The Power of the Holy Spirit - The Power of the Holy Spirit - at any time you can get a sudden breakthrough that propels you through Satan's defense. God can turn your desperate situation around in the blink of an eye. One touch from the Spirit of God will instantly change your life. The Holy Spirit fills those who believe in Jesus, and mighty miracles of salvation, healing, deliverance and provision are being poured out in abundance by the Spirit of God. You do not have to be stuck in a battle nor trapped in a season. It is neither our might nor power that defeats the enemy. It is the Spirit of God who breaks us free and mightily propels us forward

"And he said to me: 'This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel, saying: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.'" - Zechariah 4:6

Battles come and battles go. 

Seasons change. 

When you are a child of God, you do not have to be stuck in a battle nor trapped in a season. 

After all, it is neither our might nor power that defeats the enemy. 

It is the Spirit of God who breaks us free and mightily propels us forward.

When you belong to God, at any time you can get a sudden breakthrough that propels you through every line of Satan's defense. 

God can turn your desperate situation around in the blink of an eye. 

One touch from the Spirit of God will instantly change your life.

John was baptizing in the Jordan River, and suddenly Jesus appeared, the Lamb of God. 

Jesus was God's perfect seed planted in the earth that radically changed everything forever! 

The Holy Spirit fills those who believe in Jesus, and mighty miracles of salvation, healing, deliverance and provision are being poured out in abundance by the Spirit of God!

Holy Spirit, move my life forward today in a very dramatic way.

Further Reading

Nahum 1:1-3:19

Revelation 8:1-13

Psalm 136:1-26

Proverbs 30:7-9

Pastor Rod Parsley

Your Daily Devotion from Pastor Rod Parsley

Rodney Lee Parsley is a prominent American Christian minister, author, television host and evangelist. He is senior pastor of World Harvest Church, a large nondenominational church in Canal Winchester, Ohio; a suburb of Columbus, which has a sister campus in Elkhart, Indiana. 

PastorRodParsley@breakthrough.net

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Say yes to the fullness of His presence - the Holy Spirit invites you to experience His fullness. Embrace the spectacular when it comes, rejoicing in the power and glory of God. But above all, seek the intimate. Allow Him to lead, guide, and transform you through fellowship that goes beyond what the eyes can see. Embrace all of Him. Let Him have His way in your life. He wants to meet you both in the spectacular and the intimate. It’s in this deeper communion that we begin to know His thoughts, feel His heart, and discern His will — not just in moments of worship but in every aspect of life

Not by Might - God’s Word declares in very clear language that all victory depends on him alone. Only he has the power to deliver us from our enemies. You may have a godly will, a solid moral background and an unpolluted mind. You may be one of the cleanest people walking this earth, but the Bible says that none of your human gifts or abilities will ever work against the devil. You will always fail by your own efforts. If you are in an overwhelming struggle, you must learn the word God gave to Zechariah: “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts”

Sometimes People Collapse in the Presence of God - the Old and New Testaments tell of those who fell to the ground when they encountered the strong presence of God. If you hear of someone crumpling to the floor in the presence of God, don’t be too surprised. There are a lot of scriptural examples for people falling or collapsing when they come into contact with God’s supernatural power. If you’re standing in a prayer line to receive prayer and you feel the strength go from you — surrender to it and let the Holy Spirit perform a divine operation

Streams in my desert: What Every Believer Should Know About Receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit - the baptism with the Spirit is a promise from God the Father that Jesus gives His children. It’s an empowering to tell others about Him fulfilling His Great Commission. Jesus is the baptizer with the Holy Spirit. Focus your affection on Him in worship, believing you will receive the promise from the Father. You will do the speaking as His Spirit enables and empowers you while worshiping Him. Thank Him and pray in tongues daily. His kingdom will be accomplished on earth through you in your sphere of influence

Streams in my desert: The dunamis power that the Holy Spirit provides to us - the power comes from the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit Himself. The Holy Spirit also grants us the ability to develop His “fruit” in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. With the encouragement and maturity we gain, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit being obvious in our daily lives, the great privilege of sharing the gospel with the lost becomes a delightful exercise of “power”

Not by Might - God’s Word declares in very clear language that all victory depends on him alone. Only he has the power to deliver us from our enemies. You may have a godly will, a solid moral background and an unpolluted mind. You may be one of the cleanest people walking this earth, but the Bible says that none of your human gifts or abilities will ever work against the devil. You will always fail by your own efforts. If you are in an overwhelming struggle, you must learn the word God gave to Zechariah: “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts”

Many Christians today quickly turn to manmade things in an attempt to achieve victory over the flesh, just as Israel did. 

One glaring example is the vast number of Christian self-help books. 

