The Holy Spirit can accomplish more in two seconds than you can in a lifetime, so why are you striving so hard? Jesus promised, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power” (Acts 1:8 CEV).
Most Christians are still living with a spirit of fear and cowardice, worrying themselves into a constant state of anxiousness. They worry more than they pray because they see their troubles as being bigger than their God.
We trust ourselves too much, we trust God too little, and then we wonder why we’re so afraid of what might happen. “…trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success” (Proverbs 3:5-6 TLB).
All Christians have worried, and most Christians keep doing so every day. We all lack the faith we could have if only we would turn our eyes to God. The problem is not that God has limits but that we lack the faith for all that He can do.
If you really believed that God could do anything, then you’d pray about everything. Jesus promised, “Everything is possible with God” (Mark 10:27 NLT). Jesus also promised: “Anything is possible if a person believes” (Mark 9:23 NLT). Paul wrote: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything” (Philippians 4:6 NLT).
We all like to think we are further along in our faith than we really are. We can quote a verse or two that proclaims how much God is with us, but then we will worry about things as if He is not really there. Our faith in God is limited by our reliance on ourselves.
There is nothing that reveals the spiritual condition of a man or a woman more than the circumstances in which they find themselves. Jesus taught how to have peace in the midst of your troubles: “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]” (John 16:33 AMPC).
The Spirit of God gives us power, whereas the Devil wants to keep us in a state of anxiety and despair. The Devil does not need to make you sin to hinder your efforts for God; he only needs to distract you from looking to God.
To the degree that you fear men, you don’t trust God. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV).
We have the power of the Spirit of God dwelling within us, yet we shrink back in fear from the things and the people who are coming against us. If we would only realize the power that God has given us, we would tell our enemies it is they who should fear.
If we truly believed God is with us, we wouldn’t act as if He were not. The Lord told Joshua: “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 HCSB).
The Holy Spirit can give you power, but will you receive it? This power is first rooted in what it can do in you before it will manifest in what it can do through you. If you want to change the world, you must first let God change you.
As Christians, we grossly underestimate the true power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. Jesus prophesied: “These are the miraculous signs that will accompany believers: They will use the power and authority of my name to force demons out of people. They will speak new languages. They will pick up snakes, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them. They will place their hands on the sick and cure them” (Mark 16:17-18 GW).
It is not enough to know a verse; you must live the verse. There are more Christians who argue for the particular Bible translation they read more than there are Christians who live by the translation they prefer. If you really trusted God, it would show.
We fear men too much because we trust God too little. “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6 NKJV).
If you realized even a fraction of the power that the Spirit of God puts within you, then you’d walk with courage and boldness in everything God gives you to do. The dangers and the frustrations of this world wouldn’t even phase you.
When you truly believe that God has your back, you’ll be bolder with what you set out to do. “You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the Lord will go ahead of you; yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind” (Isaiah 52:12 NLT).
It’s not a matter of God needing to do something more for you but of you realizing what He has already done. The Holy Spirit has given you power, and now it is up to you to walk in it. The only thing that hinders the Spirit in you is you.
You never know what’s going to happen, but God does. Stay in prayer with Him, knowing that He is preparing you for what’s ahead. “The Lord himself will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forget you. Don’t be afraid and don’t worry” (Deuteronomy 31:8 NCV).
Don’t regret your failures before God, but only begin to let Him help you. Don’t live in the past fearfulness that you had, but only look to the Spirit of God to give you power and courage. The proof of His power in you will be His power through you.
Your potential requires God’s help. “With God’s power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of” (Ephesians 3:20 ICB).
You can change because He can change you. He will change you when you let Him. You will let Him when you trust Him. If you lack faith, then ask for more. The reason people have so little faith is that they consider their faith to be greater than it really is.
You’ll go as high in your faith as you’ll let Him take you. “And the apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith’” (Luke 17:5 NKJV).
An outcome of being filled with power by the Holy Spirit is a life that is free from the worries and frustrations that used to overwhelm us before. There is no greater freedom than to be set free from the tyranny of yourself.
Pray that God would do in your life what only He can accomplish. “Yes, it is God who is working in you. He helps you want to do what pleases him, and he gives you the power to do it” (Philippians 2:13 ERV).
You can walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. You can stand fearlessly before everything and everyone that comes against you. When you really believe that “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world,” then the world will lose all its power over you.
It’s by God’s design that what comes against us reveals how much we allow God to reign in us. “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 NKJV).
Blessings to you always,
Paul Balius
Go deeper
If this spoke to you, there is more. Paul Balius has written a book called “The Promise of the Holy Spirit”. It goes deeper into all of this, for anyone who senses they were meant for something more.
Paul has written three books. See them all
Amen 🙏 ♥️
Amen to the Amen of our ardently affectionate Abba Almighty, the Son of His love, Jesus, the Amen, the trusted and faithful and true Witness (Rev. 3:14) For as many as are the promises of God, in Christ they are [all answered] “Yes.” So through Him we say our “Amen” to the glory of God. (1 Cor. 1:20) In His precise timing and perfect providence, for the ulltimate glory of the most loving outcome eternally, the One Wondrously Beautiful Three Person God, our uncreated Creator, makes all things He faithfully promised thoroughly, exceedingly splendorous, everlastingly undiminished, and eternally expanding, to those who are the light of the world and the salt of the earth, followers of the Way, sealed by the Spirit for citizenship in the celestial city, courtyards, and countryside, the holy, happy highlands of heaven hereafter. Alleluia! In His Time https://youtu.be/aJeNUlNY7Iw
Excellent exhortation in the Spirit of power. I continue needing this, absolutely!
Thank you my Brother!
Thank you Paul!
You’re welcome!
Dear Paul Balius,
I am in total awe. It is truly amazing to see how, by the Grace of God, you can talk this way and make such an x-ray of things that are happening deep, in the spiritual realm, and are affecting us here and now.
Just felt on my knees as I am reading your letter for second time and have to stop at every paragraph to clean my tears, because I can hear and see Jesus, through you, I know is He, the One, who is revealing me what’s actually really happening behind the fears and anxiety and the cowardice that have been threatening me for so long.
Just wanted to share with you my personal testimony.
I feel overwhelmed. It’s like a Transfiguration moment for me! A personal encounter with JesusChrist who is revealing words of truth and the path that I shall follow.
I am speechless. There are no words. I feel so loved by God through you!
Glory be to God! And blessings to you, my friend, who are obedient to the Lord, a loyal apostle of Christ!
I am forever grateful with your writings.
Luly Benavides
Dear Luly! I’m sorry it took me so long to reply back to you. I want you to know just how much you have blessed me and encouraged me! Oh, you are sent by God, loved by God, used by God, and a great blessing to me. That is one of the greatest things I get to witness in His Kingdom, all the ways He uses each one of us, taking us just as we are, swooping us up in His arms, and like a Master Artist, playing His sweet melody through each of us! Today I was down at Skid Row in Los Angeles, I didn’t preach today, as today was only to serve hot dogs. The funny thing is that I get to minister more deeply one-on-one serving hot dogs than I ever do preaching a message. I pray God is showing you, in His great grace, all the ways He wants to use you! Blessings in your faith journey! Paul