A couple years ago I was asked to speak for chapel services at my daughter’s high school. I remember being scared to death. The thought that terrified me the most is that these kids would be little versions of me when I was their age, and guys, teenage Brittney was a total turd!
As I sat there noting what I was going to say to this assembly of teenagers I tried to think of what I would have wanted to hear when I was their age. You know what I wanted more than anything when I was a teen? I wanted people to talk to me like I was an adult. I didn’t want things dumbed downed or censored for me because I was young, I just wanted adults around me to be real.
So I walked into that student assembly and that’s exactly what I brought… REAL. I spoke to them what I would have spoke to anyone my own age. The word of God doesn’t only apply to adults and it doesn’t need to be dumbed down for any age it is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…” (Hebrews 4:12)
That day the Lord lead me to speak on the power of the Holy Spirit and today I want to share that same word with you. This message is for all. For the old and for the young. For the man and for the woman. For the newly saved and the mature believer.
Ephesians 1:13 says “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit”
The thing that excites me about this verse is not only what it says, but what it doesn’t say. It doesn’t say you were “sealed with SOME of the promised Holy Spirit” upon your salvation. If you have believed in him as your Lord and Savior, you my friend have received all of His Spirit. The Holy Spirit isn’t something we have to earn, it’s a gift, freely given by our Father to serve his kingdom. This is why I say that this is a message for everyone, because it doesn’t matter your age, gender, or years in service to God, you have the same amount of His Spirit in you. We are equally equipped, filled, and empowered! (If I were speaking to you right now this is the part where I would start getting fired up!)
Now the obvious question is “so what, what does this mean for me?” Well, I’m glad you asked, and because I’m a list person (I LOVE lists! They make me feel focused and productive) I will share with you my list of 3 reasons why you should also be butterflies in your belly excited that you have a full measure of the Spirit living in you.
The Holy Spirit brings conviction. I know… maybe not the most “exciting” to start with, but one of the most important. In John 16:7-8 Jesus says “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and judgement” We are sinners, full of evil thoughts and deeds. We need the Spirit to convict our hearts in that loving way that only He can to let us know when we are missing the mark. Praise Him today for such a precious gift, a gift that leads us into righteousness and right standing with God.
The Holy Spirit brings new life. In Ephesians we’re told that we were “dead in trespasses and sin” and when Jesus talks to Nicodemus in John he tells him “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” he goes on to say “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” When you were saved and dunked in the waters of baptism, something supernatural happened. The old was washed away and you were made completely new. Are you walking in newness of life?
The Holy Spirit gives you power to serve in Christ. In Acts 1 the Apostles are with Jesus right before his ascension. They’re wanting him to tell them he will restore the physical kingdom in Israel. Jesus lovingly redirects their thoughts pointing them to the more important kingdom at hand, His heavenly kingdom, a kingdom built through the Spirit not through any man. He says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” When the Spirit comes, he brings power, the kind of power that no person can muster up on their own and that changes the world.
Today may we all rejoice in the life changing truth that we have all received a full measure of His Spirit!
Hi, I’m Brittney Dillon. Wife to Ryan, Mama to four great kiddos, lover of Jesus, and now the Assistant Manager of Content Development here at Worth the Risk. I’m a wanna-be homesteader, a drinker of entirely too much coffee, and a definite girly girl. I have experienced on a deep level the freedom that comes with knowing who you are in Jesus. I pray that you will walk in that same freedom. Let’s let Jesus be the only name by which we define ourselves!
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