Thousands of books promise surefire ways of improving, appeasing and subduing our flesh. 

Everywhere we turn, we are offered fleshly options to meet all our needs. 

Churches promise anointed revival meetings where all our spiritual needs will be fulfilled by a prayer or a touch.

Evangelists offer instant deliverance, instant healing and instant words from God. 

The truth is that God gave Israel the option of choosing him or the flesh in the midst of their situation. 

He said, “Go ahead and exercise your own will.

Dig deeply into your inner man, study your books, plan your strategies, and do everything you know how to do. 

You will still be leaning on the arm of the flesh.

None of your efforts will bring you one moment of victory.”

The more I study God’s Word, the clearer it becomes that all human striving for deliverance from sin is doomed to fail. 

God will let us go through the wringer time after time until we are totally convinced, we must die to all efforts of the flesh. 

When Israel attempted to defeat their powerful enemy through human power, God immediately denounced the effort: 

“… Both he who helps will fall, and he who is helped will fall down; they all will perish together” - (Isaiah 31:3. NKJV). 

God’s Word declares in very clear language that all victory depends on him alone. 

Only he has the power to deliver us from our enemies. 

You may have a godly will, a solid moral background and an unpolluted mind. 

You may be one of the cleanest people walking this earth, but the Bible says that none of your human gifts or abilities will ever work against the devil. 

You will always fail by your own efforts. 

If you are in an overwhelming struggle, you must learn the word God gave to Zechariah: 

“‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts” - (Zechariah 4:6, NKJV). 

By David Wilkerson

World Challenge Daily Devotions 

David Wilkerson was called to New York City in 1958 to minister to gang members and drug addicts, as told in the best-selling book The Cross and the Switchblade. He went on to create Teen Challenge and World Challenge, Inc. to minister to people’s spiritual and physical needs. In 1987, he established Times Square Church. As its founding pastor, he faithfully led this congregation, delivering powerful biblical messages that encourage righteous living and complete reliance on God. David Wilkerson also had a strong burden to encourage his fellow pastors. He founded the Summit International School of Ministry; and from 1999 to 2008, he held international conferences to strengthen church leaders. His passion to support believers, build up leaders and care for the poor is still at the heart of World Challenge’s ministries to this day.

worldchallenge.org

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The dunamis power that the Holy Spirit provides to us - the power comes from the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit Himself. The Holy Spirit also grants us the ability to develop His “fruit” in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. With the encouragement and maturity we gain, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit being obvious in our daily lives, the great privilege of sharing the gospel with the lost becomes a delightful exercise of “power”

Streams in my desert: I Believe in the Baptism in the Holy Spirit - just as God anointed Jesus "with the Holy Spirit and with power" in His earthly ministry, that same power is available to God's people for evangelizing the world. Related to this is power to perform miracles in the name of Jesus, as He himself performed them. Miracles often gain the attention of unbelievers so they will listen to the gospel. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit "will testify about Me" and "will glorify Me"

Streams in my desert: It's Beginning to Rain - a spiritual storm of the power of the living God. There must be a new fire of holiness burning and sweeping through the people of faith in this land. We're free people, made free by the Son of the living God. It's time to pray and intercede until this outpouring bursts fully upon our land and the lands around the world. Pray for the rain. We need to pray for the fullness of it. We must get in our prayer closets. Glory to God

Streams in my desert: The Outpouring Of The Holy Spirit - when God poured out His Spirit, we become children of God, with the Spirit of His Son in our hearts crying "Abba, Father." He then poured out His Spirit again, and His children became baptized with power, often manifested in the gifts of the Spirit such as tongues, prophecy, and miracles but also boldness. Then He continues to pour out, filling us each day which results in Christ-like character and the fruit of the Spirit

Streams in my desert: Stirred by the Spirit - Jesus knew everything his church would be facing today: the overwhelming opposition and the many obstacles. He also knew exactly what would happen to our society. Jesus would not have sent out his disciples without their knowing that the power given to them would be more than sufficient to meet every need and opposition. These men who had run in fear when the soldiers came for him were timid, fearful, unskilled and untrained. Yet Jesus knew that when fully yielded to the Holy Ghost, these men would work miracles, put demons to flight, and overcome every adversary and challenge. Jesus’ words to his helpless disciples apply to us today: “Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high”

Streams in my desert: The Spirit Reveals th

e Deep Things of God - the work of the Spirit is foolishness to the natural man. But he that hath the Spirit can discern spiritual things. The Holy Ghost is sent to us by Jesus Christ, and all gifts come through the Holy Ghost. Jesus said He will speak to you and show you the things to come. The Holy Spirit lets us down into the deep things, even the deep things of God. Then we can go from one deep thing to another

