Scripture Text: "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." Romans 8:11(KJV)
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DEVOTIONAL
The Bible is the wisdom of God in script. It is the voice of God recorded. Numbers 23:19(KJV), says, "God is not a man, that he should lie." So when God speaks, we can build our lives on it.
There was a time we were tossed around by the patterns of this world. We obeyed the flesh and Satan, whose will is our destruction. Ephesians 2:2 calls it "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." Under that spirit, life was painted with restlessness, frustration, and defeat. We were manipulated, and had no power to say no to sin.
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But then something happened. You heard the gospel of salvation. You believed. You received Jesus into your life as Lord and Saviour. 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares it plainly: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." Your status changed. Heaven baptized you with a new Spirit. Romans 8:2 calls Him "the spirit of life in Christ Jesus."
Now you are a new creature, and you notice something - that you now find it difficult going back to those things you used to do in the old man skin. Why? Because the Spirit of God in you now guides your thoughts and actions. He instructs and directs you.
This is the quickening Spirit Apostle Paul talks about in Romans 8:11. Quickening means to make alive, to energize, to revive. It is the same Spirit that was at work in Christ even in the grave. The power of resurrection is the Holy Spirit.
The words of Pastor Poju Oyemade,
The Holy Ghost is not a goose bump or a feeling. He is God in you, working through you, to do what only God can do.
In all these, many believers do not believe or trust the ministry of the Holy Spirit because they have narrow or no understanding about Him. But Jesus was clear. In John 14:16 He said, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever." This same Spirit is the Spirit of wisdom, and understanding, and counsel, and might, and knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord, Isaiah 11:2 (KJV).
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He was at work in the Son of God, and now He is at work in you. Also, Ephesians 3:20 says, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us."
Pay attention to that phrase: "the power that worketh in us." You are not empty. You are not powerless. You carry the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.
So how does this same Spirit in Christ empower and strengthen the you the believer, and the new convert, for their divine calling on earth? Here are 6 ways:
1. The Spirit Gives You A New Nature And Appetite
You no longer enjoy sin like before. Ezekiel 36:27 says, "And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes." He changes your taste. Lies become bitter. Purity becomes sweet, and the struggle to stop certain habits is broken because a new Governor is in your heart. Your job is to yield to Him daily.
2. The Spirit Quickens Your Body...
Romans 8:11 is not just about future resurrection. It is about present strength. When you are tired, He energizes you. When exams, ministry, or work drain you, He quickens your mortal body. You can pray and study with supernatural alertness because the Spirit helps your memory and focus. He is your divine energy.
3. The Spirit Reveals The Mind Of Christ to You
1 Corinthians 2:16 says, "But we have the mind of Christ." How? Through the Spirit. He opens up the Bible to you, and makes Scriptures come alive, tells you what to do in complex situations. John 16:13 says ,"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth." You are not to live by guesswork anymore.
4. The Spirit Empowers You For Bold Witness
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me." Acts 1:8( KJV). Shyness dies when the Spirit fills you. Recall that Peter denied Jesus before the Spirit came upon him, but after Pentecost he preached and 3,000 souls were saved. The same Spirit in you wants to use your mouth on campus, in your family, and in your department. So, open your mouth, He will fill it.
5. The Spirit Strengthens Your Inner Man
Galatians 5:16 admonishes, "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." Temptation will come, but the Spirit gives you the "way of escape," 1 Corinthians 10:13. Joseph ran from Potiphar’s wife because the Spirit of God in him cried “sin against God.” You can run too, say no. You have the power.
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6. The Spirit Distributes Gifts For Your Assignment
1 Corinthians 12:7 says , "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." The same Spirit gives words of wisdom, healing, teaching, helps, administration. You are not on Earth without equipment. The Spirit in you supplies the skill and grace to stand out, like Daniel in Daniel 5:12
Now, what should you do to sustain this gift?
1. Feed Him with the Word
Colossians 3:16. The Spirit speaks through Scripture. No Word, no voice.
2. Start to Fellowship with Him daily
2 Corinthians 13:14 calls it "the communion of the Holy Ghost." Talk to Him. He is a Person.
3. Obey His promptings quickly
Ephesians 4:30 says "grieve not the holy Spirit." Delayed obedience weakens sensitivity.
4. Stay in the company of fire
Hebrews 10:25. Iron sharpens iron. Stay in church, in fellowship, with believers.
You are not ordinary. The Spirit at work in Jesus is now at work in you. Believe it. Walk in it. Grow in it.
POINTS OF REFLECTION
1. Are you conscious daily that the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives inside of you right now?
2. How have you been depending on your own strength instead of yielding to the quickening power of the Holy Spirit?
3. What specific instruction has the Spirit given you lately that you have delayed to obey, and why?
PRAYER KEY POINTS
Father, IJN: I thank You for the gift of Your Spirit at work in me. Thank You that I am not alone, empty, or powerless, but filled with the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
Father, IJN: I ask for deeper sensitivity to Your Spirit. Help me to hear Him clearly, obey Him quickly, and walk in the power He supplies for my divine calling on earth.
Father, IJN: Let the quickening power of Your Spirit revive every dead area of my life, my health, my mind, my academics, and my purpose, that I may serve You without weakness.
COMMIT TO MEMORY
"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."1 John 4:4
FURTHER READING
John 14:26; Galatians 5:22-25; 1 Corinthians 2:9-12; Jude 1:20; Zechariah 4:6
ASSIGNMENT
For the next 7 days, spend 15 minutes daily just talking to the Holy Spirit. Say, “Holy Spirit, You are welcome in my life. Teach me. Lead me today.”
You should write down one instruction He gives you each day from the Word or in your heart, and obey it quickly. Also, share your testimony of the Spirit’s help with one new convert this week. You grow by yielding and by sharing.
You carry the resurrection power on your inside. Do not live like a man in a grave when the Spirit that rolled the stone away now dwells in you.
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