Firepower

“…And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:9b

Several years ago I had the privilege of touring a United States Submarine. I was amazed by the incredible firepower of just one submarine. While the Navy would neither confirm nor deny that they had nuclear ballistic missiles, I did find out that one missile carries eight nuclear warheads. Each warhead can be sent to a different target and just one submarine carries the power of 5000 bombs like the one that destroyed Hiroshima. But did you know that no submarine has fired a missile at another vessel since World War II? In other words, for more than 60 years, we have had one of the greatest sources of military firepower in the world and it has never been used.

I believe there is a far greater power – greater than all of the submarines, battleships, aircraft carriers, fighter jets, bombers, and warplanes put together throughout history – that stands unused day after day. This power needs to be unleashed, not against people, but against sin. It needs to be unleashed not to kill people, but to give them eternal life. I am referring to the power of the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus came back from the dead and ascended into heaven He kept a promise that He had made to His disciples. He assured them He would not leave them without a divine presence and promised to send them the Holy Spirit of God to live in them and empower them to live the Christian life. The Holy Spirit is not an “it.” He is a person just as God the Father and God the Son are persons.

According to Romans 8:9, one of the definitions of a Christian is someone who has the Holy Spirit living in him. He is our firepower, and yet so many believers have never unleashed Him in their lives. The Spirit is who empowers us to live the abundant life that Christ died to give us. He is the one who leads and guides us, showing us truth and convicting us of our sins. His presence is our connection to both God the Father and God the Son. Why would we let Him sit idly by when He is the key to freedom and joy?

I encourage you to unleash the firepower of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Dear Father, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit living within me. I pray that you would help me to not forget the power I have available to me through your Spirit and that I would use that power to accomplish good things for your kingdom. In Jesus' name, amen.