Streams in my desert: The dunamis power that the Holy Spirit provides to us - the power comes from the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit Himself. The Holy Spirit also grants us the ability to develop His “fruit” in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. With the encouragement and maturity we gain, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit being obvious in our daily lives, the great privilege of sharing the gospel with the lost becomes a delightful exercise of “power”

Streams in my desert: His Power Within Us - we are empowered by this gracious gift of the Holy Spirit within us to live for Jesus - the Spirit within us is a powerful blessing that empowers us and transforms us. The Spirit clearly does live in us to bring us God's power. Each day we will remind ourselves of God's personal presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit. Let's never forget that we are not only saved by grace but that we are also empowered by this gracious gift of the Holy Spirit within us to live for Jesus

Streams in my desert: Holy Spirit Baptism - being baptized in the Spirit does not make a person a “super Christian.” It positions us for the other manifestations of the Spirit. Nowhere in Scripture was the importance of Spirit baptism ever diminished. The only way we can know that someone has received the baptism in the Holy Spirit is if we hear him or her speaking in tongues. Receive the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, just like the New Testament Church

Streams in my desert: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit - those who experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit spoke in tongues, gave prophecies, prayed for the sick with miraculous results, and began a new surge of missionary ministry. They believed that all believers are entitled to, should ardently expect, and earnestly seek this "promise of the Father." This experience, distinct from and following salvation, brings the believer into the richness of the Spirit-filled life

Your God Is Too Small - just as the Bible explains, the real God is vast beyond our own, comprehending beautiful beyond our appreciation and wonderful beyond our own imagining. Because God encompasses everything – the past, the present and the future, near and far – God is above and beyond, close and compassionate. We do have a vast love and powerful God who was at work within us, and he is able to accomplish abundantly far more than we can ask or imagine

"... You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you." - 2 Chronicles 20:6

Back in 1961 the Bible scholar and translator JB Phillips wrote a book called ‘Your God is Too Small‘. 

He discussed how today we don’t have a God that’s big enough for our modern needs. 

And Phillips pointed out another characteristic of God being too small. 

And this is what he wrote. “To many people, God has been captured, tamed and trained to their own liking.”

So they’ve lost a sense of awe and wonder at the power of God.

He is far bigger than any of us. 

“He is God – we’re not,” Phillips said. 

No one is ever really at ease in facing what we call life and death without a religious faith. 

The trouble with many people today is that they’ve not found God a big enough God to meet their modern needs.

Their experiences in life have expanded, but they have not come to know the all knowing and all-powerful true God of the Bible. 

This was written, of course, in 1960 but I think it’s still relevant today.

Understanding God for who He truly is

We think that the God we serve is not big enough to meet the challenges of modern life, leaving us disheartened and frustrated. 

So is JB Phillips, right?

Is your God too small? 

Perhaps your view of God goes back to Sunday school days as a child. 

The ‘god in a box‘ notion limiting God to an inadequate concept as the resident policeman or a grand old man, or someone who is meek and mild or the managing director – and as a result are a host of insufficient ideas of God. 

Many people live with this inner dissatisfaction without any faith. 

This is because they’ve not found with their adult minds a God who is big enough. 

Perhaps we think of God in terms of our upbringing or our hurts in life. 

We create an image of God, and we tend to tailor God to our own needs. 

For instance, a grandfatherly or grandmotherly sort of figure when we’re needing comfort or when we’ve just won that job or prize, things are going well, and we say God is that personal sponsor who is on our side.

So we do prefer a God who is small, that God, that we can manage and predict and control the kind of God that feels safe to us. 

We can understand him and explain him. 

He doesn’t embarrass us, confuse or contradict us. He doesn’t make us mad.

We just want him to make us feel nice and safe and comfortable. 

So many of us are worried. We’re worn out. 

We face each day emptier than the day before. 

And if we’re not careful, that emptiness threatens to consume us, and it moves to take over everything else.

A small god. 

Well, a small god can’t help me, but this is simply not the god that we encounter in the Bible. 

The God of the Bible is the opposite of small and manageable.

He’s big, but he’s not just big. He’s bigger than big.

He’s bigger than all the words we use to say big. 

He defies our abilities to put him in some sort of category. 

Most people want a God who is only slightly bigger, a slightly smarter version of us. 

But the God of the Bible is something altogether different. 

And here’s the irony. 

Only a God like that can explain the mysteries of life and give us a real sense of purpose and ignites our passions.

It’s like the British philosopher Evelyn Underhill, who famously said, ‘A god small enough to be understood is not big enough to be worshipped.‘

If we were really honest this morning, we want a God who is slightly smarter, a slightly smarter version of me. 

And wouldn’t that make life much easier? 

