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A term we hear a lot these days is empowerment. We’re told when a person feels empowered, then they are motivated; they are capable of being all they can be. I certainly agree we need to be empowered, but my question this week is, how do we turn on the power?
New age philosophy says we need to simply get in touch with the unlimited power within us. It tries to convince us we can be anything we want to be, do anything we want to do if we believe in ourselves. That’s how you turn on the power.
Many people have bought into this—even Christians—because it sounds good, and it caters to our desire for control. But if you’ve been trying to turn the power on yourself, you’ve discovered it just doesn’t always work. Your internal self-powerhouse is often out of service or overloaded or has frequent power failures.
No, just as light fixtures and light bulbs are useless without electrical power, we need some outside power source flowing to us and through us if we’re ever going to turn the power on. The truth of Scripture is there is only one ultimate source of power. All power rests in the hands of the Creator, who has chosen to share it on terms he alone controls. He has a monopoly and if you want to turn the power on in your life, you have to go to the source, the Eternal God who has all power.
After his resurrection before ascending into heaven, Jesus told his disciples: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…” Please note he didn’t say, “You have power in yourselves to conquer the world. Just look within yourselves and be the best you can be.” No, he said, power will be given to you from an outside source. And incredibly, that power source is going to dwell in your body.
When and how do we get this Holy Spirit power? Romans 8:9 tells us if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
Every true believer has received the Holy Spirit; it happens when we believe in Jesus Christ. So, we have the powerhouse within us because he is within us. It’s not our personal power; it’s the power of the Holy Spirit, located right inside of us.
But I find sometimes I never turn the power on, or I run on very low wattage—how about you?