WEEK 3 - SPIRIT EMPOWERMENT/FULLNESS
Having now turned from things that were grieving and quenching the Spirit, in this week we prayerfully welcome His fullness and power. May there be a sense of hunger and holy desperation as we pray for a fresh outpouring and infilling of the Holy Spirit on our lives and in our churches. Come, Holy Spirit!
DAY NINETEEN - FULLY SURRENDERED BY KELVIN WALKER
Galatians 5:25 - Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:25 is a challenging verse: “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” It’s challenging because keeping in step with the Spirit requires surrender. No one likes that word. To me, it means giving up control. And I don’t like to be controlled by anyone.
Yet living a Spirit-filled life means daily coming to terms with and willingly surrendering to the Spirit’s control in my life. Here’s the beautiful thing. For every moment that I surrender to the Spirit, He promises a fresh outpouring and filling of Himself. And, as I am filled with the Spirit, He provides the empowerment I need to keep in step with Him.
In recent years, God has been using one question to let me know it’s time for a fresh outpouring of His Spirit: “Do I have your ‘yes’ no matter the outcome?” Each time He asks that question, I know that my “yes” will require surrendering my control to the leading and voice of the Holy Spirit. Yet each time I say yes, I receive a fresh outpouring of the Spirit that empowers me to keep in step with Him and to live my life in Him as He lives His life through me.
That same empowerment is available to you. It begins with a simple phrase of surrender: “Yes, Lord . . . no matter the outcome, I say yes to You.”
Fully surrendered—Lord, I am Thine;
Fully surrendered, Savior divine!
Live Thou Thy life in me;
All fullness dwells in Thee;
Not I, but Christ in me.
—From “Fully Surrendered,” by Alfred C. Snead
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Prayerfully consider your current life situation. Do you see areas where you are out-of-step with the Spirit? If so, confess those and surrender them to His control.
2. Welcome in prayer a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit on your life.
3. Can you truly say that God has your “yes” in everything He’s asking you to do? If not, sincerely give it to Him as you pray through your life this week.