Hope for Transformation Shembull

We received the Holy Spirit by faith alone. Through Him, God provides us with the power to live a radically transformed life. If this isn’t what we're experiencing, we need to ask ourselves some questions:  

1. Am I ready to surrender control of my life?   
2. Am I ready now to confess and turn away from any known sin?    
3. Do I sincerely desire to be directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit?   

If you answered ‘yes’ to these questions, then take a moment right now to ‘breathe’, asking the Holy Spirit to empower you.  

Spiritual breathing is a powerful word picture which can help you experience moment-by-moment dependence upon the Spirit.  

EXHALE: Confess and turn away from any sin that you are aware of – agree with God that you were wrong, and by faith thank Him that He has forgiven all of your sins, past, present, and future, because Christ died for you.   

INHALE: Surrender control of your life to Christ, and trust the Holy Spirit to guide and empower you.  

Keeping in-step with the Spirit is not a one-off action but a lifestyle of surrendering ourselves to God and trusting Him to empower us as we obey Jesus as a way of life.  

Prayer

'Jesus, I want to live for you. I'm sorry that I have been relying on myself instead of on you. Please empower me with your Holy Spirit. Thank you for taking the throne of my life again.'

Did you ask the Holy Spirit to empower you? If not, what is holding you back?  

Just because we received the Spirit when we said ‘Yes’ to following Jesus does not mean that we live a perfect life. But the ‘spiritual person’ turns away from their sin as they become aware of it, allowing God to keep His rightful place in their life.  

If you find that you do not have any desire to allow Christ to direct your life, no track record of repentance or have consistently chosen to live your own way, then you should stop to consider seriously whether or not you actually are a Christian. This might be the Spirit convicting you of your need to let the old self die and receive the gift of new life that Jesus secured for you.