When we keep God small, we allow God to remain distant. 

Does God watch us from a distance, as the popular song says?

Or is God moving in and through creation in every moment of time? 

Does he do that today? 

Did he do it yesterday? 

I believe that he is.

Just as the Bible explains, the real God is vast beyond our own, comprehending beautiful beyond our appreciation and wonderful beyond our own imagining.

Because God encompasses everything – the past, the present and the future, near and far – God is above and beyond, close and compassionate.

Do you believe that God can do anything in your life?

Do you believe that nothing is too hard for God? 

We do have a vast love and powerful God who was at work within us, and he is able to accomplish abundantly far more than we can ask or imagine.

Let’s Pray

Dear God, I understand that often I put you in a small box, I say you’re just too small for me.

Lord, help me to get rid of that idea and to see you as the grand, eternal, phenomenal God that we love and serve and who loves us and protects us. 

I pray for this in Jesus’ name. 

Amen.

By Chris Witts

In today's world real hope is hard to find. That's why Hope 103.2 exists: to bring the message of hope to our community through a family-friendly, safe listening environment.

We won't be quick to criticise or condemn. And we won't play on people's fears. Hope 103.2 will be ready to celebrate what's good in society and culture.

hope1032.com.au

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Remember Your Creator in the Days of Your Youth - live life in accordance with life beyond the sun - recognize the Creator of all things; live with the Creator throughout the days of youth. Remembering one’s Creator is the foundational concept for a proper worldview - refers to a continual remembering, not simply a one-time occurrence. We must cultivate a godly fear of the One to whom we must give account. To live life under the sun, without remembering our Creator, is vanity and meaningless

The Creator of All Cares about You - the world is an uncertain place where change takes place on a daily, moment by moment, basis. It’s not easy to go through the experience, but with Christ you can take this opportunity to grow and get closer to Him. God, our Father, never changes and He cares for each one of us and our everyday life. He will never leave you nor forsake you. The Creator of all is in control of your life. Don’t give up. With His help you can overcome and have the victory on this situation

You are of more value than many sparrows - nobody takes care of sparrows as God does. He keeps track of each one and either causes or passes on each bird's death. God has our hairs numbered - the average person loses about 70 hairs each day. Some fall out, some break, and new ones are replacing them all the time. God is also aware of the plus or minus 70 hairs we lose every day. "The very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows"

Inner Invincibility - no power on earth or in hell can conquer the Spirit of God living within the human spirit; it creates an inner invincibility - God turns our complaining into a hymn of praise. The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else

"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me…" - Matthew 11:29

“Whom the Lord loves He chastens…” - (Hebrews 12:6).

How petty our complaining is! 

Our Lord begins to bring us to the point where we can have fellowship with Him, only to hear us moan and groan, saying, “Oh Lord, just let me be like other people!” 

Jesus is asking us to get beside Him and take one end of the yoke, so that we can pull together.

That’s why Jesus says to us, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” - (Matthew 11:30). 

Are you closely identified with the Lord Jesus like that?

If so, you will thank God when you feel the pressure of His hand upon you.

“… to those who have no might He increases strength” - (Isaiah 40:29 ). 

God comes and takes us out of our emotionalism, and then our complaining turns into a hymn of praise. 

The only way to know the strength of God is to take the yoke of Jesus upon us and to learn from Him.

“…the joy of the Lord is your strength” - (Nehemiah 8:10). 

Where do the saints get their joy? 

If we did not know some Christians well, we might think from just observing them that they have no burdens at all to bear. 

But we must lift the veil from our eyes.

The fact that the peace, light, and joy of God is in them is proof that a burden is there as well. 

The burden that God places on us squeezes the grapes in our lives and produces the wine, but most of us see only the wine and not the burden. 

No power on earth or in hell can conquer the Spirit of God living within the human spirit; it creates an inner invincibility.

If your life is producing only a whine, instead of the wine, then ruthlessly kick it out.

It is definitely a crime for a Christian to be weak in God’s strength.

Bible in One Year: 1 Samuel 25-26; Luke 12:32-59

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else. 

“Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord”;…

The Highest Good—The Pilgrim’s Song Book

Oswald Chambers

My Utmost for His Highest

odb.org 

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His Power Within Us - we are empowered by this gracious gift of the Holy Spirit within us to live for Jesus - the Spirit within us is a powerful blessing that empowers us and transforms us

Be an Eagle Christian - we need to become just like "eagle" Christians - fearless and confident in the face of adversity, snatching victory from defeat as we soar to greater heights

Sometimes People Collapse in the Presence of God - if you’re standing in a prayer line to receive prayer and you feel the strength go from you — surrender to it and let the Holy Spirit perform a divine operation