Jesus knew that His followers, that we’d need more than just ourselves to walk out our lives fully surrendered to Him, to follow Him. He knew that to accomplish God’s plans and purposes for our lives we’d need supernatural power. That is why He sent to us as a gift from God, the Holy Spirit our Comforter, our Counselor, our Helper, our Intercessor, our Advocate, our POWER FROM HEAVEN.

It is only through the Spirit that we can follow Jesus. And Jesus expects us to follow Him. He told His disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Luke 9:23 Let’s take a look at three ways the Holy Spirit helps us follow Jesus and accomplish God’s plans and purposes for our lives and how we can be filled with this Power from Heaven.

First, the Holy Spirit Gives us Power to Obey His Commands

Jesus said in John 14:15, if we love Him, we will keep his commandments. Yes, He said that.

Here are a few commandments that we are supposed to keep:

1. Follow Him (Matt 4:19)
2. Keep our word (Matt 5:37)
3. Go the second mile (Matt 5:38-42)
4. Love our enemies (Matt 5:44-46)
5. Be perfect. (Matt 5:46-48)
6. Seek God’s kingdom first (Matt 6:33)
7. Choose the narrow way (Matt 7:13-14)
8. Fear not (Matt 10:28)
9. Heal the sick, raise the dead, drive out demons (Matthew 10:8)
10. Deny ourselves (Luke 9:23-25)
11. Forgive (Matt 18:21-22)
12. Love the Lord (Matt 22:37-38)
13. Love our neighbor (Matt 22:39-40)
14. Be born again (John 3:5-7)
15. Do not lust (Matt 5:28-30)

That’s only some of the commandments. You get the point, I think. None of these things can we completely do in our own power. Can we?

Yes, John 14:15 tells us to keep the commands, but the good news is that there is a John 14:16. Let’s start again at John 15 but this time read John 14:16 too.

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—”

That advocate is none other than the Holy Spirit. So, yes, Jesus said if we love Him, we will obey His commandments. But He goes on to say, don’t you worry, I’m gonna send the Holy Spirit to live inside of you, and He will help you do what I’ve asked you to do.

That’s why Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:3 that God’s divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life. God’s divine power. And we get that power from heaven, that divine power through the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes all the things that we are supposed to do can be overwhelming. In Matthew 22:34-36, a lawyer asked Jesus which is the greatest commandment, Jesus didn’t leave Him hanging: Jesus said,

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37–40).

Do you think in your own power you are fully capable of loving others like Jesus did (John 15:12)? Sure, it’s easy to love those nice to you and those closest to you, but we are commanded to do more than that. We are told also to:

Love is more than just a feeling that we conjure up. Love  is an action that is described in 1st Corinthians 13:4-8 in TPT in this way:

“Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up. Love never stops loving. 1st Cor 13:4-8

Where do you think we get this kind of Love? Do you think we just pull it off a shelf somewhere? No. Absolutely not.

Romans 5:5 tells us that the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with God’s Love.

Second, the Holy Spirit Gives Us the Power to Say No to Temptation

Jesus also knew we’d need power to say no to temptation and say yes to God’s instructions. Jesus told us to get rid of whatever causes us to sin (Matthew 5:29-30) He didn’t just say to get rid of it, He said to cut it off. Pretty drastic right?

Do you think in your own power you can do that? That you can resist the works of the flesh? That you can resist those things that tempt you the most? That donut, that website, that person, that thought. Have you tried using your own power? Were you successful?

Galatians 5:19-21 tells us that when we follow the desires of our sinful nature, the results are clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. This is bad fruit, y’all.

But it goes on to say that the HOLY SPIRIT produces a different kind of fruit in our lives; He produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23

So Jesus knew we’d need power to obey his commands and He knew we’d need power to say no to temptation, and He also knew we’d need power to be bold and destroy the works of the enemy.

Third, the Holy Spirit Gives Us Power to Destroy the Works of the Enemy

Jesus said we would do greater works than Him and those greater works we can only do ONLY through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus’ primary mission on earth was to destroy the works of the devil. That should be our mission as well. Are you up for the challenge?

So, you might be thinking  – what are the works of the devil? The works that we are to destroy. You don’t have to look far to find them:

Do you have anger, jealousy, or hostility? Or know anyone who does? Those are the works of the devil.

Do you experience anxiety or depression? Those are the works of the devil.

Do you have any strife in your marriage, with your family? Strife is the work of the devil.

Do you have any pain or sickness in your body? Those are the work of the devil.

Do you have any lack in your life? Lack is the work of the devil.

Do you have any fear, fear of abandonment, fear of failure, fear of the future? Fear is the work of the devil.

BUT through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can destroy these works: the anger, the strife, the depression and anxiety, the pain, the sickness, the lack, and the FEAR. In the name of Jesus, we can do this because WE HAVE THE POWER!

Don’t forget:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, Love, and self-control. This Spirit, this gift He has given us is none other than the Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 1:7

How To Be Filled With Power from Heaven

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about why we need the power of the Holy Spirit. But now let’s talk about how we tap into the power.

How did you become a Christian? By faith.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”  Ephesians 2:8

You receive Christ by faith. You receive the power of the Holy Spirit by faith too.

You can be filled right now with His power, through faith.

All you must do is desire to be filled, ASK, and in faith receive.

Just like in the Book of Acts.

Believe and receive. Believe and receive. Believe and receive.

If you have already been filled with the Spirit, that’s wonderful! But being filled with the Holy Spirit is not a once-and-for-all experience. There are many fillings, as is made clear in Ephesians 5:18:

“Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

First, I want you to notice this is a command. “Be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Second, this command of God means to be constantly and continually filled, controlled, and empowered with the Holy Spirit as a way of life.

A way of life, y’all. Daily, hourly…24×7 all the time. BE FILLED BE FILLED BE FILLED

JESUS SAID, If you, then, being evil [that is, sinful by nature], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!” Luke 11:13

So whether this is your first time to ask to be filled or you’ve been filled and want to be filled again – it doesn’t matter. The Holy Spirit is given to those who ask the Father, so let’s ask right now:

Father, I believe Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I desire to receive your Promise of the Holy Spirit. Baptize me in the Holy Spirit like you did the disciples on the day of Pentecost. Holy Spirit, empower me and fill me to overflowing. I hold nothing back from you. Work your gifts in me so that the Father’s Kingdom may be manifested in and through my life. I ask this in Jesus’ mighty Name. Amen!”