can truly impact how people see you show up.
Finally, self-control. Self-control is the ability to say no—to show constraint. It is the ability to walk away from things we know are not good for us. Work can be full of temptation. This can take many forms. Is it the offer of a promotion that includes a new title and more money but takes you away from home? Is it an open door to gossip about a colleague or provide feedback about someone that you really shouldn’t be talking about? Maybe you receive an invite to an important dinner, but it is with a group of people that participate in activities that don’t fit with your walk with Jesus. How you seek the Holy Spirit in self-control in each of these scenarios can mean the difference between a right and a wrong decision.
How much you focus on each of these fruits depends on how much Holy Spirit power you have working in your life. Keeping love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control front and center as you consider your work each day can help you exercise your muscles to become more dependent on the Holy Spirit’s working in your life! As I reflected on the fruit of the Spirit this week, I decided to place special attention on joy. I encourage you to pray and be in God’s Word daily. This is where I find my best “exercise” to find strength in Holy Spirit power! What is one fruit you will work on this week?
[1] Piper, J. (2015, July 25). How do you define joy?. Desiring God. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-do-you-define-joy