Cooperating with the Holy Spirit—God’s Strength is Yours!
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever (John 14:16 KJV).
God’s potential is far greater than anything we can ask Him to do.
Everything that is visible came out of God. Everything that we yet will see is still within Him. Because we came out of God, that same potential is available to us. But there’s a catch. God’s power must be at work within us before we can tap that power.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV).
When Jesus told His disciples that He was going away, He promised them that the Holy Spirit would come to be with them forever. Moments before His ascension to Heaven, Jesus also promised that the power of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:8) would equip His followers to be His messengers.
Your cooperation with the work of the Holy Spirit is how God reveals the stuff He took from Himself and gave to you. When you are in tune with the Holy Spirit, you can do things this world has never seen. It’s up to you whether you make the connection that releases the power. If that power isn’t working in you, your potential is being wasted.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Is the Holy Spirit present in my life? Am I flowing in a consistent, empowering relationship with Him in my every thought, dream, and plan?
Or am I trying to do great things and handle life without the power of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit?
God’s Strength is Yours
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4 NIV).
In Philippians 4:13 (NLT) Paul says, “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
You cannot do all things. You can only do all things through Christ who gives you the ability. Without Christ, your efforts are futile and the result is frustration.
Romans 8:31 (NIV) gives me great encouragement: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Now the word for is really the Greek word with. So let’s put it this way: “If God is with me, who can be against me?” The implication is that if God has given you something to do and He is with you, nothing or no one is going to stop you from accomplishing what God wants you to do. I don’t care who the person is or how much influence they have, if God is with you, it’s not important who is coming against you.
If you are going to release your potential, you must live each day checking out who’s with you instead of who’s against you. You may be experiencing political victimization, pressure from your boss or your spouse or your parents, or unfair treatment from your family or your employer, but these influences are not the most important factors in your life. You can spend the rest of your life fighting the people and circumstances that come against you, or you can focus on God’s presence and treat everything else as a temporary inconvenience. If God is with you, those who accuse or harass you have no power over you.
Make These Declarations
I am going to stand on the fact that Jesus promises me peace and victory if I rely on His strength: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NIV). No matter if _________ or _________ happens.
I will focus on God’s presence and treat everything else as a temporary inconvenience, even _________.
Examine Your Environment
And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates (Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NLT).
Take a few moments to examine your environment. Is it uplifting or degrading? Does it enrich your spiritual life or detract from the work of God’s Spirit in your heart? Is obedience to God the norm for those with whom you spend your days or do rebellion and disobedience characterize the lifestyles of your closest friends?
Moses instructed the Israelites to immerse themselves in God’s commandments (see Deuteronomy 6:6-9 above). I recommend the same practice to you. For out of a heart centered on God flow His gifts of faith, forgiveness, and obedience. These essential ingredients of your God-designed environment testify to a relationship with the Risen Christ that clings to the promise of His presence and delights in the joy of His fellowship. They are the heritage of those who maintain a positive environment so their potential can be released—because a relationship with God always provides the right environment. A checklist for examining your environment:
Who are your friends?
What books do you read?
What movies do you watch?
What magazines fill your shelves?
What are your hobbies?
What are your recreational activities?
Who feeds your musical appetites?
Who are your heroes?
Who feeds you spiritually?
Are the conditions of your home, school, work, or play conducive to your goals in life?
All the above should be carefully screened, analyzed, and adjusted to feed, activate, enhance, and foster the release of your potential.
I’m going to take time today to answer these questions and evaluate where I may have to make improvements, such as:
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I want my heritage, my legacy to reveal a positive, rich environment where potential is released—because of my close relationship with God.
