Blessings!
Today’s Promise is Acts 1:8 NKJV:
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Devotion:
Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received this power. And they did. These were men who had lived with Jesus and witnessed His death and resurrection, yet they didn’t go out preaching or even witnessing under their own authority. They waited on God. And they didn’t sit around watching TV, tweeting, or gaming while they waited. They prayed and fasted in the upper room. The name Jerusalem translates in Hebrew as a place of restored relationship with God, a place to be established in His Peace. In other words, to become one with Him. The upper room is symbolic of the spiritual realm. Of rising above worldly concerns and seeking higher things.
Salvation restores our relationship with God, bringing us into Jerusalem, but the power of the Holy Spirit is given to us for the purpose of revealing God’s glory to the world and securing this earthly realm restored to us by Christ’s victory on the Cross. It is given as a tool for service to others, not for our status and importance. Without love and wisdom, power is a dangerous thing. And, since love and wisdom have only one source, God, it is He we need to seek above all the gifts of the Spirit. We must learn to wait on Him with fasting and prayer. For He gives Himself freely to those who ask. When God is the object of our desire, He will direct the flow of His power through us to the greatest blessing to His people, and to His greatest glory.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the power of Your Holy Spirit. Help me to seek You with all I am, in Jesus’ name, that I might know Your heart and steward Your power accordingly. Let me never forget that I am a servant, and whatever You choose to do in and through me is to Your glory alone. Amen.
Have a victorious day in the Lord!
Rebecca
