PSALM 73:25 – “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.”
THEME OF THE DAY: THE POWER OF THE RENEWED WILL. Do we know the greatest power given to those who have become believers in the Lord Jesus? We might be quick to say, “The Holy Spirit.” God gave us the power of His Spirit so we could live the Christian life and be effective witnesses for Jesus . . .
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13).
However, for the power of God’s Spirit to flow through the life of the believer in both witnessing and living the Christian life, there is the need for another exercise of power; the power of our renewed will. We must make a conscious decision, and that of submission and obedience to God that puts us in the position to use the power of God’s Spirit in our lives. For example, the Lord Jesus said we would have the power of the Holy Spirit to witness for Him. Every true child of God has Him, the Holy Spirit residing within. However, few Christians actively and consistently share the gospel with unbelievers. Is it because of the lack of power? No. It is the lack of exercising the power of one’s will to obey the command to witness for the Lord Jesus.
So, really, the power of the renewed will becomes the greatest power in the life of the believer. Should we refuse to put our wills into action, then we grieve and quench the Holy Spirit and silence Him (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonian 5:19).
As much as we know all things from salvation to glorification depend exclusively on God’s amazing grace, there is still a responsibility in the believer to obey God. The statement “Let go and let God” may sound good and with good intention, but it is poor theology and anti-biblical. God places commands before us, and with the obedience to the commands come the fruit of obedience – love, joy, peace, and yes, power; His power flowing through us.
In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, he stresses the need for the power of God’s Spirit to enable us not to live by the flesh. Simultaneously is the personal responsibility to exercise our renewed will in applying God’s Word . . .
“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:3-8).
Remember, God has given His power for us to live pleasing to Him. However, He will not believe or obey for us. By the exercise of our renewed will, we “tap” into this power, and unlock the key to living the Christian life – God’s power flowing through our submission and obedience to His Word.
PRAYER: Father, forgive me for the times I choose not to exercise my will in obeying Your commands in Your power.
REFLECTION: The pleasure of obeying God is far more satisfying than any worldly pursuit, achievement, or object of desire.