“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” – Mark 16: 17-18 NKJV
“I can open your eyes, take you wonder by wonder…A whole new world, a new fantastic point of view…”
The lyrics above are from the song, ‘A Whole New World’ sung in one of Disney’s most successful animations, ‘Aladdin.’ It’s a love song, but it captures how we believers feel when we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
When we received the Holy Spirit at Salvation, we not only changed but our point of view changed too. For us who were once dead in trespasses, salvation introduced us to a new world, full of wonder. We now operate in a world full of new and endless possibilities by the Spirit. The impossible is now possible with Him on our side.
Our anchor scripture details some of these new possibilities we believers are privy to. The Spirit of God on our inside empowers us to operate in the supernatural. We are empowered to heal the sick, cast out demons, speak in new tongues, and do many more extraordinary things.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to break free from seemingly insurmountable strongholds of the past. Through His guidance, we can conquer demonic attacks, habits, addictions, and longstanding illnesses. By the Spirit, we can command mountains to move and they obey (Mark 11:23). We can speak curses or blessings into existence (Mark 11:12-25). Such capabilities surpass what we could have imagined before we received the Holy Spirit.
The new nature you have in Christ makes you do the impossible (Matthew 19: 26). Because you believe, you have the power to do what you couldn’t do before (Mark 9: 23). Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter, who denied Jesus thrice in the past (Matthew 26:69-75), boldly stood before a crowd and proclaimed Jesus as Lord (Acts 2:14-42). Peter’s transformation serves as our testimony in Christ – The incredible possibility that a new convert will one day preach the Gospel to millions of people.
God sent the Holy Spirit to model us for good works (John 14:26). The life we now have by the Spirit has given us new possibilities. As a man in Christ Jesus, you are now a new creation and the ways of the old are gone (2 Corinthians 5:17). You can do things differently because God is actively working in you (Philippians 2: 13).
Dear believer, you are not ordinary. You have been empowered by the Spirit to do the impossible. By the Spirit, you can align things in your life to go according to the will of God. You no longer function by the flesh but by the Spirit of God. Hallelujah!
Bible Reading Plan: John 8: 33-59