How do you start your day? Maybe you rely on three cups of coffee. That wears off quite fast. There is another power that we can never exhaust. It is the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
In Romans 15:13, the Apostle Paul wrote, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
For some time, I have been dealing with arthritis in my lower back, neuropathy in my feet, legs, and wrists, and multiple myeloma in my bone marrow. Many days, I feel exhausted even after a good night’s sleep. So how do I keep going? Believe me, it is not by my own strength. It is by relying on the Holy Spirit to strengthen me emotionally, physically, and spiritually. If you are trusting in Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can do the same.
Twice in that verse, Paul mentions the word ‘hope.’ In scripture, the word ‘hope’ means something you can experience with confidence. If God promises it, you can ask Him for it, and He will give it to you. Another word that Paul focuses on is ‘power.’ The world’s view of power is the ability to control people, events, and circumstances for our own advantage.
The word ‘power’ in the English Bible is the Greek word ‘dunamis’ from which we get the word ‘dynamite.’ Think of that. We can have the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit operating in our lives all the time.
It is God’s plan in this present age to work in and through the church, to evangelize the world. In Matthew 28:16-20, we have the great commission. “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted Him. And Jesus came to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.”
This ‘commission’ is the primary reason for evangelism and missions. Our Lord plans to accomplish this commission through us — those who have a personal faith relationship with Him. Notice also the word ‘Go.’ This is not a suggestion. It is a command. “Go in the power of the Holy Spirit, and I will always be with you.”
In John 20:21, we read, “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you!’ As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
This mission is carried out in two parts. First, we win people to Christ. Then, we plant churches. When I was elected president of the Missionary Church, we had not seen one new church started in the thirteen years. In fact, we lost a church. So, that was my drumbeat during my years as president. It caught on immediately and grew steadily worldwide. Fortunately, many new churches have been planted in our homeland, and more are being planted regularly by the “dynamite power of the Holy Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit empowers us to be witnesses of God’s love, to live in a way that pleases God, to fully meet the demands and pressures of life, and to resist temptation. Since God’s awesome power is available to us through the Holy Spirit, how can we tap into it? The answer is very clear. We must acknowledge our utter helplessness and our complete dependence on God. The Bible tells us that God shows Himself strongest in the humblest of hearts. In James 4:6, we read, “But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” In Proverbs 3:34, we read, “The LORD mocks the mocker, but is gracious to the humble.”
I personally am not ashamed to cry out, “Lord help me, strengthen me, cleanse me, empower me to do everything for your honor and glory.” You can do the same.
Blessings on this eve of 2026,
Pastor Leonard
