Open Heavens: Tuesday July 5, 2016 – POWER IN THE HOLY GHOST by Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8

Read: Acts 4:31-33, (KJV)

31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

Bible in one year: Acts 24:22-26:32, Song of Solomon 7:11-8:7

Message:

The only genuine source of power for children of God is the Holy Ghost. Any other means is not only a counterfeit but also counterproductive. When Jesus Christ was going to be with His Father, He told His disciples that they should stay back in Jerusalem until the promise of the Father came, only then would they have the power to go out and do the assignment that He had earlier given to them. It is unfortunate that many so-called children of God are gambling with their lives by engaging in the work of the ministry without adequate spiritual preparation.

“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” Acts 4:31, 33

There are lots of blessings which accrue from receiving the power of the Holy Ghost. For example, the Bible says we do not know how to pray but the Holy Spirit helps our inadequacy and with great groaning, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us (Romans 8:26). In other words, when we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, prayer will not be a difficult task for us. When we are endued with the power of the Holy Ghost, we become unstoppable by our detractors and their threats will not have any effect on our lives. The disciples of old, after they had been threatened by the Jewish leaders in Acts chapter 4, prayed in the Holy Ghost and became so bold that they preached the Word of God in the streets without fear.a

Ephesians 1:13 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.” Ephesians 1:13

To be endued in the Holy Spirit, however, your salvation must be genuine. Without genuine salvation, you are prone to have a counterfeit Holy Spirit baptism and in turn, counterfeit power which will lead to a vexation of your spirit. This will not be your portion in Jesus’ name. Then, you must live holy and make up your mind to become obedient to the Word of God. You must abstain from whatever will grieve the Holy Spirit.

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30

You grieve the Holy Spirit when you blaspheme Him or touch unclean things. You must be separated unto God (2nd Corinthians 6:14-18). I pray that the power of the Holy Spirit will come upon a reader of this devotional today in Jesus’ name.

Action Point: Father, send your promise of the Holy Spirit to me afresh today and don’t let me grieve Him as He comes upon me in Jesus’ Name.